With User Profile Synchronization Service in SharePoint 2010, you have the ability to import user profiles from a separate data source such as the Active Directory into SharePoint. Unlike in previous editions of SharePoint, for 2010, profile synchronization uses the Forefront Identity Management services. In our new two-part series, we’ll show you how to use this feature to import and update user profiles in SharePoint 2010.

You may have recently created and entered in profile information for a new user account in the Active Directory (AD) and noticed that the user and their information aren’t appearing on the User Information List page for a SharePoint group. In this article, we’ll show you how to resolve this issue by configuring the Profile Synchronization feature in User Profile Sync so that you can sync user profiles from Active Directory into SharePoint 2010.

Step 1: Before you begin, you will need to verify that the Service account is a Farm Account in SharePoint and that the Service account on the server is a Local Administrator.

In the event that this is not the case, you will need to do the following:

• Make sure that User Profile Service and User Profile Synchronization Service have been started successfully. To do this, go to Central Administration and select Application Management > Manage Services on Server

Step 2: Next, you will need to make sure that the Forefront Identity Manager Service and Forefront Identity Manager Synchronization Service have been started successfully on the server.

In order to verify that Forefront Identity Manager Service and Forefront Identity Manager Synchronization Service have been started successfully, go to Start and select Administrative Tools > Services.

Step 3: Once you have verified the above, you will need to make sure that the Service account has Full Control permissions on Administrators and Permissions for the User Profile Service Application.

In the event that your user does NOT have Full Control permissions on Administrators and Permissions for User Profile Service Application, you will need to do the following:

• Go to Central Administration and select Application Management > Manage Service Applications > User Profile Service Application
• From the Administrators for User Profile Service Application menu, check the appropriate Permissions for user checkboxes.
• Click OK.

Step 4: Once all of the above steps have been completed and verified, you will be able to set up a synchronization connection.

To begin, go to Central Administration and select Application Management > Manage Services Applications.

From there, select User Profile Service Application > Configure Synchronization Connections and select Create New Connection.

 Next, on the Add New synchronization menu, you will need to enter the following information:

• Connection Name: Enter the name of the directory you will be connecting to
• Type: Select Active Directory
• Connection Settings: Enter the applicable Forest name and user account information

Under Containers, click the Populate Containers button.  Select the container which you want to be synchronized.

Click OK.

The Synchronization Connection will now be successfully activated.

Step 5: Next, you will need to add a user profile:

• Go to Central Administration and select Application Management > Manage Service Applications > User Profile Service Application
• From there, select Manage User Profiles > New Profile
• Enter the applicable information for the new user(s)
• Once finished, click Save and Close

In this example, we’ve added 11 user profiles that will be synced from Active Directory to the User Information List.

Step 6: Next, you will need to configure a Synchronization Timer Job:

• Go to Central Administration and select Application Management > Manage Service Applications > User Profile Service Application
• From there, select Configure Synchronization Timer Job

Step 7: Next, you will need to Start Profile Synchronization:

• Go to Central Administration and select Application Management > Manage Service Applications > User Profile Service Application
• Under Synchronization, select Start Profile Synchronization
• Since it is your first time running a synchronization, you will need to select the Start Full Synchronization radio button.
• Click OK.

After you click OK, you will see that the Number of User Profiles is listed as 0 and the Profile Synchronization Status is listed as Synchronizing Stop.

After the synchronization has been started successfully, all of the user profiles will be imported.

Once the synchronization has been completed, you will see that the Number of User Profiles is listed as 11 and that the Profile Synchronization Status is now listed as Idle.

To verify that all of the necessary Active Directory attributes were successfully imported, go to Manage User Profiles and search for users.  Click on Edit My Profile to view a user’s profile information and make edits (if needed).

Once the Running Timer Job has been successfully completed, a user’s information will be updated on the User Information List page.

Want more on User Profile Synchronization Services?  If so, we invite you to check out part one of our series:

How to Start the User Profile Synchronization Service in SharePoint 2010