An input tool creates data primarily consumed by other tools. It accepts input through parameters, leaves output formatting and destination to downstream tools, and commonly uses verbs such as Get, Import, and ConvertFrom. section 6.2
Use an input tool when a task needs reusable data rather than immediate presentation:
- Retrieve computer names from Microsoft Entra ID for later processing. section 6.2
- Pass objects to action tools that change or remove resources. section 6.2
- Send results to output tools that create CSV files, displays, or other formats. section 6.2
Password-age reporting
A reporting workflow can use Get-AdUser as an input step to obtain service-account password ages, then pass the results to a CSV-producing tool for SIEM parsing and an HTML-producing tool for an operations display. section 6.2
Install-WindowsFeature -Name "RSAT-AD-PowerShell" ` -IncludeAllSubFeature
Install the Active Directory PowerShell tools before using Get-AdUser in this workflow. section 6.2
