Manage users and groups

You can create and manage Dimensions CM user accounts and user groups in the Administration Console.

In this topic:

Guidelines for managing users

In the Users and Groups section of the Administration Console, you can manage users and user groups:

• List, create, edit, and delete Dimensions CM user accounts for the current base database.

• List, create, edit, and delete Dimensions CM user groups for the current base database.

• Promote proxy users to normal user accounts.

• Define custom attributes for users.

To work with users and groups, you need the Manage Users and Group Definitions privilege.

For details about the Users and Groups user interface, see Users and Groups window.

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Add users

This procedure describes how to add normal user accounts to the Dimensions CM base database.

To add a normal user:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & Group registration > Users.

2. To create a user, click New on the toolbar. The New User dialog box opens.

3. On the General tab, enter the following user details:

   Field	Description
   User ID	Enter the username of the new user account, up to 64 characters long. To reactivate a dormant user, enter the user ID of the dormant user.
   Default project/stream	Enter the ID of the project/stream to set as the default for the user.
   Full name	(Optional) Enter the full name of the user.
   Telephone	(Optional) Enter the user's phone number.
   Group ID	(Optional) Enter the user's group ID. For example, Testing.
   Site	(Optional) Enter the user's siteg. For example, Head Office, or New York.
   Department	(Optional) Enter the user's department. For example, R&D.
   Email	(Optional) Enter the user's email address. Dimensions CM uses this address for sending emails to the user.
   Authorize auto-login	(Optional) Select to enable automatic login for Windows clients.
   Groups to assign	Specify any groups in which to include the user. To assign groups, click the browse button. In the Select Group dialog box, move the relevant groups from the Available Groups list to Groups to Assign, and click OK. Or you can enter the group IDs as a comma-separated list.

4. To set the values of custom attributes for the user, select the Attributes tab.

5. To keep the dialog box open after adding the user, select Keep open.

6. Click OK.

For details, on how to set the user password for the remote node, see Log in to a remote node.

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Promote proxy users

You can promote a proxy, automatically registered user to a normal user.

Promoting a proxy user grants that user greater access to Dimensions CM functionality, including the ability to perform operations on item revisions.

To promote a proxy user:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & Group registration > Users.

2. In the navigation pane, select the proxy user you want to promote.

3. On the toolbar, click Promote Proxy.

4. In the Promote Proxy dialog box, click OK.

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Modify users

You can edit the information associated with a user account. Copy an existing user account to create a new user with the same details, including role assignments.

Delete a user account when the user no longer needs access to Dimensions CM. This frees up the resources allocated to the user.

The deleted user becomes dormant. Dormant user accounts are inactive, but you can still view them by selecting the Dormant Users option in the navigation pane.

To edit, copy, or delete a user:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & Group registration > Users.

2. In the Users and Groups navigation pane, select the user type to display:

   All Active Users	Users who are activated in the base database.
   Auto Registered (proxy)	Users who have been automatically registered in the base database.
   Dormant Users	Users who have been deleted from the base database.

3. In the navigation pane, select the user to edit, copy, or delete. To edit or delete multiple users, select them in the content pane.

4. To edit the user, click the Edit User button in the General section of the content pane. In the Edit User dialog box, change the details, as described in Add users.

   When editing multiple users, you can enter a value in any <Leave Unchanged> field to apply the value across users.

5. To create a user based on another user, select the user you want to copy, and click Copy on the toolbar.

   In the Copy User dialog box, enter the user ID for the new user. Change any other details that are copied from the source user, as described in Add users.

   Note: Only the role assignments for the current product are copied to the new user. Role assignments for other products are not copied.

6. To delete a user, click Delete on the toolbar, and confirm.

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Assign attributes to users

You can define a custom attribute and make it available to all user accounts in the $GENERIC product.

To assign an attribute:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & Group registration > Users.

2. In the Users and Groups toolbar, click Manage Attributes.

3. In the Manage Attributes dialog box, click the Assign Attribute button.

4. In the Assign Attribute dialog box, specify the following attribute details:

   Field	Description
   Name	Enter the name for the attribute. Enter a name in the text field. When editing an attribute, you cannot change the name.
   Attribute number	(Display only) Specifies a unique number that Dimensions CM assigns to the attribute. Unless you define a value for the Display Order field, this number determines the order in which the attribute is displayed in a list of attributes.
   Max length	Specify the maximum length of a character field. Enter an integer between 1 and 1978. This field is relevant only for the character (Char) data type.
   Data type	Select the format for the attribute's values: Char. The value must be a string of characters, with the length up to the specified Max Length. Number. The value must be a real number or integer, such as -1.23 or 42. Date. The value must be an 11-character date in the format DD-MMM-YYYY. For example: 01-JAN-2023.
   User prompt	Enter the attribute's field label to be used in interactive dialog boxes, up to 50 characters long.
   Attribute type	(Display only) Specifies the type of attribute. For user attributes, this type is Single Value.
   Display width (in chars.)	Specify the width for the display of the attribute, from 1 to 240 characters.
   Display height (in no. of lines)	Specify the height for the display of the attribute, up to 24 lines. The height determines how many lines are visible whenever the attribute is entered or edited. The height does not restrict the number of lines the attribute may occupy. We recommend that you set the height to 2 or more lines or higher so that users can see at least two lines of data.
   Display order	(Optional) Enter the order in which the attribute is displayed in dialog boxes and lists, from 1 to 220. If empty, the order is determined by the Attribute Number that Dimensions CM assigns to the attribute.
   Default value	(Optional) Enter the default value of the attribute for new users, up to 240 characters long. If empty, the attribute does not have a default value. You can use these variables as default values: $TODAYS_DATE.The current system date and time in the format DD-MMM–YYYY 00:00:00. $USER_NAME. The operating system user ID of the current user account.
   Help message	(Optional) Enter the help text for the attribute, up to 80 characters long.
   Keep history	(Optional) Specify whether to record update history information for the attribute.
   Is mandatory	(Optional) Specify whether to require a value for the attribute.
   Display In	(Optional) Specify where to display the attribute: Edit Attributes dialogs. Displays the attribute in the Edit Attributes dialog box. Custom Pending & Catalog views. Displays the attribute when customizing Dimensions CM Pending/Catalog views.
   Associated Valid Set	(Optional) Select a valid set to associate with this attribute. The list includes the existing valid sets in the $GENERIC product. When editing an attribute, you cannot change the valid set. If you selected a multicolumn valid set, specify additional details: Column Number. The column number of the valid set to associate with the attribute. Validation Group Name. The validation group name that identifies the instance of the valid set that you want to associate with the attribute. Is Auto-Populate. (Optional) Indicates whether to automatically populate the attribute if a single match against the valid set is found.

5. Click OK.

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Edit or remove attributes

You can modify an attribute or remove it from the global user account. If you remove an attribute that is not in use by another object type, the attribute is deleted from the database.

To edit or remove an attribute:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & group registration > Users.

2. In the Users and Groups toolbar, click Manage Attributes.

3. In the Manage Attributes dialog box, select one or more attributes to edit or remove.

4. To modify the attributes, click the Edit Attribute button. In the Edit Attribute dialog box, change the values, as needed.

5. To delete the attributes, click the De-Assign Attribute button and confirm.

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Create groups

You can add new user groups to the Dimensions CM base database. Copy an existing group to create a new group with the same details.

To add or copy a group:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & Group registration > Users.

2. In the Users and Groups navigation pane, select All Groups from the list.

3. To create a new group from scratch, click New on the toolbar. The New Group dialog box opens.

   To create a group by copying an existing group, select the group to copy in the navigation pane, and click Copy on the toolbar. The Copy Group dialog box opens.

4. Enter a unique name for the group.

5. (Optional) Add a description for the group.

6. Add users to the group. Select a user in the Available Users list, and move it to Assigned Users.

   To remove a user, move the user from Assigned Users back to Available Users.

7. Click OK.

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Modify groups

You can edit a group's description, change the users assigned to a group, and delete groups.

To modify a group:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & Group registration > Users.

2. In the Users and Groups navigation pane, select All Groups from the list.

3. Select the group in the navigation pane, and click Edit Group in the content pane.

4. In the Edit Group dialog box, edit the group's description.

5. Change the users that belong to the group. To add a user, select the user in the Available Users list and move it to Assigned Users.

   To remove a user, move the user from Assigned Users back to Available Users.

6. Click OK.

7. To delete a group, select the group in the navigation pane, and click Edit Group in the content pane.

To delete a group:

1. In the Users and Groups tab, select All Groups from the drop-down list in the navigation pane.

2. Select the group in the navigation pane, and click Delete on the toolbar.

3. In the Delete dialog box, click Yes.

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Filter users or groups

Use filters to restrict the list of displayed users or groups based on certain criteria. You can filter by user details, such as Department or Group ID. Groups can be filtered by Group Name or Description.

To filter by user or group details:

1. In the Administration Console, go to Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges > User & Group registration > Users.

2. To filter users, select All Active Users from the list in the navigation pane.

   To filter groups, select All Groups from the list.

3. Click the top-level icon in the navigation pane. A summary of all users/groups is displayed in the content pane.

4. At the top right of the content pane, click the Filter link.

5. In the User Filter or Group Filter dialog box, set up your filtering criteria.

6. Click OK.

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See also:

• Users and roles management
• Users, Groups, Roles and Privileges area