Creating users

You use the New User dialog to create user records to represent the people that are to use Asta Connect. This dialog has two tabs: User Information and Roles.

To access the New User dialog:

Click Administration in the left pane, then click Users. The Users page appears.
Click New User.

There are four types of Asta Connect user. All user types use Asta Connect in the same way; the only differences between them are the way that their user records are created in Asta Connect, and the way that they sign into Asta Connect.

Creating new non-Elecosoft Identity Service (EIS) users

If your organisation does not use the Elecosoft Identity Service to enable users to sign into Asta Connect and other Elecosoft applications using the same user name and password, all your users will be of this type. The sign in credentials they enter will enable them to sign into Asta Connect only.

To create a new non-Elecosoft Identity Service user:

On the User Information tab of the New User dialog, enter the user's name in the First Name and Surname fields.
Enter a user name with which the user can sign into Asta Connect in the User name field.
Select the Active check box for user records that relate to active users of Asta Connect; for users that no longer use Asta Connect, clear this check box.
You can specify that users who do not sign in using the Elecosoft Identity Service should be locked out of Asta Connect following a number of unsuccessful attempts to sign in. If you do this, user account locking applies only to those users against which the Lockout enabled check box has been selected. Select this check box to specify that the user can be locked out following a number of unsuccessful attempts to sign in, or clear the check box to specify that the user should never be locked out, regardless of the number of times they attempt to sign in unsuccessfully.
Enter the user's email address in the Email address field.
To send the user an email notifying them that they have been set up as a user in Asta Connect, select the Send activation email check box; if you do not want them to receive such an email, clear this check box.
Each user requires a password to sign into Asta Connect. For users who do not sign in using the Elecosoft Identity Service, you can generate a random password or enter a specific password:
- If you want Asta Connect to generate a random password for the user, select the Set random password check box.
- If you want to enter a specific password for the user, clear the Set random password check box. Password and Password (repeat) fields appear in which you can enter a password for the user.
For users who do not sign in using the Elecosoft Identity Service, if you want to force the user to change their password the next time they sign into Asta Connect, select the Should change password on next login check box; if you are happy for them to continue using the password you have set, clear this check box.
Click Save. The user details are saved and you are returned to the Users page. If you selected the Send activation email check box, the user is sent an email notifying them of their user name and password.

Creating new non-federated users

If your organisation uses the Elecosoft Identity Service to enable users to sign into Asta Connect and other Elecosoft applications using the same user name and password, but does not enable users to sign into applications using their Microsoft Entra ID credentials, your users will be of this type.

To create a new non-federated user:

On the User Information tab of the New User dialog, enter the user's name in the First Name and Surname fields.
Enter a user name with which the user can sign into Asta Connect in the User name field.
Select the Active check box for user records that relate to active users of Asta Connect; for users that no longer use Asta Connect, clear this check box.
Select the Require Elecosoft Identity Service sign-in check box.
From the radio buttons that appear, click Non-Federated User.
Enter the user's email address in the Email address field. If one or more domains have been registered against your customer record in the Elecosoft Identity Service, you must enter an email address with one of those domains. If the user already uses the Elecosoft Identity Service to sign into other Elecosoft applications, you must enter the email address that is currently registered in the Elecosoft Identity Service record for the user so that the user can be linked with their EIS record.
To send the user an email notifying them that they have been set up as a user in Asta Connect, select the Send activation email check box; if you do not want them to receive such an email, clear this check box.
Click the Roles tab. You use this tab to assign user roles to the user. User roles define the permissions that different types of user have in Asta Connect. You can assign a single role to each user, or more than one role.
To assign a user role to the user, select its check box; to unassign a user role, clear its check box.
Click Save. The user details are saved and you are returned to the Users page. If you selected the Send activation email check box, the user is sent an email notifying them of their user name and a randomly-generated password, which they will need to change the first time they sign in.

Creating new federated users

If your organisation uses the Elecosoft Identity Service to enable users to sign into Asta Connect and other Elecosoft applications using their Microsoft Entra ID credentials, your users will be of this type.

To create a new federated user:

On the User Information tab of the New User dialog, enter the user's name in the First Name and Surname fields.
Enter a user name with which the user can sign into Asta Connect in the User name field.
Select the Active check box for user records that relate to active users of Asta Connect; for users that no longer use Asta Connect, clear this check box.
Select the Require Elecosoft Identity Service sign-in check box.
From the radio buttons that appear, click Federated User.
Enter the user's email address in the Email address field. This must be the email address with a domain that has been registered with the Elecosoft Identity Service, that they use to sign into applications using Microsoft Entra ID.
To send the user an email notifying them that they have been set up as a user in Asta Connect, select the Send activation email check box; if you do not want them to receive such an email, clear this check box.
Click the Roles tab. You use this tab to assign user roles to the user. User roles define the permissions that different types of user have in Asta Connect. You can assign a single role to each user, or more than one role.
To assign a user role to the user, select its check box; to unassign a user role, clear its check box.
Click Save. The user details are saved and you are returned to the Users page. If you selected the Send activation email check box, the user is sent an email notifying them that they have been set up as a user in Asta Connect.

Creating new proxy users

Proxy users are not standard Asta Connect users; they are users who are able to sign into Asta Connect and view multiple customers' data. If your organisation uses the Elecosoft Identity Service to enable users to sign into Asta Connect, you may need to set up one or more proxy users, as directed by Elecosoft. An example of a proxy user would be a member of Elecosoft's Technical Support department, who may need to sign into multiple customers' versions of Asta Connect to assist them with issues.

To create a new proxy user:

On the User Information tab of the New User dialog, enter the user's name in the First Name and Surname fields.
Enter a user name with which the user can sign into Asta Connect in the User name field.
Select the Active check box for user records that relate to active users of Asta Connect; for users that no longer use Asta Connect, clear this check box.
Select the Require Elecosoft Identity Service sign-in check box.
From the radio buttons that appear, click Proxy User.
Enter the user's email address in the Email address field. This must be the same email address that has been registered against the corresponding user record to which this proxy user will be mapped.
To send the user an email notifying them that they have been set up as a user in Asta Connect, select the Send activation email check box; if you do not want them to receive such an email, clear this check box.
Click the Roles tab. You use this tab to assign user roles to the user. User roles define the permissions that different types of user have in Asta Connect. You can assign a single role to each user, or more than one role.
To assign a user role to the user, select its check box; to unassign a user role, clear its check box.
Click Save. The user details are saved and you are returned to the Users page. If you selected the Send activation email check box, the user is sent an email notifying them of their user name and password.