Automatically moving users between groups
This scenario removes a user from the Seattle group and adds the user to the Atlanta group when the user relocates to Atlanta from Seattle.
Suppose user accounts of employees working in Seattle belong to the Seattle group, and user accounts of those working in Atlanta belong to the Atlanta group. The group to which the user belongs is defined by the city attribute: employees working in Seattle have user accounts with the value Seattle for the City attribute. For those working in Atlanta, the value is Atlanta.
To implement this scenario, you must perform the following actions:
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Create the Seattle and Atlanta groups.
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Configure membership rules to add users with a city value of Seattle to the Seattle group, and those with Atlanta to the Atlanta group.
As a result, only user accounts that currently have a city value of Seattle belong to the Seattle group. Thus, when an employee leaves Seattle for Atlanta, an administrator changes the City attribute from Seattle to Atlanta, and the user automatically moves to the Atlanta group because of the membership rule. Conversely, when an employee leaves Atlanta for Seattle, the administrator changes the city attribute from Atlanta to Seattle, and the user automatically transfers to the Seattle group.
The following sections elaborate on the steps to implement this scenario.
Creating the groups
To create the Seattle group, in the Console tree, right-click the container where you want to add the group, and select New > Group. Follow the instructions in the New Object – Group Wizard. In the Group name box, type Seattle.
To create the Atlanta group, in the Console tree, right-click the container where you want to add the group, and select New > Group. Follow the instructions in the New Object – Group Wizard. In the Group name box, type Atlanta.
Configuring the membership rules
In this scenario, employees working in Seattle have user accounts with a value of Seattle for the City attribute. Those working in Atlanta have a value of Atlanta.
First, configure the membership rule for the Seattle group. Right-click the group and click Convert to Dynamic Group. In the confirmation message box, click Yes.
On the first page of the New Membership Rule Wizard, click Include by Query, then click Next.
On the second page, click Add to display the Create Membership Rules dialog. Then, follow these steps to configure the membership rule:
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In the Find list, click Users.
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Click Browse and select the domain, OU, or Managed Unit that holds the user accounts of the employees.
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Click the Advanced tab.
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Click Field, click City, then click OK in the Select Object Property dialog.
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In the Condition list, click Is (exactly).
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In the Value box, type Seattle.
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Click Add, then click Add Rule.
When you are done, click Finish in the New Membership Rule Wizard.
Repeat the same procedure for the Atlanta group, but type Atlanta in the Value box when configuring the membership rule.
Active Roles Reporting
The Active Roles reporting solution leverages Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) as a platform for managing, generating, and viewing reports.
Through the use of SSRS, Active Roles delivers enterprise reporting functionality that combines the strengths of web-based features and traditional reporting. The use of Reporting Services provides a way to centralize report storage and management, enable secure access to reports, control how reports are processed and distributed, and standardize how reports are used.
A comprehensive collection of report definitions, referred to as the Active Roles Report Pack, are published to the report server, a component of Reporting Services. Installing the Report Pack creates published reports that can be accessed through web addresses (URLs), through SharePoint Web parts, or through Report Manager, a web-based report access and management tool included with SSRS.
Opening a published report from the report server generates the report in a format suitable for viewing. This action is referred to as rendering a report. Rendering a report also occurs upon subscription, when the report is delivered to an email inbox or a file share in an output format specified by the report user.
The reports that can be generated once the Active Roles Report Pack is deployed are instrumental in change tracking audits, directory data monitoring and analysis, and assessment of Active Roles security and policy configurations. The reports fall into these categories:
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Active Roles Tracking Log: Check what changes were made to directory data through the use of Active Roles, who made the changes, and when the changes were made.
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Active Directory Assessment: Examine the state of directory data (such as users' properties, groups and other directory objects, group membership lists, and the contents of Organizational Units).
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Administrative Roles: View details on who has access to what data when using Active Roles, and what changes administrative users or groups are authorized to make.
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Managed Units: View details on the Managed Units defined in the Active Roles environment, what policies are applied to Managed Units, and what users or groups have administrative access to what Managed Units.
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Policy Objects: View details on what administrative policies are defined in the Active Roles environment, where particular policies are applied, and what policies are in effect on particular objects and containers.
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Policy Compliance: View details on what data in the directory is not compliant with Active Roles policies that are in effect, and what policy rules are violated.