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Active Roles 7.2.1 - Administrator Guide

Introduction About Active Roles Getting Started Rule-based Administrative Views Role-based Administration
Access Templates as administrative roles Access Template management tasks Examples of use Deployment considerations Windows claims-based Access Rules
Rule-based AutoProvisioning and Deprovisioning
About Policy Objects Policy Object management tasks Policy configuration tasks
Property Generation and Validation User Logon Name Generation Group Membership AutoProvisioning E-mail Alias Generation Exchange Mailbox AutoProvisioning Home Folder AutoProvisioning Script Execution User Account Deprovisioning Group Membership Removal Exchange Mailbox Deprovisioning Home Folder Deprovisioning User Account Relocation User Account Permanent Deletion Group Object Deprovisioning Group Object Relocation Group Object Permanent Deletion Notification Distribution Report Distribution
Deployment considerations Checking for policy compliance Deprovisioning users or groups Restoring deprovisioned users or groups Container Deletion Prevention policy Picture management rules Policy extensions
Workflows
Understanding workflow Workflow activities overview Configuring a workflow
Creating a workflow definition Configuring workflow start conditions Configuring workflow parameters Adding activities to a workflow Configuring an Approval activity Configuring a Notification activity Configuring a Script activity Configuring an If-Else activity Configuring a Stop/Break activity Configuring an Add Report Section activity Configuring a Search activity Configuring CRUD activities Configuring a Save Object Properties activity Configuring a Modify Requested Changes activity Enabling or disabling an activity Enabling or disabling a workflow Using the initialization script
Example: Approval workflow E-mail based approval Automation workflow Activity extensions
Temporal Group Memberships Group Family Dynamic Groups Active Roles Reporting Management History
Understanding Management History Management History configuration Viewing change history
Workflow activity report sections Policy report items Active Roles internal policy report items
Examining user activity
Entitlement Profile Recycle Bin AD LDS Data Management Managing Configuration of Active Roles
Connecting to the Administration Service Adding and removing managed domains Using unmanaged domains Evaluating product usage Configuring replication Using AlwaysOn Availability Groups Using database mirroring Creating and using virtual attributes Examining client sessions Monitoring performance Customizing the console Using Configuration Center Changing the Active Roles Admin account Enabling or disabling diagnostic logs Active Roles Log Viewer
Using regular expressions Administrative Template Communication ports

Activity type deployment

Workflows > Activity extensions > Design elements > Activity type deployment

The deployment process involves the development of a script that implements the workflow action and declares the activity parameters; the creation of a Script Module containing that script; and the creation of a Policy Type object referring to that Script Module. To deploy an activity type to a different environment, you can export the activity type to an export file in the source environment and then import the file in the destination environment. The use of export files makes it easy to distribute custom activity types.

Activity type usage

Workflows > Activity extensions > Design elements > Activity type usage

This is the process of configuring workflow activities. It occurs whenever you add an activity to a workflow in the Workflow Designer. To add an activity to a workflow, you drag the desired activity type from the toolbox onto the workflow process diagram. The toolbox, located on the left of the diagram, lists all the activity types defined in Active Roles, including the custom activity types. For each activity of a custom type the Workflow Designer provides a page for configuring the activity parameters specific to that activity type. Once the activity parameters have been configured, the workflow contains a fully functional activity of the selected custom type.

Active Roles provides a graphical user interface, complete with a programming interface, for creating and managing custom activity types. Using those interfaces, Active Roles workflows can be extended to meet the needs of a particular environment. Active Roles also has a deployment mechanism by which administrators put new types of workflow activity into operation.

Since workflow activity extension involves two interactions, Active Roles provides solutions in both areas. The Administration Service maintains activity type definitions, exposing activity types to its clients such as the Active Roles console or ADSI Provider. The console can be used to:

  • Create a new custom activity type, either from scratch or by importing an activity type that was exported from another environment.
  • Make changes to the definition of an existing custom activity type.
  • Add an activity of a particular custom type to a workflow, making the necessary changes to the activity parameters provided for by the activity type definition.

Normally, an Active Roles expert develops a custom activity type in a separate environment, and then exports the activity type to an export file. An Active Roles administrator deploys the activity type in the production environment by importing the export file. After that, the Workflow Designer can be used to configure and apply activities of the new type.

Policy Type objects

Workflows > Activity extensions > Design elements > Policy Type objects

The extensibility of workflow activity types builds upon Policy Type objects of the workflow activity category, each of which represent a single type of workflow activity. Policy Type objects are used within both the activity type deployment and activity type usage processes. The process of deploying a new activity type involves the creation of a Policy Type object. During the process of adding an activity of a custom type to a workflow, the activity type definition is retrieved from the respective Policy Type object.

Each Policy Type object of the workflow activity category holds the following data to define a single activity type:

  • Display name  Identifies the activity type in the Workflow Designer. This name is displayed in the activities toolbox located on the left of the workflow process diagram.
  • Description  A text describing the activity type. This text is used as a default description for every activity that is based on this Policy Type object.
  • Reference to Script Module  Identifies the Script Module that will be used by the workflow activities of this type. When adding an activity of a custom type to a workflow, you effectively create an activity that runs a certain script function from the Script Module specified by the respective Policy Type object.
  • Policy Type category  The Policy Type objects that define custom workflow activities fall in a separate policy type category named “workflow activity.”
  • Workflow category  Determines whether the custom activity can be used in change workflows only, automation workflows only, or both change and automation workflows.
  • Function to run  Identifies the script function that will be run by the workflow activities of this type. The function must exist in the Script Module selected for the policy type.
  • Function to declare parameters  Identifies the script function that declares the parameters for the workflow activities of this type. The function must exist in the Script Module selected for the policy type. By default, it is assumed that the parameters are declared by the function named onInit.
  • Policy Type icon  The image that appears next to the display name of the activity type in the Workflow Designer, to help identify and visually distinguish this activity type from the other types of workflow activity.

To create a custom activity type, you first need to create a Script Module that holds the script function that will be run by the workflow activities of that type. Then, you can create a Policy Type object referring to that Script Module. When you import an activity type, Active Roles automatically creates both the Script Module and the Policy Type object for that activity type. After the Policy Type object has been created, you can add an activity of the new type to a workflow.

Creating and managing custom activity types

Workflows > Activity extensions > Creating and managing custom activity types

In Active Roles, Policy Type objects provide the ability to store the definition of a custom activity type in a single object. Policy Type objects can be exported and imported, which makes it easy to distribute custom workflow activities to other environments.

In the Workflow Designer, an administrator is presented with a list of activity types derived from the Policy Type objects. Selecting a custom activity type from the list causes Active Roles to create a workflow activity based on the settings found in the respective Policy Type object.

This section covers the following tasks specific to custom activity types:

For more information about Policy Type objects, including instructions on scripting for Policy Type objects, refer to Active Roles SDK.

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