User Administration

The User Manager contains shortcut tools you can use to access user functions. 

The User Manager provides tools for maintaining users in your organization. You can:

• Create, Modify or Delete user roles

• Create, Modify or Delete users

• Assign roles to users

• Assign custom permissions to users

• Set user's security access to places and cost centers

The User Manager workspace lists users by their user ID, full name, user role, and topmost place/cost center view permissions. Sort the lists alphabetically by clicking on a column heading. Sort the lists in reverse order by clicking the column heading once more.

Accessing the User Manager

1. On the navigation bar, select the Setup module.

2. Click the Users icon . The User Manager appears.

WHAT IS A USER ROLE? A User Role is a predefined set of client-configured permissions that essentially determine what EnergyCAP options are accessible to a specific user, and what actions the user is allowed to perform.

WHY USE THEM? EnergyCAP User Roles are designed to streamline the process of adding EnergyCAP users and to help ensure consistency and integrity when managing users across your enterprise.

HOW DO I USE THEM? First, it is important to understand the various permissions that are available in EnergyCAP. An alphabetical User Permissions checklist of Managers* and available Actions is available.

*A “Manager” in EnergyCAP is an interface element that “manages” a related group of EnergyCAP functions, e.g. Facility Manager, Account Manager, etc.

Second, determine the unique user roles that would be applicable in your organization, and what permissions would be required for each role. For example, separate User Roles might be defined for different job responsibilities or user types including:

• Bill Entry
• Administration
• Accounting
• Building Manager
• View Only

Use the User Permissions checklist when deciding what Managers and actions to include for each defined User Role. The Check box in the right-hand column of the checklist can be used to identify the appropriate Managers and Action Levels that should be selected for the User Role. Once the checklist for each of the User Roles required for your organization is complete, it can be used as a reference for setting up the User Role.

The User Roles Editor provides tools to define and maintain various user roles, each with specific permissions for access to Energy CAP Enterprise features/modules. A user that is assigned a User Role ‘inherits’ the security and access privileges that the User Role defines. Once assigned, the role is actually "time-stamped" to the user--the permissions remain with that user until they are directly modified or a new User Role is assigned.

Defining roles enables the EnergyCAP administrator to more efficiently manage multiple users and permissions. Most large organizations define several different EnergyCAP User Roles—Data Entry, Accounting, Administration, Building Manager, Energy Manager, etc. With User Roles, it is quick and easy to assign and reassign security and access rights.

Accessing the User Roles Editor

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager will be displayed.

2. From the User menu, select Editors > User Roles. OR click the User Roles button from the User Manager title bar. The User Role window will open.

   • Roles are displayed by their title. You can sort the list by clicking on the column heading. Sort the list in reverse order by clicking the column heading once more.

3. You can also Modify or Delete user roles

1. Exit the User Roles window by clicking Close.

Options for Modifying User Permissions

Follow the instructions below to modify the users' roles/permissions that have changed:

• Assign roles to users

• Assign custom permissions to users

• Set user's security access to places and cost centers

Default User Roles

Administrator - Provides full view and write access to all menus, features, and functions. The Administrator User Role is the only role that can create new users or change User Role permissions.

Bill Entry & Account Setup - Provides full view and write access to all menus, features, and functions with the exception of User Role creation/modification. This role is ideal for a Data Entry Specialist who may be managing day-to-day bill processing and associated setup tasks.

Building Administrator - Provides view access for all menus, features, and functions. Write access is limited to building and meter Setup data such as name, address, floor area, and ENERGY STAR attributes. This role is ideal for multiple-building administrators.

Bill Entry Only - Provides full view access for all menus, features, and functions. Write access is provided for all bill entry functions. This role is ideal for distance users who receive bills and need to enter them into the system.

Building Manager - View Only - Provides view access to Setup, Accounting, Vendor contacts, and Reporting. This role is ideal for a department/building manager or consultant.

Public - View Only - Provides view access to Facilities, Groups, and Public (Shared) Reports. Permissions are similar to those of Building Manager - View Only, but does not allow view of Accounting and Vendor contacts. This role is ideal for public stakeholders in an organization.

Public - Reports Only - Provides view access to Public (Shared) Reports in the application. This role is ideal for users who need to run reports on a periodic basis.

When creating a User Role, it is necessary to assign the role a unique name then add permissions to the role to access certain functionality.

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager appears.

2. From the User menu, select Editors > User Roles. Or click the User Roles button from the User Manager Title Bar. The User Role Editor window will open.

3. Click Add ( ). The Create Role window will open.
   

4. Select the General tab to enter the role name and assign permissions.

5. Enter a name for the user role. You are limited to 32 characters.

6. Use the Name field under the General tab to enter the User Role name. Name lengths are limited to 32 characters. If desired, click Select All to select all permissions for this User Role. Or click Select None to clear all permissions.

7. To refine the User Role, click the 'Plus' icon in the Options pane to expand the Application folder. A list of the various application objects associated with EnergyCAP will appear.

8. Click on an application object and then click the checkbox(es) to select or deselect the appropriate User Role permissions from the Access options for that object (View/Modify/Delete/Create/Execute). When a permission is selected, a checkmark will appear in the checkbox.
   

9. Repeat the previous step with each application object until the User Role has been granted all necessary permissions or restrictions.

10. After making desired selections, click OK to save the changes and exit the Create Role window. The new User Role will now appear in the User Role Editor window.

11. Exit the User Role Editor window by clicking Close.

When modifying a user role, you can change the role name and permissions to access functionality. If you modify a role, you can either update all users with this role in order to assign the new permissions to these users OR, if you do not update these users, they retain the permissions assigned to the role before the modification.

Follow the instructions below to modify the users' roles/permissions:

• Assign roles to users

• Assign custom permissions to users

• Set user's security access to places and cost centers

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager will be displayed.

2. From the User menu, select Editors > User Roles. The User Roles window will open.

3. Select the appropriate role to modify.

4. Click . The Role Properties will open.

5. Select the General tab.

6. Change the role name by clearing the Name field then entering the new role name. You are limited to 32 characters.

7. Change permissions by:

   1. Selecting the appropriate setting from the Objects list.

   2. Selecting the level of access desired for this setting.

   3. Repeating steps a and b until the role has the necessary permissions.

8. After making your selections, click OK. The Confirm window will open.

   • Select Yes to apply the changes to all users with this role.

   • Select No to manually apply the changes to users.

The Role Properties will close.

9. Repeat steps 3-8 to modify additional user roles.

10. Exit the User Roles window by clicking Close.

When deleting a role, users with that role retain the permissions assigned to the role (which will then be displayed as "Custom" in the User Properties window) before the deletion.

Follow the instructions below to modify the users' roles/permissions that have changed:

• Assign roles to users

• Assign custom permissions to users

• Set user's security access to places and cost centers

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager appears.

2. From the User menu, select Editors > User Roles. The User Roles window will open.

3. Select the role to delete.

4. Click . The Confirm window will open.

   • Select Yes to delete this role and continue.

   • Select Yes to all to delete all selected roles.

   • Select No to cancel this deletion and continue.

   • Select No to all to cancel the operation.

5. Exit the User Roles window by clicking Close.

When creating a user, you assign the user a unique ID, a password, permissions, and security access to areas of your dataset. Passwords are required when logging on to the application.

1. Select Setup | Users. The User Manager appears.

2. From the User menu, select New. The Create User window appears.

   • Select the General tab to enter the user's name and set the user's ID and password.

   • Select the Permissions tab to assign a user role or set permissions.

   • Select the Security tab to set the user's accessibility to places and cost centers.

3. After making your selections, click OK.

General tab

1. In the ID field, enter the appropriate user ID. You are limited to 32 characters.

2. In the Full Name field, enter the user's first name and surname. You are limited to 32 characters.

3. Click Password to set the user's password (required). The New Password window appears.

   1. Enter the password.

   2. Re-confirm the password.

   3. Click OK. The New Password window closes.

Active Directory: Click this checkbox if user access/security is managed via Active Directory. Consult your company IT contact for more information.

Strong password: Click this checkbox to require a strong password for this user. Strong passwords must be 8-16 characters long and contain uppercase letter(s), lowercase letter(s), number(s), and symbol(s).  Acceptable symbols include !@#$%^&*()<>. EnergyCAP can also require password changes upon login after a set number of days.  So an admin can create users with a default password and then upon login require the user to change password to either a simple or strong password.

Require password change upon next login: Click this checkbox to prompt the User to change the password on the next login.

Password expires after "x" days: Input the number of days (1-999) in the password cycle.
EXAMPLE: If 30 is input, the User will be prompted to change the password every 30 days.
If no password change will be required, leave the default setting of "0".

Permission tab

When assigning permissions to a user, the custom permissions override a user role assignment.

1. To assign a pre-defined role:

   1. In the User Roles section Set to: list select the appropriate role.

   2. Click Set to save.

2. To assign custom permissions:

   1. In the Custom Settings section, select the appropriate setting from the Objects list.

   2. Select the level of access desired for this setting.

   3. Repeat steps a and b until the user has the proper access to all necessary permissions.

   4. Click Set to save.

Security tab

1. To assign the top place a user can access:

   • In the Top-most Place section, select the appropriate place. All children of this place are also accessible to the user.

2. To assign the top cost center a user can access:

   • In the Top-most Cost Center section, select the appropriate cost center. All children of this cost center are also accessible to the user.

You can modify a user's ID, name, password, permissions, and security access to areas of your dataset. Passwords are required when logging on to the application.

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager appears.

2. Select the appropriate user to modify.

3. From the File menu, select Properties. The User Properties window appears.

   • Select the General tab to modify the user's name, ID, or password.

   • Select the Permissions tab to change the user's assigned role or permissions.

   • Select the Security tab to change the user's accessibility to places and cost centers.

4. After making your selections, click OK.

General tab

1. Modify the user ID by clearing the User ID field then entering the new user ID.

2. Modify the user name by clearing the Full Name field then entering the new user name. You are limited to 32 characters.

3. To change the password (required), click Password. The New Password window appears.

   1. Enter the new password.

   2. Re-confirm the new password.

   3. Click OK. The New Password window closes.

Active Directory: Click this checkbox if user access/security is managed via Active Directory. Consult your company IT contact for more information.

Strong password: Click this checkbox to require a strong password for this user. Strong passwords must be 8-16 characters long and contain uppercase letter(s), lowercase letter(s), number(s), and symbol(s).  Acceptable symbols include !@#$%^&*()<>. EnergyCAP can also require password changes upon login after a set number of days.  So an admin can create users with a default password and then upon login require the user to change password to either a simple or strong password.

Require password change upon next login: Click this checkbox to prompt the User to change the password on the next login.

Password expires after "x" days: Input the number of days (1-999) in the password cycle.
EXAMPLE: If 30 is input, the User will be prompted to change the password every 30 days.
If no password change will be required, leave the default setting of "0".

Permission tab

When assigning custom permissions to a user, the custom permissions override a user role assignment.

1. To assign a different pre-defined role:

   1. In the User Roles section Set to: list, select the appropriate role.

   2. Click Set to save.

2. To change custom permissions:

   1. In the Custom Settings section, select the appropriate setting from the Objects list.

   2. Select the level of access (View/Modify/Delete/Create/Execute) available and desired for this setting.

   3. Repeat steps a and b until the user has the proper access to all necessary permissions.

   4. Click Set to save.

Security tab

1. To change the top place a user can access:

   • In the Top-most Place section, select the appropriate place. All children of this place are also accessible to the user.

2. To change the top cost center a user can access:

   • In the Top-most Cost Center section, select the appropriate cost center. All children of this cost center are also accessible to the user.

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager appears.

2. Select the user to delete

3. From the User menu, select Delete. The Confirm window appears.

   • Select Yes to delete the user and continue.

   • Select Yes to all to delete all selected users.

   • Select No to cancel this deletion and continue.

   • Select No to all to cancel the operation.

NOTE: A user record can be permanently deleted ONLY when that user has never created or modified any records in the EnergyCAP database (a 'view-only' user, for example) . Once the user ID appears in a record, SQL will roll back the delete transaction causing the username to re-appear in the list of Users. This is because EnergyCAP does not permit a record (a bill or account record, for example), that references a non-existent user ID as the ‘created by’ or ‘last modified by’ user. SQL does not allow this “broken reference link.”

What can be done is that the inactive user’s login name and password can be altered so that all 'deleted' (inactive) users fall at the bottom of the User list and can never be used as a login. For example, add an “x” or "z" prefix to the user name (x-John Smith) and then change the password. All of the 'x-' names will appear at the bottom of the User list, and the record of all database actions (bills created or modified by John Smith, for example) will remain for future reference.

User roles are given custom permissions to Energy CAP Enterprise functionality. The role is actually "time-stamped" to the user. If you modify or delete a role, users with that role retain the permissions assigned to the role before the deletion or modification. You must assign users the modified role to use the new permissions.

1. Select Setup | Users. The User Manager appears.

2. Select the appropriate user.

3. From the File menu, select Properties. The User Properties dialog box appears.

4. Select the Permissions tab.

5. In the User Roles section, from the Set to: drop-down list, select the appropriate role.

6. Click Set to save.

7. After making your selections, click OK.

When assigning custom permissions to a user, the custom permissions override a user role assignment.

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager appears.

2. Select the appropriate user.

3. From the File menu, select Properties. The User Properties window appears.

4. Select the Permissions tab.

5. In the Custom Settings pane, click the Plus icon to reveal the application settings.  

6. Click each of the application modules and objects and then select the appropriate Access rights for each by clicking the checkbox associated with each action (View/Modify/Delete/Create/Execute).

7. Click Set to save.

8. After making your selections, click OK.

1. Select Setup > Users. The User Manager appears.

2. Select the appropriate user.

3. From the File menu, select Properties. The User Properties window appears.

4. Select the Security tab.

5. To assign the top place a user can access:

• In the Top-most Place section, select the appropriate place. All 'children' of this place are also accessible to the user.

6. To assign the top cost center a user can access:

• In the Top-most Cost Center section, select the appropriate cost center. All 'children' of this cost center are also accessible to the user.

7. After making your selections, click OK.

To access User Permissions, click Setup > Users > New User

Items in BOLD CAPS are primary folders/permission categories. Generally View-Only privileges are granted at the primary folder level. Secondary folders provide additional granularity for assigning additional privileges for specific actions (View, Modify, Delete, Create, Execute, as applicable).

NOTE: Some items may not applicable in the EnergyCAP Browser Version.