Temporary Account Impersonation

Last Updated: 12/03/2015 Introduced in Verision: 2.0

Sometimes an account with limited access in the portal will temporarily require access to additional functionality. For example, a user may need to perform additional tasks while covering for a vacationing administrator, or a project may require temporary, frequent use of a particular administrative function. Temporary account impersonation may also assist while troubleshooting an issue by allowing one user to see the portal as another user sees it.

Temporary account impersonation allows a user to access the portal with another user’s account, granting the impersonator the permissions associated with that impersonated account.

To set up temporary account impersonation, edit the user account to be impersonated, adding the impersonator’s account information in the Edit Entity pop-up.

Example

In the example, we will allow the impersonator, the user “nancy@mycompany.com,” to impersonate an administrator, the user  “admin@mycompany.com.”

We will:

  1. As an administrator, add the account to be impersonated to to the Account settings of the impersonating account.
  2. Log out as the administrator, and log in with the impersonating account.
  3. Click the As. . . link and select the account to impersonate.
  4. Access functionality associated with the impersonated account.

When logged in as

adminLogIn

 

The impersonating user (nancy@mycompany.com) can access additional functionality while impersonating the administrator account (admin@mycompany.com).

To begin, navigate to the folder System > Security > Accounts. In the folder data panel, select the account to be impersonated. In this case, select the account
addImpersonation
 
In the Select Account pop-up, choose the account that is to impersonate the selected account and click OK.
Because account impersonation is set for a limited time, enter the start date and time and the end date and time.

In the Edit Object pop-up, set the date and time for the impersonation period to start and end and click OK.

 

 editImpersonation

 
To save the account impersonation settings, back in the Edit Entity pop-up, click OK

The user can now log in as the impersonating account and access the functionality associated with the impersonated account.

On the Login screen, enter the user name and password of the impersonating account.

 

loginAsNancy 

The portal opens with the limited functionality associated with the impersonator’s account.

portalOpens

 

However, because this account has been configured to impersonate another account, the Login As… option displays in the Actions menu.

loginAs

 

Click the Login As… .link, select the account to impersonate, and click the Impersonate button.

loginAsAdmin

 

The portal refreshes, and the updated permissions of the impersonated user are reflected in the folders available in the Folders tree.
 result

While the user is impersonating another user account, the impersonated account’s name displays above and to the left of the Actions menu. In our example, when the user

 

 

 

Need more help with:

Temporary Account Impersonation?

 

Contact us at support@decisions.com

Additional Resources