User administration

Preface

Administrative tools and interfaces are available on licenced versions of the Asio Classroom Booking System. However when Asio-Data is acting as an ASP (Application Service Provider) and hosting the Classroom Booking System as a service, administration is handled by Asio-Data.

The administrative tools enable the administrator to add new users to the Classroom Booking System and change current user parameters.

Only users who have been allocated administration rights have access to the administration interface. There are two levels of administration rights:

  1. Super user rights
  2. Administrator rights

The super user is defined when the Classroom Booking System is delivered to the customer. The super user has control over all other users rights and has full access to all the resource groups.

An administrator is responsible for their respective area of the system (i.e. the resources of their department). The administrator allocates users rights and privileges and has full access to the resource groups designated to them by the super user. The administrator has regular access rights to the resource groups outside of their section.

From the administrator interface it is possible to change the organisations (i.e. university or company) information. This information is used to customize the Classroom Booking System (e.g. headers of confirmation letters or time intervals shown on calendars).

Authentication and external user management systems

The system uses the HTTP-basic authentication method and a local user database for authenticating users. An external user management system, such as an LDAP directory, can be used in place of a local user database. When an external user management system is in use with Asio, changes to user data should be performed via that system instead of the Classroom Booking System's administrative tools.

Roles and user types

The Asio Classroom Booking System provides an administrative management interface, where users can be granted access to resources, bookings and tools depending on their user level or role in the system. The system has the following five built-in roles:

  • Super user: full access to all resources, bookings and tools.
  • Administrator: access to all resources, bookings and tools according to limitations set by the super user (e.g. only their own department). No access to system configuration tools.
  • Booking access: rights to create new bookings and modify those bookings. No access to resource administration tools.
  • Unconfirmed booking access: like the previous entry, but rights to create only unconfirmed bookings.
  • Browsing access: rights to browse bookings, no access to booking modification or administrative tools.

Starting from Classroom Booking System version 7, super users can customise a users access to resources, bookings and tools (custom roles). Custom roles are synonymous to user groups. Super users create custom roles for users by taking the following factors into account:

  • The base role. Custom roles are always built on one of the five aforementioned built in roles. The base role provides a baseline of user rights and privileges which the custom role can be built on.
  • Which tools should be available to the user in the main menu?
  • What kind of access should the users in this role have to resources and bookings? (e.g. administration / booking access / unconfirmed booking access / browsing access)
    • Using this setting the administrator can for example define that users in role "teachers" can make new bookings for classrooms, no bookings for meeting rooms and only unconfirmed bookings for auditoriums.

Each user has a specific role. In addition, exceptions to the access rights granted through a users specific role can be defined for individual users.

When an external user management system is in use with Asio, roles can be assigned to users automatically using the hierarchial structures specific to the external system. For example when using LDAP directories, user roles can be granted on the basis of group membership. For a more detailed description on how to configure external user management system interfaces, please read the separate external authentication documentation.

Adding a new user

  • Log into the system as an administrator
  • On the main page click "add a new user"
  • Type the new users data into the corresponding fields. The user id must be unique.
  • Choose the appropriate role for the user
  • A user can access and modify all the bookings made by themselves.

Modifying user information

  • Log into the system as an administrator
  • On the main page fill in the search criteria and click 'Search'.
  • Choose the user whose information you wish to modify from the list of users. If your search finds only one user, a list of users will not be displayed, instead you will be directly forwarded to the screen allowing you to edit the individuals details
  • Modify the user's information and click 'Save'.

Access rights

The Asio Classroom Booking System typically has one Super User, who has full access to all resource types and functions. For all other users, access rights are provided per resource type:
  • Administrator right: Users can make their own bookings and change any bookings in the resource groups designated to them by the super user
  • Normal booking Right: Users can make their own bookings and change their own bookings.
  • Booking right for unconfirmed bookings: Users can only make unconfirmed bookings and can only change these bookings.
  • Browsing rights: The user can only browse bookings.
  • No rights at all.

If "My Agenda" is created for a specific user, this user can always create new bookings in "My Agenda" (except Lesson type bookings) and modify the bookings that he has created in the "My Agenda" calendar.

Access levels

  • Every user can be assigned a specific Access level (I, II or III) The levels affect what functionality the user can use in the booking window. (See below).

Freezing access

  • Administrators can freeze a users access rights for a period of time, if needed.

Organizational related parameters

  • Company name, address, telephone etc.
  • Access levels:
    • Levels I, II and III available
      • Level I: Basic functions
      • Level II: Full resource reservation mode
      • Level III: Sell and/or lease resources
    • By assigning different levels, you can define which functions are available for students on different study programmes and people from different departments.
    • These settings can be overridden by assigning rights to individuals.
  • Starting and ending times of the Calendar display
  • VAT
  • The content of the confirmation letter's footer.
  • Number series needed:
    • Classroom bookings
    • gp-Untis bookings
    • Client numbering
  • Classifications
    • There are a maximum of 6 classification types (colour coded)
    • gp-Untis is a special classification (L) marked with green colour.
  • If accommodation functions are needed
    • Types, number of rooms and number of people to a room.
  • If restaurant booking functions are needed
    • Meal types with default values of starting and ending times.
    • The system suggests a meal type based on the time of a day. If this is not required, set both the starting and ending times the same.
    • The resource type "restaurant" allows overbookings. and reservations are made for available places in the restaurant.