3 Using the Connector
This chapter provides information about the following topics:
3.1 Guidelines to Apply While Using the Connector
Apply the following guidelines while using the connector:
-
While creating an account for a user of type 'User' in the target system, the Position field is optional. Suppose you create a target system user account (of the type 'User') without specifying a value for the Position attribute. After you run the scheduled job for user reconciliation, the details of this newly created target system account are reconciled into Oracle Identity Manager.
In the Administrative and User Console, when you update the attributes of the OIM User (corresponding to the newly created target system user account), this update provisioning operation fails. This is because Position is a mandatory field on the OIM User process form.
As a workaround, log in to the Design Console, mark the Position field as optional on the process form, and then run reconciliation for users of type 'Users'.
-
The following is a guildeline on performing provisioning:
To activate a user or an employee account in Oracle Identity Manager, assign a responsibility.
To deactivate a user or an employee account in Oracle Identity Manager, delete all responsibilities assigned to the corresponding user or employee in the target system, and then run reconciliation.
3.2 Performing First-Time Reconciliation
First-time reconciliation involves synchronizing lookup definitions in Oracle Identity Manager with the lookup fields of the target system, and performing full reconciliation. In full reconciliation, all existing user records from the target system are brought into Oracle Identity Manager.
The following is the sequence of steps involved in reconciling all existing user records:
After first-time reconciliation, the Latest Token attribute of the Siebel Target User Recon scheduled job is automatically set to the time stamp at which the reconciliation run ended.
From the next reconciliation run onward, only target system user records that are added or modified after the time stamp stored in the scheduled job are considered for incremental reconciliation. These records are brought to Oracle Identity Manager when you configure and run the user reconciliation scheduled job.
3.3 Scheduled Job for Lookup Field Synchronization
The following scheduled jobs are used for lookup fields synchronization:
-
Siebel Lookup Recon for Employee Type Code
-
Siebel Lookup Recon for Personal Title
-
Siebel Lookup Recon for Position
-
Siebel Lookup Recon for Preferred Communications
-
Siebel Lookup Recon for Responsibility
-
Siebel Lookup Recon for TimeZone
You must specify values for the attributes of these scheduled jobs. Table 3-1 describes the attributes of these scheduled jobs. Configuring Scheduled Jobs describes the procedure to configure scheduled jobs.
Note:
-
Attribute values are predefined in the connector XML file that you import. Specify values only for those attributes that you want to change.
-
Values (either default or user-defined) must be assigned to all the attributes. If even a single attribute value were left empty, then reconciliation would not be performed.
Table 3-1 Attributes of the Scheduled Jobs for Lookup Field Synchronization
Attribute | Description |
---|---|
ITResource |
Enter the name of the IT resource for the target system installation from which you want to reconcile user records. Default value: |
Object Type |
Enter the type of object you want to reconcile. Depending on the scheduled job that you are running, the default value is one of the following:
|
Lookup Name |
Enter the name of the lookup definition in Oracle Identity Manager that must be populated with values fetched from the target system. Depending on the scheduled job that you are using, the default values are as follows:
|
Code Key Attribute |
Enter the name of the connector or target system attribute that is used to populate the Code Key column of the lookup definition (specified as the value of the Lookup Name attribute). Depending on the scheduled job that you are using, the default values are as follows:
|
Decode Attribute |
Enter the name of the connector or target system attribute that is used to populate the Decode column of the lookup definition (specified as the value of the Lookup Name attribute). Depending on the scheduled job that you are using, the default values are as follows:
|
3.4 Configuring Reconciliation
As mentioned earlier in this guide, reconciliation involves duplicating in Oracle Identity Manager the creation of and modifications to user accounts on the target system. This section discusses the following topics related to configuring reconciliation:
3.4.1 Performing Full Reconciliation
Full reconciliation involves reconciling all existing user records from the target system into Oracle Identity Manager. After you deploy the connector, you must first perform full reconciliation. In addition, you can switch from incremental reconciliation to full reconciliation whenever you want to ensure that all target system records are reconciled in Oracle Identity Manager.
To perform a full reconciliation run, ensure that no values are specified for the Latest Token and Custom Recon Query attributes of the scheduled jobs for reconciling user records.
At the end of the reconciliation run, the Latest Token attribute of the scheduled job for user record reconciliation is automatically set to the time stamp at which the run ended. From the next run onward, only records created or modified after this time stamp are considered for reconciliation. This is incremental reconciliation.
3.4.2 Performing Limited Reconciliation
By default, all target system records that are added or modified after the last reconciliation run are reconciled during the current reconciliation run. You can customize this process by specifying the subset of added or modified target system records that must be reconciled. You do this by creating filters for the reconciliation module.
For this connector, you create a filter by specifying values for the Custom Recon Query attribute of the scheduled job for reconciliation of user records.
The following are sample query conditions:
-
First Name=John&Last Name=Doe
With this query condition, records of users whose first name is
John
and last name isDoe
are reconciled. -
First Name=John|First Name=Jane
With this query condition, record of Users with first name John and Jane are reconciled.
If you do not specify values for the Custom Recon Query attribute, then all the records in the target system are compared with existing Oracle Identity Manager records during reconciliation.
The following are guidelines to be followed while specifying a value for the Custom Recon Query attribute:
-
For the target system attributes, you must use the same case (uppercase or lowercase) as given in the table shown earlier in this section. This is because the attribute names are case-sensitive.
-
You must not include unnecessary blank spaces between operators and values in the query condition.
A query condition with spaces separating values and operators would yield different results as compared to a query condition that does not contain spaces between values and operators. For example, the output of the following query conditions would be different:
First Name=John&Last Name=Doe
First Name= John&Last Name= Doe
In the second query condition, the reconciliation engine would look for first name and last name values that contain a space at the start.
-
You must not include special characters other than the equal sign (=), ampersand (&), and vertical bar (|) in the query condition.
Note:
An exception is thrown if you include special characters other than the equal sign (=), ampersand (&), and vertical bar (|).
-
The query condition must be an expression without any braces.
-
Searching users based on multiple value roles and groups are not supported. Only one value for roles and profiles can be queried at a time. For example, if the query condition is
Usergroup=a,b,c
, then the query generates an error. -
Searching users based on more than three user attributes are not supported. For example, if the query condition is
userid=JOHN&firstname=John&lastname=Doe&country=US
, then the query generates an error.
You specify a value for the Custom Recon Query attribute while configuring the scheduled job user record reconciliation.
Sample Query Conditions
You can specify the following types of query conditions as values for the Custom Recon Query attribute and run the scheduled job for user record reconciliation:
-
Simple query with user attributes, for example:
-
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
First Name=John
Users with first name
John
is reconciled. -
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
Login Name=JOHN
Users with login name
JOHN
are reconciled. -
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
First Name=John|First Name=Jane
Users with first name
John
andJane
are reconciled. -
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
First Name=John&Last Name=Doe
Users with the first name
John
and last nameDoe
are reconciled.
-
-
Query based on positions and responsibilities, for example:
-
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
Position=Proxy Employee|Position=ERM AnonUser
All users having positions as
Proxy Employee
orERM AnonUser
are reconciled. -
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
Responsibility=CEO&Responsibility=Consultant
All users having responsibilities as
CEO
andConsultant
are reconciled. -
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
Responsibility=CEO&Position=ERM AnonUser
All users having responsibility
CEO
and position asERM AnonUser
are reconciled.
-
-
Complex queries, for example:
-
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
First Name=John&Position=Proxy Employee|Position=ERM AnonUser
All users having first name as
John
and position asProxy Employee
, as well as all users with position asERM AnonUser
are reconciled. -
Value assigned to the Custom Recon Query attribute:
Last Name=Doe|Position=Proxy Employee&Responsibility=CEO
All users having last name as
Doe
plus all users having both Position asProxy Employee
and Responsibility asCEO
are reconciled.
-
Note:
For queries with a combination of & and |, the name value pairs adjacent to the & operator are taken as if they are in parenthesis by Siebel.
3.4.3 Reconciliation Based on User Type
Note:
This section discusses the UserType attribute of the scheduled job.
Siebel supports the definition of the following user types:
-
Employee
-
Partner User
-
Customer
-
User
You can specify the user type for which reconciliation must be performed.
To specify the user type for which reconciliation must be performed, you use the UserType scheduled job attribute. This attribute is discussed in Scheduled Jobs for Reconciliation of User Records.
3.4.4 Reconciliation Scheduled Jobs
When you run the Connector Installer, the scheduled tasks corresponding to the following scheduled jobs are automatically created in Oracle Identity Manager:
3.4.4.1 Scheduled Jobs for Reconciliation of User Records
Depending on whether you want to implement trusted source or target resource reconciliation, you must specify values for the attributes of one of the following user reconciliation scheduled jobs:
-
Siebel Target User Recon
This scheduled job is used to reconcile user data in the target resource (account management) mode of the connector
-
Siebel Trusted User Reconciliation
This scheduled job is used to reconcile user data in the trusted source (identity management) mode of the connector
Table 3-2 describes the attributes of both scheduled jobs.
Table 3-2 Attributes of the Scheduled Jobs for Reconciliation of User Records
Attribute | Description |
---|---|
Scheduled Task Name |
Name of the scheduled task used for reconciliation. The default value of this attribute in the Siebel Target User Recon scheduled job is The default value of this attribute in the Siebel Trusted User Reconciliation scheduled job is |
ITResource Name |
Enter the name of the IT resource for the target system installation from which you want to reconcile user records. Default value: |
Resource Object Name |
Name of the resource object that is used for reconciliation. The default value of this attribute in the Siebel Target User Recon scheduled job is The default value of this attribute in the Siebel Trusted User Reconciliation scheduled job is |
Time Zone |
Enter the time zone of the target system database. Default value: |
Day Light Saving |
Enter the time, in minutes, that must be added to the time-stamp value stored in the LastExecution Timestamp attribute. Default value: |
Custom Recon Query |
Provide a value for this attribute if you want to reconcile the subset of added or modified target system records See Performing Limited Reconciliation for more information. |
UserType |
Specify the type of user that must be reconciled from the target system. You can specify one of the following Siebel user types:
Default value: |
Latest Token |
This attribute holds the time stamp at which the last reconciliation run started. The reconciliation engine automatically enters a value in this attribute. Sample value: |
Incremental Recon Date Attribute |
This attribute holds the name of the target system that maintains the time stamp of target system records. Default value: |
3.4.4.2 Scheduled Job for Reconciliation of Deleted Users Records
Depending on whether you want to implement trusted source or target resource delete reconciliation, you must specify values for the attributes of one of the following scheduled jobs:
-
Siebel Target Resource User Delete Reconciliation
This scheduled job is used to reconcile data about deleted users in the target resource (account management) mode of the connector. During a reconciliation run, for each deleted user account on the target system, the Siebel resource is revoked for the corresponding OIM User.
-
Siebel Trusted User Delete Reconciliation
This scheduled job is used to reconcile data about deleted users in the trusted source (identity management) mode of the connector. During a reconciliation run, for each deleted target system user account, the corresponding OIM User is deleted.
Table 3-3 describes the attributes of both scheduled jobs.
Table 3-3 Attributes of the Siebel Target Resource User Delete Reconciliation Scheduled Job
Attribute | Description |
---|---|
IT Resource Name |
Enter the name of the IT resource for the target system installation from which you want to reconcile data about deleted user records. Default is: |
Resource Object Name |
Name of the resource object that is used for reconciliation. The default value of this attribute in the Siebel Target User Recon scheduled job is The default value of this attribute in the Siebel Trusted User Reconciliation scheduled job is |
Object Type |
Enter the type of object you want to reconcile. Default is: |
3.5 Configuring Scheduled Jobs
Configure reconciliation jobs to perform reconciliation runs that check for new information on your target system periodically and replicates the data in Oracle Identity Governance.
You can apply this procedure to configure the scheduled jobs for lookup field synchronization and reconciliation.
See Scheduled Jobs for Lookup Field Synchronization and Reconciliation for the list of scheduled jobs that you can configure.
To configure a scheduled job:
-
If you are using Oracle Identity Manager release 11.1.1.x, then:
-
Log in to the Administrative and User Console.
-
On the Welcome to Oracle Identity Manager Self Service page, click Advanced in the upper-right corner of the page.
-
On the Welcome to Oracle Identity Manager Advanced Administration page, in the System Management region, click Search Scheduled Jobs.
-
-
If you are using Oracle Identity Manager release 11.1.2.x or later, then:
-
Log in to Oracle Identity System Administration.
-
Create and activate a sandbox. For detailed instructions on creating and activating a sandbox, see Managing Sandboxes of Oracle Fusion Middleware Developing and Customizing Applications for Oracle Identity Manager.
-
In the left pane, under System Management, click Scheduler.
-
-
Search for and open the scheduled job as follows:
-
In the Search field, enter the name of the scheduled job as the search criterion. Alternatively, you can click Advanced Search and specify the search criterion.
-
In the search results table on the left pane, click the scheduled job in the Job Name column.
-
-
On the Job Details tab, you can modify the following parameters:
-
Retries: Enter an integer value in this field. This number represents the number of times the scheduler tries to start the job before assigning the Stopped status to the job.
-
Schedule Type: Depending on the frequency at which you want the job to run, select the appropriate schedule type.
In addition to modifying the job details, you can enable or disable a job.
-
-
On the Job Details tab, in the Parameters region, specify values for the attributes of the scheduled job.
Note:
-
Attribute values are predefined in the connector XML file that you import. Specify values only for those attributes that you want to change.
-
Values (either default or user-defined) must be assigned to all the attributes. If even a single attribute value is left empty, then reconciliation is not performed.
-
Attributes of the scheduled job are discussed in Scheduled Jobs for Reconciliation of User Records.
-
-
Click Apply to save the changes.
Note:
The Stop Execution option is available in the Administrative and User Console. You can use the Scheduler Status page to either start, stop, or reinitialize the scheduler.
3.6 Configuring Provisioning in Oracle Identity Manager Release 11.1.1
Provisioning a resource for an OIM User involves using Oracle Identity Manager to create a target system account for the user.
When you install the connector on Oracle Identity Manager release 11.1.1, the direct provisioning feature is automatically enabled. This means that the process form is enabled when you install the connector.
If you have configured the connector for request-based provisioning, then the process form is suppressed and the object form is displayed. In other words, direct provisioning is disabled when you configure the connector for request-based provisioning. If you want to revert to direct provisioning, then perform the steps described in Switching Between Request-Based Provisioning and Direct Provisioning.
The following are types of provisioning operations:
-
Direct provisioning
-
Request-based provisioning
-
Provisioning triggered by policy changes
See Also:
Manually Completing a Task in Oracle Fusion Middleware Performing Self Service Tasks with Oracle Identity Manager for information about the types of provisioning
This section discusses the following topics:
3.6.1 Direct Provisioning
To provision a resource by using the direct provisioning approach:
-
Log in to the Administrative and User Console.
-
If you want to first create an OIM User and then provision a target system account, then:
-
On the Welcome to Identity Administration page, in the Users region, click Create User.
-
On the Create User page, enter values for the OIM User fields, and then click Save.
-
-
If you want to provision a target system account to an existing OIM User, then:
-
On the Welcome to Identity Administration page, search for the OIM User by selecting Users from the list on the left pane.
-
From the list of users displayed in the search results, select the OIM User. The user details page is displayed on the right pane.
-
-
On the user details page, click the Resources tab.
-
From the Action menu, select Add Resource. Alternatively, you can click the add resource icon with the plus (+) sign. The Provision Resource to User page is displayed in a new window.
-
On the Step 1: Select a Resource page, select Siebel Resource Object from the list and then click Continue.
-
On the Step 2: Verify Resource Selection page, click Continue.
-
On the Step 5: Provide Process Data for Siebel User Details page, enter the details of the account that you want to create on the target system and then click Continue.
-
On the Step 5: Provide Process Data for Siebel Responsibility Form page, search for and select a group for the user on the target system and then click Continue.
-
On the Step 5: Provide Process Data for Siebel Position Form page, search for and select a group for the user on the target system and then click Continue.
-
On the Step 6: Verify Process Data page, verify the data that you have provided and then click Continue.
-
The "Provisioning has been initiated" message is displayed. Close the window displaying this message.
-
On the Resources tab, click Refresh to view the newly provisioned resource.
3.6.2 Request-Based Provisioning
A request-based provisioning operation involves both end users and approvers. Typically, these approvers are in the management chain of the requesters. The following sections discuss the steps to be performed by end users and approvers during a request-based provisioning operation:
Note:
The procedures described in these sections are built on an example in which the end user raises or creates a request for provisioning a target system account. This request is then approved by the approver.
3.6.2.1 End User's Role in Request-Based Provisioning
The following steps are performed by the end user in a request-based provisioning operation:
3.6.3 Switching Between Request-Based Provisioning and Direct Provisioning
Note:
It is assumed that you have performed the procedure described in Configuring Oracle Identity Manager for Request-Based Provisioning.
If you have configured the connector for request-based provisioning, you can always switch to direct provisioning. Similarly, you can always switch back to request-based provisioning any time. This section discusses the following topics:
3.6.3.1 Switching From Request-Based Provisioning to Direct Provisioning
If you want to switch from request-based provisioning to direct provisioning, then:
-
Log in to the Design Console.
-
Disable the Auto Save Form feature as follows:
-
Expand Process Management, and then double-click Process Definition.
-
Search for and open the Siebel Process process definition.
-
Deselect the Auto Save Form check box.
-
Click the Save icon.
-
-
If the Self Request Allowed feature is enabled, then:
-
Expand Resource Management, and then double-click Resource Objects.
-
Search for and open the Siebel Resource Object resource object.
-
Deselect the Self Request Allowed check box.
-
Click the Save icon.
-
3.6.3.2 Switching From Direct Provisioning to Request-Based Provisioning
If you want to switch from direct provisioning back to request-based provisioning, then:
-
Log in to the Design Console.
-
Enable the Auto Save Form feature as follows:
-
Expand Process Management, and then double-click Process Definition.
-
Search for and open the Siebel Process process definition.
-
Select the Auto Save Form check box.
-
Click the Save icon.
-
-
If you want to enable end users to raise requests for themselves, then:
-
Expand Resource Management, and then double-click Resource Objects.
-
Search for and open the Siebel Resource Object resource object.
-
Select the Self Request Allowed check box.
-
Click the Save icon.
-
3.7 Configuring Provisioning in Oracle Identity Manager Release 11.1.2
To configure provisioning operations in Oracle Identity Manager release 11.1.2.x:
Note:
The time required to complete a provisioning operation that you perform the first time by using this connector takes longer than usual.
-
Log in to Oracle Identity Administrative and User console.
-
Create a user. See Managing Users in Oracle Fusion Middleware Performing Self Service Tasks with Oracle Identity Manager for more information about creating a user.
-
On the Account tab, click Request Accounts.
-
In the Catalog page, search for and add to cart the application instance, and then click Checkout.
-
Specify value for fields in the application form and then click Ready to Submit.
-
Click Submit.
-
If you want to provision entitlements, then:
-
On the Entitlements tab, click Request Entitlements.
-
In the Catalog page, search for and add to cart the entitlement, and then click Checkout.
-
Click Submit.
-
3.8 Uninstalling the Connector
If you want to uninstall the connector for any reason, see Uninstalling Connectors in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle Identity Manager.