How to manually import users into OpenLM

This topic describes how to manually import users from an external data source into the OpenLM database. An external data source can be anything from a directory service (e.g. Active Directory) to accounting software to any other database that holds relevant user information.

The OpenLM user table format

Any data that you export from your data source must be formatted to conform to OpenLM's user table format. The easiest way to get a sample CSV file is to export your current users:

1. Open EasyAdmin → click Start → go to Users & Groups → open Users.

2. Click the Export button.

   

3. Download the CSV file.

The format of the table should be the following:

Column name	Comments
Username	Required. Must be unique. Single value
First Name	Single value
Last Name	Single value
Department	Single value
Display Name	Single value
Title	Single value
Phone	Single value
Office	Single value
Description	Single value
Email	Single value
Enabled	Required. Indicates whether the user is enabled or not. Value can be either TRUE or FALSE.
Groups	To define multiple groups, separate them with the pipe character "|"
Default Group	Single value
Projects	To define multiple projects, separate them with the pipe character "|"
Default Project	Single value

note

Any groups and projects that are defined have to exist in the OpenLM database before importing, otherwise the import will fail.

Once you have formatted your data to conform to this schema:

1. Open EasyAdmin → click Start → go to Users & Groups → open Users.

2. Click the Import button.

   

3. Browse to your CSV file and click Open.

You should see a dialog with a report of either the success or failure of the operation.

Importing from Active Directory

Although OpenLM provides full synchronization with Active Directory via the Directory Synchronization components, sometimes it may be necessary to import certain users manually. OpenLM's EasyAdmin interface allows adding users manually using a predefined CSV file.

Importing users from Active Directory into OpenLM consists of three steps: exporting, editing the CSV to conform to the OpenLM format, and finally importing.

Exporting Active Directory users

1. Open the "Active Directory Users and Computers" tool (either press Windows + R, type dsa.msc, then press Enter, or click the taskbar search button and type "Active Directory Users and Computers").

   

2. On the left panel, expand your domain name and select the Users folder.

3. Click the Filter icon to define filtering options.

   

4. Select Show only the following types of objects → mark the Users checkbox, then click OK.

   

5. Before you can export the list, you have to add additional columns as required by OpenLM's template. On the menu, click View → Add/Remove Columns…

   

6. Add the following columns, in order (see image below): User Logon Name, First Name, Last Name, Department, Name, Job Title, Business Phone, Office, Description, E-mail Address. You may need to click Move Up/Move Down to position the columns correctly. Click OK when finished.

   

7. Click the Export icon. Tip: if you want to export only certain users and not the whole list, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking the user rows you need before clicking Export.

   

8. Browse to the location where you want to save your file. Make sure that you select Unicode Text (Comma Delimited) (*.csv) from the Save as Type drop-down menu. If you want to export only the users you have selected, check the Save Only Selected Rows box. Click Save.

   

Editing the CSV file

With the newly exported CSV file, now it's time to edit it so that it matches the OpenLM template. For this you will need any basic spreadsheet software that can open CSV files.

1. Open the exported CSV file in your spreadsheet software of choice.

2. Edit the following column headers so that they match the headers of the OpenLM template:

   • User Logon Name => Username
   • Name => Display Name
   • Job Title => Title
   • Business Phone => Phone
   • E-mail Address => Email

3. In addition to this, add the following column headers at the end of the file, in order: Enabled, Groups, Default Group, Projects, Default Project.

   

4. The Enabled column is required, as it indicates the state of the user. It can have only two values: TRUE, when the user account is enabled, and FALSE when disabled.

5. Save the file as CSV.

Importing into OpenLM

The final step is to import the edited CSV file into OpenLM. To do so:

1. Open the EasyAdmin User Interface: Windows Start → OpenLM → OpenLM EasyAdmin User Interface.

2. Once it's open, go to EasyAdmin Start → Users & Groups → Users.

3. Click the Import button and browse to where your formatted CSV file is.

   

4. If everything went successfully, you should see a success dialog confirming the operation. Click Close.