Introduction
Global Admin (GA) is the A2Z Events backend database used to customize, configure, and store your event data. GA categorizes information into two primary types: event-specific information & global information. Event-specific information consists of all data related to an individual event (e.g., booths, sessions, finance, etc.). Global information is data that is relevant across multiple events (e.g., companies, contacts, reporting, etc.). Access permissions are considered global information since individual user accounts can potentially interact with multiple events.
Your data is protected behind a secure portal that requires a unique user id and password for everyone helping to manage your events. In addition, the system provides two-dimensional security, by allowing level 10 admins the capability to customize permissions assigned to each access level and individual user id.
This article covers the following topics for Global Admin User Account Management:
*Commonly referenced sections denoted by Bold text.
Logging into Global Admin
Please Note: Sharing your login credentials with anyone else is strictly prohibited.
Requiring an account for each user ensures your database is protected, allows you to control who has access, and gives you greater visibility into changes made by other users.
The primary point of contact at your organization is provided with a level 10 admin user account. This user becomes responsible for maintaining the user list for your system. If your admin users are no longer employed with the organization, please notify your A2Z Account Manager of the personnel changes to have your account records updated and assist with coordinating giving access to a new primary point of contact.
The A2Z team provides the URL needed to access your GA database. To log in successfully, first, navigate to the URL then complete the following:
- Enter your user ID in the User Name field.
- Enter the email address associated with your account in the Email Address field.
- Click Login.
Note: Username and password credentials are case-sensitive.
Password Recovery
If you do not have access to your password and need to reset it, first navigate to your GA login page, then complete the following:
- Click the Forgot your password? link.
- Enter your user ID in the User Name field.
- Enter the email address associated with your account in the Email Address field.
- Click Submit.
An email containing a password reset link is sent if the username and email address provided match the account record in the system. Click the password reset link then follow the instructions to create a new password.
Troubleshooting
- If your password reset email does not promptly arrive in your inbox, check to confirm it is not in your spam folder.
- If you do not receive an email and are still unable to access your account, please verify your Global Admin URL. Review information provided by the A2Z deployment team or consult your colleagues to confirm you are accessing a URL containing your organization's name or acronym in the address. If your organization’s information is not in the link, your credentials are invalid as the specified GA belongs to someone else.
Change Password
Password credentials must be at least 6 characters in length, and contain an uppercase, lowercase, and numeric value. Your new password must be different than the previous 7 passwords.
To change your password, first, navigate to your Global Navigation Bar, click your username then complete the following:
- Click Change Password.
- Enter your current password in the Current Password field.
- Enter a new 6-character password that contains one uppercase, one lowercase, and at least one numeric value in the New Password field.
- Re-enter your new password in the Confirm Password field.
- Click Change.
Multi-Language Management
GA and the legacy public event site allow for multi-language support. Global Admin can be translated into multiple languages whereas the event website and event map can only be translated into two languages. Please note that email templates are only available in one language. The A2Z recommended best practice is to create email templates composed of sections containing both languages if necessary. Several templates, such as Confirmation, Missing Exhibitor Information, and Communication Letters, include second language booth profile fields in the List of Fields dropdown.
This section covers the following topics:
Adding a Language
Please consult your deployment team for assistance if you wish to enable the multi-language feature in your GA database.
Changing the Language in Global Admin
Change your display language after it has been activated by first navigating to your Global Navigation bar, then complete the following:
- Click your username to open the user dropdown menu.
- Select the desired language option from the Display Language section.
Note: Your language selections are saved in your browser cache and is reset when it is cleared.
User Account Management
As a level 10 GA administrator, you can update and manage other GA user accounts via the User Management global setting. To access User Management features, click Global Settings from the Global Navigation Bar, locate the General section, then click User Management.
This page allows you to complete the following:
- Managing the User List
- Adding a new User Account
- Associating a User Account with Specific Events
- Associating a User Account with Custom Reports
Managing the User List
The User List provides details for each account authorized to access your system. Level 10 GA administrators can perform a variety of actions that range from editing existing user information to disabling and removing access from individual user profiles.
User account details and admin actions are organized into the following columns:
| A |
Enabled - If the checkbox is selected, the designated User ID is permitted to access the GA portal. Deselect this field to disable an account and prevent the user from logging in. |
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| B |
User Full Name - The First and Last name of the User associated with the account (e.g., John Smith). |
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| C |
User ID - The username name entered in the User Name field of the GA login page to gain access to the system. |
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| D |
User Info - Modify the Full Name, User ID, Password, Email, Access Level, and other features associated with the account. |
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| E |
Event - Designate specific events the account can access on the User Event Association page. |
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| F |
Custom Reports - Assign the Custom SQL reports the account can access on the User Custom Report Association page. |
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| G |
Locked - If selected, the user account has been locked due to multiple failed login attempts. Deselect the box to allow the user to try again. Recommended Best Practice: Provide the username to your new users then instruct them to complete the Password Recovery process to create their own credentials. |
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| H |
Enforce Change Password - If selected, the User is prompted to change their password the next time they log in. This option is automatically deselected after the user completes the password reset process. |
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| I |
Never Expire - If the checkbox is selected, the password associated with the user account will not expire. If it is deselected, the password will expire after 3 months. Please Note: If you have purchased the A2Z financial module, to ensure you are maintaining PCI compliance, this box must be deselected for all users with access levels greater than 1. |
Adding a New User Account
To create new user accounts, navigate to Global Settings > General > User Management then scroll down and complete the Add User form located below the User List.
Populate the following fields to successfully create a new user account:
| Full Name - Enter the first and last name of the user to display in the User List > User Full Name column. | |
| User ID - Enter a unique User ID that does not contain any special characters. User IDs are not case sensitive (e.g., user ID JSmith can be entered as either JSmith, jsmith or JSMITH) | |
| Password/Confirm Password - Enter and confirm a password. Passwords are case-sensitive and must contain at least 6 characters (no spaces), 1 uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, and a number. | |
| Email - Enter the email address to be used if the user is unable to access their account and must perform the password recovery process. Two accounts cannot share an email address; therefore, each email address must be unique. | |
Access Level - Select the appropriate Access Level from the dropdown menu.
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Note: You must contact new users externally to provide their login credentials, as the system does not generate an email that communicates their password to them.
Associating a User Account with Specific Events
After the new account is created, assign the user to specific events. From the User List page, locate the desired account, then click the link in the Event column. Review and confirm the appropriate checkboxes are selected or select All to enable access to all current and future events, then click Save.
Alternatively, navigate to the event-specific User Permissions list if you wish to associate multiple users with an individual event.
Associating a User Account with Custom Reports
After the new account is created, specify the Custom Reports that the user can access. From the User List page, locate the desired account, then click the link in the Custom Reports column. Review and confirm the appropriate checkboxes are selected, then click Save.
Alternatively, navigate to the specific Custom Report list if you wish to associate multiple users with an individual report.
Managing User Access Levels
Overview of Access Levels
All user accounts must have an access level selected when it is created. Access levels ensure users can only view and perform actions in specified areas of your database. For example, a general service contractor, who does not need access to your event’s financial information, can be given a lower access level that grants permission to extract relevant booth or exhibitor data but prevents their account from accessing other areas of your system.
Access levels are cumulative and range from 1 – 10, meaning each level adds to the previous level’s permissions. For example, level 2 access grants the same permissions as Level 1, plus a few more. The same is true for level 8 access as it includes all permissions for levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 plus a few more. Levels are deployed in a preset default state; however, you can customize and define which menus and features are assigned to each level via Application Configuration Management or visit Event Configuration to customize the access levels for floor plan actions.
Some menu items (such as company financial pages) are accessible without the module and will remain locked as they were not configured upon deployment. Unavailable menu items, in addition to menu items for modules that were not purchased with your package, are grayed out and inaccessible regardless of assigned access level. For example, conference management (and associated reports) are not accessible if the conference add-on was not purchased.
Default Preset Access Level Permissions
See the Default Preset Access Levels article to learn more about pre-configured access level details and determine which permissions are granted as you move up the access level list.
Application Configuration Management
Please note: You cannot perform the actions mentioned in this section if you are not a Level 10 administrator for your system.
Level 10 system administrators can drill down and define user access to specific menus and features assigned to each access level. Tailoring these settings is a common practice for large organizations with multiple teams that each have differing responsibilities. For example, users on the accounting team will need Level 9 access to manage financial operations, whereas users on the design team, who do not handle financials, can be given Level 3 access to manage public site content.
To modify your default preset access levels, navigate to Global Settings > Application Configuration Management where you will find two primary sections:
- Feature Config - This menu is managed exclusively by A2Z team staff. All admin users of your database should not modify these settings.
- Access Level - Allows level 10 administrators to edit and control minimum access levels required to perform actions in specified menus.
Controlling user access to each function prevents costly mistakes made by inexperienced users. The Access Level section groups sub-menus, and individual pages within each application, and organizes them into 11 primary menu types. For example, the access level to view the Contacts sub-menu is found by selecting the Application Navigation Menu Type.
To edit an individual access level, first navigate to Global Settings > Application Configuration Management > Access Level then complete the following:
- Select the primary menu type.
- Locate the desired sub-menu.
- Select the preferred level.
- Click Save.
Minimum Access Levels
Please Note: Some access levels have a defined minimum that is hard coded into the system. In this case, even if the access level is modified via Application Configuration Management, it will remain unavailable if the account's assigned access level does not meet or exceed the minimum. For example, Company Payments is hard coded at level 4 as the minimum and, even if the setting is modified, cannot be reached by accounts with Level 3 access levels.
The table below breaks down the applicable minimum access levels for each system menu.
Minimum Feature Access Levels |
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Company Management
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Contact Management
Contracts - Level 10
Financial Operations
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Floor Plan Actions
Proposal Tabs
Session Change Tabs
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Logging Out of Global Admin
Closing your browser does not automatically log you out of the system as your session info is stored in the browser cache. To ensure your database remains secure and inaccessible to unauthorized users, always log out manually by completing the following:
- Click your username to open the user dropdown menu.
- Click Logout.
- Click Yes on the confirmation pop-up.
System Time Out
As a backup security feature, the system times out and you are required to manually log in again if GA does not detect activity for 60 minutes or more. After 56 minutes of inactivity is detected, a pop-up countdown appears as a notification and prompts you to select Yes if you wish to remain logged in. Inactivity occurs when you remain stationary on one page and have not interacted with it after it has loaded (e.g., perform a button click to navigate to a new page). Activity includes clicking action buttons such as Submit, Cancel, etc., or moving backward and forward to a new page or application in the system.
Please Note: Moving the mouse on the screen and typing in content pages are not classified as activity.
Recommended Best Practices
Below are a few best practices recommended to help maintain user accounts in your A2Z Events Global Admin:
Regularly review your Active User List.
We recommend reviewing your user list at regular intervals to maintain the security of information stored in your A2Z Events Global Admin.
Disable Orphaned User Accounts.
You may create as many valid users as your organization needs but it is very important to remove access as soon as a team member or vendor discontinues working with your organization. Contact your internal level 10 administrator to request to have their account disabled to preserve past usage data auditing purposes, accounts cannot be deleted. Once the administrator successfully disables it, that user is then unable to log in with their credentials.
Create New User Accounts Instead of Modifying Existing Ones.
Always create a new user account with an appropriate access level for all new team members alternative to modifying and recycling an existing account. The A2Z team does not recommend re-issuing existing user login information as every action taken by the previous team member becomes associated with the new user. If this happens, you will inadvertently create a data integrity issue since a clear history of the previous user’s actions in your system is not maintained.
Use First Initial, Last Name formatting when creating Usernames.
A2Z recommends using the same formatting for all usernames when creating new accounts. Adopting this practice ensures the user list remains consistent allowing you to easily search for specific individuals with ease.
Update Incomplete User Information
Contact your internal level 10 administrator and provide the user’s full name associated with the User ID that is incomplete and missing information. This practice makes it more manageable to find current users when searching for someone specific as the username list remains accurate at all times.
Provide Valid and Unique Emails
Assign a valid and unique email address to each user account in your Global Admin system. In addition to needing the correct email for performing password recovery measures, occasionally your Personify Account Manager or the Support Team may need to contact specific users regarding an issue or question. Maintaining an accurate email in the user account facilitates smooth communication between the A2Z team and your user.
Password Expiration
A2Z does not recommend disabling password expiration for any accounts with access to financial data. In accordance with PCI Compliance standards, user passwords are configured to expire every three months.