Users

This help file applies to an out-of-date version of MainBoss.
The most recent version of MainBoss is MainBoss 4.2.4.
For the latest version of this help file can be found here.

< Previous section | Table of Contents | Index | Next section >

In order for users to access a MainBoss maintenance organization, their login names must be recorded in the MainBoss database. When a maintenance organization is first created, the only user who can access the organization is the person who originally created the database.

Important: In order for someone to be able to use MainBoss from several different computers, that person must have the same login name and password on each of the computers. (This is automatically true if you use domains.)

Scopes: In the procedure described below, you record the login names of people authorized to use MainBoss. During this process, you'll be given the opportunity to specify a scope for that person's login name.

If your site uses trusted domains, the scope must be the trusted domain to which the user belongs. Do not leave the "Scope Name" field blank.
If your site doesn't use trusted domains (or if you aren't sure whether you use them or not), we strongly recommend leaving the "Scope Name" field blank. A blank scope field means that the given login name is a valid account on the computer where SQL Server runs. SQL Server will then accept access from any other computer in your local network, provided that the login name and password on the other computer match the name and password on the Server computer.

For example, suppose you authorize jsmith to use MainBoss and leave "Scope Name" blank. Then the Server computer must accept jsmith as a login name. SQL Server will accept access from any other jsmith in your local network, provided the password for jsmith on non-Server computers is the same as the password for jsmith on the Server computer.

The names in MainBoss's Users list must be individual login names; they can't be groups. In MainBoss, login names are associated with records in order to create an audit trail. This is why MainBoss itself doesn't accept group authorizations—an audit should record exactly who made a particular change, which means tracking the individual login name, not just a group name.

Security Roles: When you create a new user record, it has no associated security roles. This means that new users have no permission to do anything in MainBoss, unless you specifically assign them roles. You must therefore assign each user at least one security role if you expect the person to use MainBoss in any way. For more on security roles, see Security Roles.

Note: The person who creates a MainBoss database is automatically given a set of security roles which grant full access to all MainBoss operations.

SQL Server Authorization: In order for someone to use MainBoss, the person's login name must be registered in both the MainBoss database and with SQL Server. Only someone with SQL Server Administration privileges can register new users with SQL Server.

The easiest scenario for adding new users to MainBoss is if someone with SQL Server Administration privileges does the work. In this case, MainBoss can automatically register each new user in the MainBoss database and with SQL Server.
If the person who adds new users to MainBoss doesn't have SQL Server Administration privileges, then the process needs two separate steps:

Registering the new users with MainBoss, as described in Registering New Users with MainBoss (which can be done by anyone who's already registered with MainBoss and SQL Server)
Registering the new users with SQL Server, as described in Authorizing Users in SQL Server (which can only be done by someone with SQL Server Administration privileges)

In order to deal with these two scenarios, MainBoss has an option set in Administration | Users. Go to the Defaults for Users section.

If the option MainBoss manages SQL Security is checkmarked, anyone adding new users must have SQL Server Administration privileges
If the option is blank, you must use the two-stage approach to adding new users (add the users in MainBoss first, then add them in SQL Server)

(As an alternative two-stage approach, you could create a Windows group named mainboss in the domain. A SQL Server Administrator could then set up SQL Server permissions so that anyone in the group could access the MainBoss database. Then, whenever someone new needs to be authorized to use MainBoss, a Windows administrator simply adds the new person to the group. Some IT departments may prefer the "group" approach over authorizing each individual within SQL Server.)