Managing permissions

A user’s file access permissions combined with a user’s security role determines what actions a user can perform on a dashboard or gadget file. Functionality such as viewing BIRT document files requires appropriate BIRT iServer options, such as the Actuate BIRT option. Contact your BIRT iServer administrator for information on currently installed options.

Default dashboard feature IDs and Information Console functionality levels correspond with default security roles in BIRT iServer, as shown in Table 5-1.

Table 5-1  Dashboard feature names, functionality levels and security roles

Dashboard feature ID	Functionality level	BIRT iServer Security role
Consumer	Basic	All
Business User	Intermediate	Active Portal Intermediate
Developer	Advanced	Active Portal Advanced
Developer	Administrator	Active Portal Administrator

New users created on the BIRT iServer receive the Active Portal Advanced security role. The BIRT iServer Administrator can change the default functionality levels and security roles. For more information about functionality levels and security roles, see Managing an Encyclopedia Volume.

Additionally, user actions correspond to user security roles on BIRT iServer and offer different user functions actions, as shown in Table 5-2.

Table 5-2  Default dashboard user actions and functionality level

Actions	Basic	Intermediate	Advanced	Administrator
Viewing dashboard files and embedded gadgets	√	√	√	√
Building, modifying, and sharing dashboards		√	√	√
Creating gadget types: report and extras		√	√	√
Creating gadget types: data selection and data visualization			√	√
Sharing gadget files			√	√

For example, giving a user write access to a dashboard file also requires that the user have a security role that allows modifying dashboards. Different security roles exist in customized Information Console installations. The Encyclopedia volume administrator manages security roles.

Dashboard users require appropriate permissions to view and edit any data that is embedded in a dashboard gadget. This embedded data includes BIRT document files or external web content displayed in dashboard gadgets. For example, a user who wants to analyze a cross tab in a BIRT document file. The BIRT file is displayed in a report gadget. The user needs the following file access permissions:

n	Permission to view the dashboard file

n	Permission to view the original BIRT document file

The user also needs to be using BIRT iServer with the following iServer option:

n	The Actuate BIRT for iServer option for viewing the BIRT document.

n	The Actuate BIRT 360 for iServer option for using dashboards.

Users who subscribe to a dashboard use their own permissions in BIRT iServer to access data or run reports. For example, an administrative user creating a shared dashboard does not give users of that shared dashboard administrative access to data or files on BIRT iServer. Users of the shared dashboard can view gadgets on the dashboard using their own permissions.

Shared dashboards receive Visible and Read rights for the selected users and roles. Users can assign additional file permissions using Information Console.

(c) Copyright Actuate Corporation 2011