Introduction
This article provides an overview and general instructions for the Assigner managed solution, which is provided by Zensai Professional Services.
Availability
The Assigner managed solution is available only to Success Plus and Success Premium customers.
Prerequisites and access
- Success Plus or Success Premium subscription.
- Learn365 API key (Full control permissions and created in the customer’s tenant).
Support and maintenance
- If you encounter issues when using this solution, contact your Customer Success Manager.
- If you want to provide feedback and ideas, contact your Customer Success Manager.
Overview
The Assigner managed solution enables users to create Microsoft Entra groups that are populated by end users who match the specified criteria. These groups can then be used to enroll them in Learn365 courses.
Learn365 Assigner is a flexible group creation service for Learn365 and includes the following features:
- Management of Assigner Learn365 groups without the need for your IT team.
- Creation of custom Learn365 groups.
- Automatic population of Learn365 groups based on specified criteria.
- Criteria that can be based on a user's attributes or activities within Learn365.
- Association of groups with Learn365 catalogs.
This guide will cover the following:
- Assigner authentication.
- Assigner settings.
- Profiles.
- Creating a user profile.
- User properties for a profile.
- User activities for a profile.
- Courses for a profile.
- Setting up Microsoft Entra ID access for the Assigner.
- Maintenance Cycle.
Accessing the Assigner Service
To access the Assigner solution, follow these steps:
1. Access the Automation Center page.
2. Select the Assigner section in the left navigation menu.
IMPORTANT
GCCH customers will need to access a different login page.
Please access this page instead: GCCH Automation Center.
NOTE
When logging in for the first time, you may receive a message indicating your account has not been setup for access to your tenant's Automation Center. You will need to contact your organization's tenant administrator for access and permissions.
For more information on Automation Center Permissions, please see this article.
NOTE
When you first login, one of the following scenarios may occur:
- You login without needing to do anything.
REASON: This will occur if someone in your organization previously provided consent on behalf of the entire organization.
- You are asked to give consent on your own behalf.
REASON: This will occur if no one in your organization has provided consent on behalf of the entire organization.
- You are asked to give consent on behalf of your organization.
REASON: This may occur if you have an admin permission level assigned within your organization's Microsoft Entra ID.
- Admin approval is required to login.
REASON: The Automation Center installs an app within your organization's Entra ID. Depending on your organization's policy, this could require the approval by IT staff (Global admins).
Assigner settings
- Contact email address. This will be used for notifications for any synchronization failures.
- Disable maintenance of profiles and course assignments. Select this option If you would like to disable any updates while you are reviewing or editing profiles and course assignments,
- Learn365 API key. This will be populated from when you first logged in. The Assigner uses this to access your Learn365 environment. This key should have Full control permissions because this is required to write data to custom columns. For more information on generating a Learn365 API key in your tenant, please refer to this article.
- Manage Labels. Click this button to create labels to help you better manage and identify your Assigner profiles. For more information regarding Assigner Labels, please refer to this article.
NOTE
After you have created Assigner labels and assigned to profiles, your Profiles view will update to a label view.
IMPORTANT
Please be aware that the Assigner may take up to 3 hours to become available for first use.
Profiles
Required role: Users with permissions described in the Prerequisites and access section.
Profiles (main screen)
On the Profiles page, you'll see an overview of all the Assigner groups created within your tenant. You'll have the option to view each group, the group Id and the description of the group, and the status of the group.
The following columns will be available on the Profiles page:
Title - Displays the name of the group.
Enroll - Displays the enrollment status of the group. More information found in the section below called "Enroll Icons".
Auto populate - Displays whether the group membership is actively being updated.
Modified - Shows when the last modification was made.
Updated by - Shows the email address of the user who last modified or updated the group.
Courses - Shows the number of courses with which the group is associated.
Enroll Icons
The icons in the Enroll column will show the enrollment status of the profile in relation to the profile's start and end date (if populated).
| Profile is not enrolled into assigned course (with no start date to enroll in the future). | |
| Profile is enrolled into assigned courses | |
| Profile is not enrolled, but is scheduled to be enrolled into the future (based on the profile's start date) | |
| Profile is enrolled but will be unenrolled when the end date occurs (based on the profile's end date) | |
| Profile is enrolled but will become unenrolled next Assigner maintenance. |
Creating a user profile
Required role: Users with permissions described in the Prerequisites and access section.
The Profiles page consists of five sections: Basic details, User properties, User dates, User activities, and Courses.
NOTE
In order for users to be added to a profile, they must match the rules or properties that are designated in the User properties, User dates, or User activities sections when creating an Assigner Group. The users must also be added to Learn365 in the first place.
Group membership updates will occur every 8 hours following the initial creation of the group. The scheduled update times are set to UTC hours: 00:00, 08:00, and 16:00. This ensures a consistent and timely synchronization of group membership information.
To create a profile (also known as an assigner “group”), you should first open the Profiles page.
From the Profiles page, select Create new and complete the following 5 sections.
Basic details
In the Basic details section, enter the following information:
- Title - This is a required field. Enter the name of your group.
- Description - This is an optional field. Enter a description for your group.
- Label - Select a label from drop-down menu. Field only available after labels have been created.
- You have selected x course(s) - This is a required field. It determines whether the group will be enrolled once the profile is created.
- Start Date and End Dates - Optional field that will automatically enroll or unenroll the profile into associated courses after date has passed and Assigner maintenance is run.
- Auto populated - This is a required field. It determines whether group membership is actively updated according to whether users match the rules that are set.
NOTE
When creating a group, if Auto-populate is disabled, your group won't contain users.
Select Auto-populate if you want the profile to automatically add members as per the rules in place.
You can apply throttling options if you don't want to exceed a certain number of users by selecting the following options:
- Throttle if member changes exceed ___ members
- Throttle if member changes exceed ___ % of current members
You may also choose to select Don't throttle if you aren't concerned with exceeding a certain number of users.
The following image shows an example of a group that was created for CSMs who live in the United States and will be enrolled in selected courses.
In order for users to be added to a group, they must match the rules or properties that are designated in the User properties, User dates, or User activities sections when creating an Assigner group.
Start Date and End Dates
Profiles have the ability to specify a start date or end date. These are the dates that a profile will become enrolled into the associated courses (start date) or when the profile is unenrolled from the associated courses (end date).
The times selected for start and end dates are not exact. The Assigner will perform the associated action (enrolling or unenrolling) at the next maintenance where the start date and end date apply. This means if the Assigner is set to run at 9:00 AM, but your End Date is at 8:30 AM, the Assigner will not unenroll the group until the 9:00 AM maintenance has run.
User properties
The user properties rules that are created for the Assigner are properties that a learner would have in Learn365.
The default Assigner user properties will include the following: City, Company, Department, Country, Office, Job Title, Email, and Title (name of learner).
If you are using any custom property fields, these will also be shown here.
In the User properties section, enter the relevant information.
Add rule / Add group
When setting up the properties for your Assigner group, you can add a single or group rule. Grouped rules are necessary if you want to use different relationships (And / Or / Not) between your rules.
To add a user property rule, follow these steps:
1. Select Add rule / Add group in the top right-hand corner of the Filters page.
2. Select the relevant rule conditions (Not/And/Or).
3. Define the user property fields.
Define user property fields
When creating a user property rule, you need to set up three fields. All fields are required.
- Select source - This is the specific field you want to use (e.g. City, Company, Department, etc.).
- Select condition - This menu relates to the condition of the selected field. The default condition will be “is equal to”.
- Enter value - This field will be the value that you want the source and condition to meet.
The following image shows an example of a group that was created with specific rules for users to have a city of Las Vegas, San Diego, Denver, and a job title of Customer Success Manager.
User dates
The user dates rules that are created for the Assigner are properties that a learner would have in Learn365 based on custom Learn365 date user fields. In Learn365, there are no date fields associated with user accounts by default. This means that if you don't have a custom date column in Learn365, there is no way of creating a user date rule for this Assigner group.
In the User dates section, enter the relevant information.
Add rule / Add group
When setting up the properties for your Assigner group, you can add a single or group rule. Grouped rules are necessary if you want to use different relationships (And / Or / Not) between your rules.
To add a user dates rule, follow these steps:
1. Select Add rule / Add group in the top right-hand corner of the Filters page.
2. Select the relevant rule conditions (Not/And/Or).
3. Define the user date fields.
Define user date fields
When creating a user date rule, you need to set up three fields. All fields are required.
- Select source - This is the specific date field you want to use. If there aren't any sources, this means you don't have any date type custom columns.
- Select condition - This menu relates to the condition of the selected field. The default condition will be “is before the date/time”.
- Enter value - This field will be the value that you want the source and condition to meet.
The following image shows an example of a group that was created with specific rules for users who were hired after January 1, 2023. This uses a custom date field called "Hire Date".
User activities
The user activities rules that are created for the Assigner are learner activities within Learn365. This includes activities like whether a learner has completed a course, if a learner did not complete a course on time, or if a learner recently completed a course.
In the User activities section, enter the relevant information.
Add rule / Add group
When setting up the properties for your Assigner Group, you can add a single or group rule. Grouped rules are necessary if you want to use different relationships (And / Or / Not) between your rules.
To add a user activities rule, follow these steps:
1. Select Add rule / Add group in the top right-hand corner of the Filters page.
2. Select the relevant rule conditions (Not/And/Or).
3. Define the user activities fields.
Define user activities fields
When creating a user activities rule, you need to set up two fields. All fields are required.
- Select source - This is the course you want to use.
- Select condition - This menu relates to the condition of the selected course. The default condition will be “was completed”.
The following image shows an example of a group that was created with specific rules for users who completed the "Outlook - Japanese" course.
Video Walkthrough
Overrides
The Overrides section enables you to override the rules currently in place for the Assigner group.
Overrides are optional but if you want to include or exclude users outside of the rules in place, you can add users under the Include and Exclude sections.
In the Overrides section, follow these steps:
1. If you want to include or exclude additional users who do not fall under the set rules for the group, select Add user under the corresponding section.
2. Search for users you would like to include in the group.
3. Click the Add button.
The following image shows an example of users who will be included and excluded from a group that was created with specific rules for users.
Courses
The Courses section enables you to associate the Assigner group with specific courses.
If your group is active, it will be enrolled in the course automatically. All group enrollment management should be done through the Assigner and the courses.
In the Courses section, follow these steps:
1. Select Add course.
2. Select your courses.
3. Select Add.
The following image shows an example of a group that was created with specific rules for users and will be enrolled in specific training.
Profiles Action Menu
The Assigner Profiles action menu is available for profiles that have been created. The action menu provides many options for you to view, edit, clone, and download member lists.
The following sections are available in the Assigner Profile action menu:
View - Allows you to view Assigner profile information.
Edit - Allows you to edit and make changes to Assigner profile.
Clone - Allows you to clone an existing Assigner profile.
Export to JSON - Allows you to export a JSON file of the Assigner profile.
Permissions - Displays the users that have permissions to the Assigner profile.
Request preview of member list - Allows you to generate a preview of the member list.
Download preview of member list - Allows you to download a preview member list report.
Update member list -Allows you to update members that have not been added to Assigner profile.
Download member list - Allows you to download current member list report.
Delete - Allows you to delete the Assigner profile.
How to Manually Trigger Maintenance
The Assigner Profiles list provides an option to manually trigger maintenance of your profiles. What this means is that there will be an immediate maintenance sync of your Assigner profiles without having to wait for the 3-hour maintenance schedule (more information available in Appendix section below).
IMPORTANT
To access the Trigger Maintenance option, ensure that your settings for Disable maintenance of profiles and course assignments is disabled in Assigner settings.
To manually trigger maintenance of your Assigner profiles, do the following:
1. From the Assigner Profiles page, select the More menu in the upper left of page.
2. In the More action menu, click on Trigger Maintenance link.
Courses
The Courses section allows you to manage and view information related to your Assigner profiles.
Courses (main screen)
On the Assigner > Courses page, you'll see an overview of all the individual courses associated to assigner profiles.
The following columns will be available on the Assigner > Courses page:
Course Title - Displays the name of the course that is associated with an assigner profile.
Course ID - Displays the Course ID information of course that is associated with an assigner profile.
Course catalog - Displays the course catalog name where course exists with assigner profile.
Published - Displays an icon to indicate if course is published or not published.
No. profiles - Displays the number of Assigner profiles that were associated to course.
Individual Enroller
The Individual Enroller section enables you to enroll multiple users in multiple courses without the need of an Assigner Profile.
Individual Enroller (main screen)
On the Individual Enroller page, you'll see an overview of all the individual assignments created within your tenant.
The following columns will be available on the Individual Enroller page:
Name - Displays the name of the individual assignment.
Created - Displays when the individual assignment was created.
Created By - Displays information for user that created individual assignment.
Status - Displays the status of the individual assignment.
The status might be one of the following:
- Completed - when an individual assignment was completed.
- In progress - when an individual assignment is in the process of being completed.
- Failed - when an individual assignment failed.
Creating an individual assignment
Required role: Users with permissions described in the Prerequisites and access section.
The Individual Enroller page consists of three sections: Basic details, Users, and Courses.
To create an individual assignment, you will need to access the Individual Enroller page.
From this page, click on Create new and complete the following 3 sections.
Basic details
In the Basic details section, enter the following information:
- Name - This is a required field. Enter the name of your individual assignment.
- Description - This is an optional field. Enter a description for your individual assignment.
Users
The Users section allows you to add multiple users by searching or applying filters.
In the Users section, follow these steps:
1. Select Add user button.
2. Search for users you would like to add to individual assignment.
NOTE
You can filter your users by specific criteria by clicking on the Select filter icon and apply the following filters: Title, Id, Company, Department, City, Job title, Office.
4. Click the Add button.
Courses
The Courses section allows you to add multiple courses by searching or applying filters.
In the Courses section, follow these steps:
1. Select Add user button.
2. Search for users you would like to add to individual assignment.
NOTE
You can filter your courses by specific criteria by clicking on the Select filter icon and apply the following filters: Course Title, Course ID, Course catalog, Course type, Published.
4. Click the Add button.
Sessions
If the courses that you have selected include future sessions, the sessions tab will appear. Selecting a session is optional. If you do not select a session, the learner will be emailed (if your email notifications are enabled) requesting them to select a session for this course they are now enrolled into.
If you would like to select sessions, follow these steps:
- Expand the course that you would like to select a session for.
- Select the sessions.
- If your course only allows enrollment into one session or group, only one session can be selected for it.
- Click Submit when you are done selecting your sessions.
NOTE
You are only able to select sessions that have not yet occurred. If you are selecting a group, please ensure that the group has at least one session that has not yet occurred.
Appendix: The Maintenance Cycle
Maintenance is a recurring process that is performed at the same UTC hours in all data regions. It affects all tenants of the data region where settings for the Assigner service have been saved.
The process consists of two stages:
Data refresh (occurs every hour)
The scheduled refresh times are set to the following UTC hours: 00:00, 01:00, 02:00, 03:00, 04:00.....22:00, 23:00.
Maintenance (occurs every 3 hours)
The scheduled maintenance times are set to the following UTC hours: 00:00, 03:00, 06:00, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, and 21:00.
The data refresh job
Purpose
To retrieve the current Learn365 data so that the maintenance job can be based on it.
Details
For each tenant, the refresh job will do the following:
- The following data is retrieved and stored for the Learn365 tenant: Courses, Catalogs, Users, UserFields, Enrollments, RoleAssignments.
- Based on the data retrieved, a ‘profile schema’ is built and stored. The schema is a JSON file that contains the data needed to create the drop-down lists in the profile editor.
New Tenants
When a user saves their tenant’s preferences under Settings, the following will occur:
- The user will be informed on the screen that the Assigner will be ready for use within a few minutes.
- The data refresh will run within five minutes.
- The tenant will be notified by email that the Assigner is ready for use.
The maintenance job
Purpose
To transform the profile definitions into audiences and enroll these audiences into the courses that were selected for the profiles.
Maintenance means that the following processes have taken place:
- If the data refresh job hasn’t run yet, then it will terminate here, otherwise it goes on.
- Your tenant is locked for maintenance.
- Discrepancies are handled.
- Profile memberships are updated.
- Profiles are assigned to courses.
- Profiles are unassigned from courses.
- Profile deletion.
- Profile retraction.
The details of each process are explained in the following sections.
Your tenant is locked for maintenance
While your tenant is locked, you won’t be able to do the following:
- Create or update profiles.
- Save the assignments of courses to a profile under Courses.
- Save your settings.
- Download member lists or previews of member lists.
Discrepancies are handled
For every profile you have, obsolete overrides are removed, that is to say overrides that point to profiles or users that have been removed since the last maintenance cycle.
NOTE
This means that if a profile suddenly has no filter and no overrides, then the update of that profile will fail later in the process.
If any user fields used in your profile filters have been deleted since the last maintenance cycle, the affected profiles won't be automatically populated, and you are immediately notified that you should review those profiles.
If any profiles are assigned to courses that have been deleted since the last maintenance cycle, the course assignments are removed from the profiles in question.
NOTE
You won't be notified of this discrepancy since it has no consequences that you need to deal with, other than possibly some profiles becoming obsolete.
Profile memberships are updated
1. For each profile, an Learn365 group will be created if it doesn't already exist.
2. For each profile that you have set to be automatically populated, the members will be calculated by comparing the following:
- The recent data of your tenant (the profile schema)
- To the filters and overrides that you set up for the profile
3. An Excel file with the members is being prepared. This is the file you can download from Download members list in the Actions panel of Profiles.
4. If you enabled throttling for the profile and the number/percentage of changes exceeds the threshold you set:
- If the memberships will not be updated, you will be notified by email.
- If the changes are carried out, that is to say the memberships will be synchronized to the Learn365 group, then:
-
- Members who are no longer in the profile are removed from the profile’s Learn365 group.
- Members who are new to the profile are added to the profile’s Learn365 group.
Profiles are assigned to courses
Whenever Enroll the profile into the selected courses is selected in a profile’s Basic settings, each course that is selected in the profile’s Courses section will do the following:
- The profile’s Learn365 group will be enrolled in that course if it isn’t already enrolled.
Profiles are unassigned from courses
Whenever Don't Enroll the profile into the selected courses is selected in a profile’s Basic settings,
each course that is unselected in the profile’s Courses section will do the following:
- The profile’s Learn365 group is unenrolled from that course if it isn’t already unenrolled.
Profile deletion
All profiles that were deleted from the Actions panel > Delete and haven’t already been handled by the maintenance job will be handled as follows:
- The profile will be unassigned from all courses. This is done by deleting the profile’s Learn365 group from all catalogs where it is added.
- The profile will be set to not automatically populate.
- The profile will be set to not be enrolled in the courses that are assigned to it.
IMPORTANT
- The deleted profiles’ assignments to courses aren't deleted.
- The deleted profiles’ Microsoft Entra groups aren't deleted and the members aren't removed from the groups.
Profile retraction
All profiles for which you selected Don’t enroll the profile into the selected courses and which haven’t already been handled by the maintenance job, will be handled as follows:
- The profile will be unassigned from all courses.
This is done by deleting the profile’s Learn365 group from all catalogs where it is added.
Your tenant is unlocked after maintenance
The lock that was set at the beginning of the maintenance job is removed. Consequently, you will be able perform the actions that were temporarily blocked while the lock was in place. For more information, see the Your tenant is locked for maintenance section earlier in this article.
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