CenterPoint® Fund Accounting - Users and Security

Related Help

Enable Security Video - Duration: 7 min 20 sec

Security Options Video - Duration: 5 min 10 sec

Create and Manage Database Users Video - Duration: 6 min 39 sec

Create and Manage User Groups Video - Duration: 6 min 13 sec

Create and Assign Security Policies Video - Duration: 10 min 59 sec

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Security can be setup in CenterPoint that will allow you to password protect databases (Database Security) setup additional users and track transactions entered by each user (Users), and limit access to menu selection(Security Policies). All security is set up and maintained by the Administrator.

Step A: Set Up Database Security

Step B: Select Password Security Options

Step C: Create Database Users

Step D: Create User Groups

Step E: Create Security Policies

Step F: Set Report Level Security for User Groups

Frequently Asked Questions

Step A: Set Up Database Security:

To password protect a database, the Database Security preference must be selected.

  1. On the File menu, select Preferences.

  1. Select Security > Database Security.
  2. Click the Database tab.
  3. Under Database Security Settings, select the Use Database Security check box to require a user name and password when the database is opened.
Note: The default user name will be Administrator.
  1. Click Set Administrator Password.
  • In the Old Password box, leave the box blank if this is the first time you are setting up the administrator password. If this is not the first time you are setting up the password, enter the password you want to change.
  • In the New Password box, enter the password that you want to be assigned to the administrator user.
  • In the Confirm Password box, enter the same password you entered in Step 7.
  • Click OK.
  1. Select the Require user to change password when set by an Administrator box if applicable. When a user logs in to a CenterPoint database as a user whose password was last set by an administrator, the Change Password dialog is displayed and the password must be changed.
  2. Click Save. At the Settings Were Updated Successfully message, click OK.
  3. Select File > Close to close the database and make your Administrator Password effective.
  4. Select File > Open and then select the database you just set an Administrator Password for.
    • In the User Name box should default to Administrator, if not, enter Administrator.
    • In the Password box, enter the password you set in Step 7.
    • Click OK.

Step B: Select Password Security Options

Among other things, the password security options allow you to customize how long a password must be, the characters that must be included in the password to be valid, and how often it must be changed. If your organization doesn't have any requirements regarding the password, this step can be skipped.

  1. Select File > Security > Password Security Options.
  2. Select Enable Password Security Options, which will then make all other fields on the screen accessible.

  1. Select the options that are applicable to your organization. These selections can be changed at anytime. If selections are changed and a users password no longer meets the new requirements, they will be prompted to change their password on the next login.
  2. Click OK to save the selections.

Step C: Create Database Users

Setting up database users allows CenterPoint to track the transactions entered or modified by each user and authorize which processes they can access. CenterPoint will display the user currently logged in at the bottom of the screen in the left corner.

  1. Select File > Security > Database Users.
  2. Click on the Add User button.

  1. Type a User Name and Password for the new user.
  2. In the Confirm Password box, type the same password you typed in the Password box.
  3. To inactivate/disable a user, select the Account is Inactive\Disabled check box.
  4. If you have existing User Groups that this user should belong to, select the Member Of tab, select the groups that have access to the functions for this user, and click the right-arrow icon to move the users from the left-side of the screen to the right-side of the screen. Multiple users can be selected by holding the Ctrl key at the same time a user is selected.

  1. Click Save. If Password Security Options are enabled on this database (step B), then the system will verify that the password meets those requirements. If it doesn't meet the requirements, a message will be displayed that explains what needs to change on the password before it can be saved.
  2. Repeat steps 2-7 for each user needed.

Step D: Create User Groups

Users can be assigned to user groups that then are given access to specific menu selections (security policies) in CenterPoint.

  1. Select File > Security > User Groups. The main User Groups screen will be displayed.
  2. Click on Add Group.

  1. In the Group Name box, enter a description for the type of group you are creating, for example "Enter Time Sheets or Process Payroll".
  2. In the Description box, type a description of this group. The Description is optional.
  3. Click Create.
  4. At the User Groups screen, click on the Assign Users button.

  1. In the Assign Users to Groups screen, select the users that will have access to the functions for this group and click the right-arrow icon to move the users from the left-side of the screen to the right-side of the screen. Multiple users can be selected by holding the Ctrl key at the same time a user is selected.
  2. Click Save.
  3. Repeat steps 1-8 for each group needed.

Step E: Create Security Policies

Security Policy assignments are used to grant or deny access to user groups. Every user automatically belongs to the Public User Group. The Administrator user group has full access rights which cannot be taken away.

  1. Select File > Security > Security Policies.

  1. Select the menu selection and function from the left-side of the Security Policy Assignment screen.
  1. For AllUser Groups on the right-side of the Security Policy Assignment screen, under Allow Access select Yes to grant access or select No to deny access.
Note: If all items in a menu group will have the same access rights, set the access rights on the highest level (for example; Purchases). If the access rights within a menu group will differ, set the rights on each specific menu (for example, Pay Invoices Due, Payments, etc).
  1. Some menu groups allow you to specify add/delete/edit/view/void, etc. security policies. For ALL User Groups on the right-side of the Security Policy Assignment screen, under Allow Access select Yes to grant access or select No to deny access.

  1. Click Save after all security policy assignments have been set.

Step F: Set Report-level Security for User Groups

This option allows Administrators to configure report-level security by user group for the report selections criteria for a report or prevent ​access to the report.

When setting report-level security for report selections, the Administrator can set a default value for specific criteria for the report when the user group prints/previews a report. When the default is set, it cannot be changed when the user group prints/previews the report.

  1. Log into a CenterPoint database as an Administrator.
  2. Select Reports > Reports and select the report you want to set report-level security for. The example below will use the Bank Register report.
  1. Right-click on the report and select Security. This menu is only available when logged in as an Administrator.

  1. The Reports - Security screen displays with all of the available Report Selections for the selected report. Select the User Group this report-level security setting applies to.

  1. This screen allows you to set the following report-level security for the selected User Group.
    • To prevent access to the report for the specified User Group, select the Restrict Access check box.
    • To set a default value for a Report Selection, click the drop-down arrow in the Selected Criteria column, and then select the default reporting criteria. For example, you may want to set a default Cash Account for a Bank Register report.
    • To prevent access to changing the default value for the selected Report Selection, select the Restrict check box. For example, if you want to prevent users in a User Group to be able to change the default Cash Account for a Bank Register when printing/previewing a Bank Register report.

  1. Click Apply.
  2. Click OK.
  3. Close the Reports - Security screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can a user change their own password?

A: Yes. Select File > Security > Change Password. Then specify the old and new password. If Password Security Options have been setup, the password will be validated when saved. The user will be notified if the password does not meet the requirements.

Q: A user tried to login multiple times with the wrong password and now their account is disabled/locked. Is there a way to enable it again?

A: Yes. Login as the Administrator. Then select File > Security > Database Users. Right-click on the locked user and select Enable User.

Q: Is there a way to see when a user last changed their password?

A: Yes, we have a report available that species password changes. Select Reports > Reports > Audit Reports > Passwords Changed.

Q: If a user forgot their password, how can I reset it?

A: Yes. Login as the Administrator. Then select File > Security > Database Users. Right-click on the locked user and select Set Password.

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