Org Units (Generally Available)

Overview of Org Units

Org Units are central to organizing users and managing access within the Inspera platform. They function as collections of users and can be nested within a hierarchical structure, enabling a flexible and organized system for managing both users and resources like tests, test templates and content items. 

 

Technical Details

Availability: The new org units' interface will be available as an on-demand feature, please contact the Service Desk to activate it.

Impact: En activation, any existing org units, users, content, and assessments will remain unaffected and continue to appear in the interface.

User Role to Manage Org Units

A dedicated Org Unit Admin Role will have access to the new interface for Org Unit management, providing clearer separation between general user management and Org Unit-specific privileges.

Note: As of the January release, the Administrator Role was available for managing user assignments and privileges. After the February release, it is only the new dedicated Org Unit Administrator Role role that will have access to the new interface for Org Unit management. It is therefore recommended that customers who were using this feature after Jan Release, transition their users to this new role. 

Key Features in General Availability (from 4th February 2025)

This article outlines the key functionalities available for managing Org Units within the system. It provides descriptions of what each feature enables, followed by clear steps to reproduce each action through the user interface.

 

Accessing Org Unit Management Interface

Steps to Access the Org Unit Management Interface

  1. Login as Org Unit Administrator

    • Upon logging in with only the Org Unit Administrator role, you will land on the home page and see a message indicating limited access. This message appears because your role grants access only to the new Org Unit Management interface. You still have access to the "Org unit management" interface. 

 

  1. Navigate to Settings

    • Click on the Settings icon (cog wheel) in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Access Org Unit Management

    • From the dropdown list, click on "Org Unit Management."

  1. Enter the New Interface

    • You will now be directed to the new Org Unit Management interface, where you can manage org units and perform bulk actions.

 

1. Create Org Units

Description

The system allows users to create Org Units at both the root level and child levels. Users can specify the Name of the Org Unit and optionally provide an External ID. If no External ID is provided, the system will automatically generate an Internal ID for the Org Unit.

Steps

  1. Log in as a Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the Org Unit Management page.
  3. Click the “+” button to create a new Org Unit.
    • Org units follow a hierarchical structure, meaning they are organized in levels.
    • You can create org units at the root level or at any level under the root org unit.
    • Nested org units allow for a flexible structure, where each level can have its own child org units, creating a parent-child relationship within the hierarchy
  4. Enter the desired Org Unit Name and, optionally, an External ID.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Verify that the Org Unit appears in the list, showing the Name, External ID, and a system generated Internal ID.

Note: It may take some time for the Org Unit to appear in the UI because of frequent operations on the Inspera caching layer for large data objects. If a wrong value is cached during previous operations, it may prevent the Org Unit from appearing immediately. This delay is due to the time required for the cache to refresh or be cleared, ensuring that accurate data is shown in the UI.

Note: Our approach with External / Internal IDs is as follows, 

  • Internal ID:
    Automatically generated by Inspera, unique within the marketplace, and required for modifying Org Units. It cannot be manually provided and ensures data integrity.
  • External ID:
    Can be provided by a third-party system or manually during Org Unit creation. Optional at creation, but must be unique within the marketplace, often used for integration with external systems.

Bulk Creation of Org Units and Assignment of Users using CSV

Org Units can be created and assigned users in bulk using CSV upload in "User Management" section available to users with "Administrator" Role (Note, the "Org Unit Administrator" role doesn't give you access to "User Management"). The CSV format for Org Unit creation and user assignment includes several columns that allow the user to assign users to several Org Units in bulk.

Note that Org Units can be created and assigned to users in bulk. Additionally, users can also be assigned to already created Org Units.

The format for the CSV file is as follows:

  • User’s First Name: The first name associated with the user.
  • User’s Last Name: The last name associated with the user.
  • User Email: The email address associated with the user.
  • Org Unit Hierarchy (This specific column requires activation): A pipe-separated list of Org Units, where each Org Unit represents a hierarchical relationship. For example, "A|B|C|D":
    • "A" is the root Org Unit.
    • "B" is a child of "A".
    • "C" is a child of "B".
    • "D" is a child of "C".

The user is assigned to the last Org Unit listed in the hierarchy (in this case, Org Unit "D"). Note that even if there are additional Org Units below "D" in the hierarchy, the user will still be assigned to "D". The hierarchy is provided up to the level of the assigned Org Unit.

  • If applicable: SSO Login IDs activated on the tenant. 

Steps for Creating Org Units and Assigning Users:

  1. Prepare the CSV File. 
  2. Once the CSV file is ready, upload it through the Administrator Interface.
  3. Verify that the Org Units have been created and the users assigned correctly.

Please read more about how this CSV works in more detail here - Import a CSV file into Inspera Assessment. 

Note:

  • User Details: Org Units must be created with users in the same CSV file. Without user assignments, the Org Unit will not be created. 
  • SSO IDs: When SSO IDs are activated on the tenant, at least one SSO ID must be specified in CSV
  • Hierarchy Definition: The “Hierarchy” column defines Org unit to which the given user has to be assigned. The org unit is shown with the entire hierarchy above it. A blank field indicates a root-level Org Unit, and filled entries indicate nested units. This column requires activation. 

 

2. Bulk Assign and Remove Users to Org Units

Description

Org Unit Administrators can bulk assign or remove users to an Org Unit using the new interface, simplifying user management for large teams.

Steps to Reproduce

  • Log in as Org Unit Administrator
  • Navigate to the Org Unit assignment interface
  • Select an Org Unit
  • Click "Assign Users" or "Remove Users"
  • Choose one or more users to assign, or remove
  • Click Save to complete the bulk assignment
  • Verify users are assigned correctly
 

 

Note: "Administrator" users can also assign users to specific Org Units via the "user management" interface. This ensures that users are associated with the appropriate Org Units based on their role or responsibility within the organization. This is an existing way of assigning users to Org Units, but only allows adding Org Units to users, one user at a time. 

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Log in as a Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the User Management page.
  3. Select a user from the list.
  4. Choose one or more Org Units to assign to the selected user.
  5. Click Save to finalize the assignment.
  6. Verify that the user is now associated with the selected Org Unit(s).

 

3. Modify Name, External ID of Org Units 

Description

Admins can update the Name and External ID of an existing Org Unit. This allows for more flexibility in managing Org Units as the structure or naming conventions evolve.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Log in as a Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the Org Unit Management page.
  3. Select an Org Unit to delete.
  4. Click the “Edit” button.
  5. Edit the Name and/ or External ID as needed.
  6. Click Save.
  7. Verify that the Org Unit's Name or External ID has been updated correctly.

 

4. Delete Org Units

(Not supported currently, expected by March Release in Q1 2025)

Description

Org Units can be deleted when they are no longer needed. Deletion is a permanent action, and a confirmation is required to prevent accidental deletion.

Org Units can only be deleted when they, along with all their nested org units, are empty, with no users assigned and no resources linked. This precaution is in place so that the deletion process does not inadvertently affect the system's state, user access, or live exams, preventing any unintended disruptions.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Log in as a Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the Org Unit Management page.
  3. Select an Org Unit to delete.
  4. Click the “Delete” button.
  5. Confirm the deletion in the prompt that appears.
  6. Verify that the Org Unit is removed from the list and is no longer visible in the system.

 

5. Hide/Unhide Org Units

Description

Org Units can be hidden or unhidden to control visibility. Hiding an Org Unit makes it invisible to users who do not have the necessary permissions, while unhidden Org Units are fully accessible.

When an Org Unit is hidden, the existing users and resources linked to it will be preserved. These can be removed later, but no new users or resources can be added to the hidden Org Unit, even by Administrator.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Log in as a Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the Org Unit Management page.
  3. Select the Org Unit you wish to hide or unhide.
  4. Click the “Hide” or “Unhide” button.
  5. Verify that the visibility status of the Org Unit has been updated. 

Note: When you unhide a parent organization unit, the child unit's visibility depends on its previous state:

  1. If the child was explicitly set as hidden, it will remain hidden even if the parent is unhidden. This is to respect the user's original choice.
  2. If the child was not hidden before, it will automatically be unhidden when the parent is unhidden.

In cases where the child was manually hidden, you will need to unhide it separately if you want it visible again. This behavior ensures that user actions are preserved and prevents unintended changes.

Note: The org units can be hidden in bulk through the new user interface for org unit management. 

 

6. View Users and Resources on Org Unit 

Description

Admins can view the summary of all users and resources that are associated with a specific Org Unit. This helps ensure and audit that resources are assigned appropriately and that users are linked to the correct Org Units. 

Additionally, Administrators can access a filtered list of users and each of the resources associated with a given Org Unit through a convenient "one-click" from the overview.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Log in as a Administrator.
  2. Navigate to the Org Unit Management page.
  3. Click on a specific Org Unit from the list.
  4. Click the “View Details” button.
  5. View the list of users and resources associated with that Org Unit.
  6. Access the filtered list of users and each of the resources from the above view.
  7. Verify that the linked users and resources are correctly displayed.

 

7. Search and/or Download of Org Unit Details

Description

Org Unit details, including Internal and External IDs, can be either searched from the UI or downloaded into a CSV file. This is useful for audit, subsequent modifications via CSVs or APIs, and integration purposes. This was not available before and was a common reason for customer inquiries to Inspera.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Log in as an Admin user.
  2. Navigate to the Org Unit Management page.
  3. Click the “Export” button to download the Org Unit data and open the resulting CSV file and verify that it contains Org Unit details such as Name, Internal ID, External ID, along with the same information for its immediate Parent Org Unit. 
  4. (or) Use the “Search” functionality from the UI to find a specific Org Unit based on Internal ID, External ID, or Org Unit Name. 

 

Conclusion

The Org Unit Management system provides a wide range of tools for efficiently managing and organizing the users and resources of your organization. By following the steps outlined above, users can easily create, modify, assign, and delete Org Units as required.

Coming Next

By the March release, the deletion of Org Unit from the user interface will be supported. This will allow you to delete one org unit at a time. Bulk deletion of org units will not be supported. 

API Docs

For information on available API endpoints and authentication, please refer to Inspera Open APIs.

Key Terms

External ID:
A unique identifier assigned by an external system or user to an Org Unit. It is optional to provide this ID during the creation of Org Units. The External ID is also necessary to modify Org Units through the API or CSV uploads. The External ID ensures seamless integration with third-party systems.

Internal ID:
A unique identifier automatically generated by the Inspera system for each Org Unit. It is always created by the system and must be unique within the marketplace. The Internal ID is used internally by Inspera to reference and modify Org Units, and it is required for making changes via the system. This ID cannot be altered manually and is essential for ensuring the integrity of Org Unit data.

Root Org Unit:
The top-level organizational unit within a specific branch of the hierarchy. A tenant can have multiple Root Org Units, each representing the highest level in a distinct branch. Each Root Org Unit serves as the parent for all other Org Units within its respective branch. For example, in a higher education institution, a Root Org Unit could represent different schools or departments, each acting as the highest level within their specific domain.

Parent Org Unit:

An Org Unit that acts as the higher-level unit in the hierarchy for one or more nested Child Org Units. A Parent Org Unit can be any Org Unit that has one or more Child Org Units beneath it. It provides structural organization within the system by grouping related Org Units, which can inherit certain properties or permissions from the parent unit. For example, a Parent Org Unit could represent a department or a division within an organization, with various sub-units beneath it. 

Child Org Unit:
An organizational unit that is nested under a Root Org Unit or another parent Org Unit. Child Org Units inherit certain properties from their parent units but can also have unique characteristics and users. These units allow for hierarchical structuring within the system.

Resources:
These are specific assets associated with an Org Unit. These can include content, tests, templates, or any other linked items within the system. Resources can be linked to both Root Org Units and Child Org Units and are crucial for ensuring proper assignment of content and test data across the organization’s structure.

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