 allows authorised users to temporarily assume the identity of another user within the system. This is useful for:

Support and administrative teams to troubleshoot issues, verify permissions, or replicate user experiences.

Testing new functionality from the perspective of different user roles.

Unlike previous versions, impersonation is 

 for administrators. All users, including administrators, must be explicitly granted impersonation access through role-based configuration.

sparingly and only for debugging specific issues

, scoped to the issue being investigated.

Remove impersonation access once the issue is resolved to maintain security and compliance.

Impersonation requires two distinct system roles:

Identifies users who can impersonate others.

Users in this role can initiate impersonation sessions (if all configurations are complete).

 Support team, administrators, QA testers.

Only users assigned to this role can be selected as impersonation targets.

 Business users, power users, or any user whose experience needs to be replicated.

Add users who can be impersonated to this role.

1. Assign Users to the Impersonators Role

Assign all users who require impersonation access to this role.

 parameter of type Reference or Role Reference.

This parameter must reference a role containing impersonation targets.

Set AvailableImpersonateUsers = Impersonate Target.

This parameter is mandatory—no default access is provided.

 does not exist create it, with a type of boolean.

By default, this setting is disabled on all new installs and updates.

All impersonation activity is logged for auditing purposes:

Jobs submitted during impersonation include a log entry indicating impersonation.

Users must provide a reason when submitting jobs as an impersonated user. This reason is recorded.

All impersonation activity is recorded in web.log.

The log file rotates when it reaches 100MB.

Impersonate a User

Microsoft’s cloud platform providing infrastructure, networking, storage, and application services. In Activate, it’s used as the hosting environment or for integration with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID services.

Azure

DotNetVersion

Microsoft Entra Connect (formerly Azure AD Connect) is a tool that syncs on-premises Active Directory identities with Microsoft Entra ID, enabling hybrid identity and seamless access to cloud resources.

Microsoft_Entra_Connect

Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft’s directory service that stores and manages user accounts, devices, and permissions, enabling secure authentication and centralized access control within a Windows network.

Active_Directory

ActivateJobService

ActivateAdministrator

SupportedPowerShellVersions

SupportedOSVersions

SupportedSQLVersions

Name that identifies the instance of Activate.  This is only used by Administrators and isn't displayed to end users.

instance_name

An installation type of Activate where there is no local domain connection, all authentication, authorisation and identity management is handled by Entra ID.

Cloud_Only

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service, providing secure authentication, user lifecycle management, and access control for Microsoft 365 and other apps.

Microsoft_Entra_ID

A software switch that enables or disables functionality at runtime without redeploying code. In Activate, they are configured under //Resources/Configuration/FeatureFlags.

feature_flag

Microsoft module for managing Exchange Online, using modern authentication and REST API–based cmdlets for faster, more reliable automation of mailboxes, compliance, and organisation settings.

EXO_V3_PowerShell_Module

An Organizational Unit (OU) is a container in Active Directory used to organise users, groups, computers, and other objects within a domain. OUs help structure resources logically and apply group policies for easier management and administration.

A User Type is a template in Activate that defines rules, attributes, and behaviours for a category of users (e.g., Employee, Contractor), ensuring consistent user account setup and configuration.

User_Type

A resource object in Activate representing a physical or virtual Exchange Server

Exchange_Server_Resource

Defines the object type that the resource will emulate or operate as.

Class_parameter

Clonesthe selected inherited parameter to make a local copy to override the value

Override

Runs the Activate Provisioning Server and performs actions across target systems.

Orchestrator_Account

A complete, immutable log of identity-related events, including provisioning actions, access approvals, and policy evaluations.

Audit_Trail

An integration module that enables Activate to read/write data from external systems (e.g., provisioning accounts in Azure AD).

Connector

A periodic process where managers or data owners validate that users still require their existing access — critical for compliance.

Access_Certification_and_Review

A user-initiated process to gain access to new systems or roles, often requiring manager or system owner approval.

Access_Request

Any downstream application or service where identities need access (e.g., Active Directory, Okta, Salesforce).

Target_System

The authoritative system from which identity data is imported (e.g., HRIS like Workday or SAP SuccessFactors).

Identity_Source

An access control model that uses user, resource, or environment attributes (e.g., department = "HR", location = "US") to make access decisions dynamically.

ABAC_Attribute-Based_Access_Control

An access control model where users receive permissions based on assigned roles. This model helps enforce least privilege.

RBAC_Role-Based_Access_Control

A collection of entitlements assigned based on a user’s job function or department. Roles simplify access management and are often tied to policies (e.g., "Finance Analyst Role").

Role

A specific access right or permission within a system (e.g., "Read-only access to Salesforce Reports"). Entitlements can be grouped into roles.

Entitlement

The removal or disabling of user accounts and access when they are no longer required — for example, when an employee leaves the organization.

Deprovisioning

The automated process of creating accounts and granting access to systems or applications based on a user’s role or attributes.

Provisioning

A digital representation of a user (employee, contractor, service account, etc.) within an organization. Each identity is typically linked to a unique identifier, such as an email address or employee ID.

Identity

This is the process of bringing on a new user

Onboarding

Hierarchical Role-Based Provisioning automates user access by assigning roles based on organisational structure, ensuring users inherit the correct permissions and resources aligned to their position or function.

Hierarchical_Role-Based_Provisioning

A group email address that automatically forwards messages to all its members, allowing you to send emails to multiple recipients at once.

Distribution_List

An expression is a conditional statement using Activate expression syntax.

expression

AzureProductName

Resume Job

Activate Knowledge Centre

For Engineers

Impersonate a User

Applies to: Versions 8.2.9+ and 8.3.4+

Overview

Recommendations

Understanding Roles

1. Impersonators Role

2. Impersonate Target Role

Step-by-Step Configuration

1. Assign Users to the Impersonators Role

2. Define Who Can Be Impersonated

3. Enable Impersonation System-Wide

Auditing