his guide outlines the information you need to 

collect and confirm before installing Activate

. It is intended as a preparation checklist to help you gather the required account details, server information, and environment settings in advance, so the Activate Configuration Wizard can be completed smoothly after installation.

No configuration or changes are performed as part of this guide. Instead, it focuses on ensuring you have the correct details available, access permissions in place, and prerequisites understood before you begin. Completing this preparation upfront helps avoid delays or interruptions during the installation process.

Name of the Activate Administrators AD group.  The account performing the install must be a member of this group.

Activate Orchestrator service account user name and password.

Activate Web app pool identity user name and password.

The name of the SQL Server the Activate Database will be hosted on – SQL can be installed on the Activate Server if required. For some customers you may need to know the port number if you are not using the standard SQL port numbers.

The name of the SMTP Relay Server that Activate will use to route emails through to end users – you can enter any data in for this setting and change later if required

The fully qualified domain name for the company for Activate to append to new user accounts – yourcompany.com - you can enter any data in for this setting and change later if required

The email address that all emails from Activate will show as the from address – 

 – you can enter any data in for this setting and change later if required 

Client ID and Client Secrets for applications in Azure (this only applies to cloud only environments)

The account used to perform the install must have database create rights, or a database has been pre-created and the account given DB Owner rights.

Ensure the AD Account being used to install Activate has DBO permissions on the Activate DB – we recommend using the Activate Orchestrator Account for installation.

An Activate Licence Key is required to complete the installation. Activate Licences are generated for your Active Directory Domain that the Activate Server is to be installed in. The Licence will only work with this Domain. The domain name is the fully qualified domain name of your AD Domain. For example, “dc=abc,dc=com” or “abc.com” and the names of any Azure tenants you'll wish to connect to, e.g. "contoso.onmicrosoft.com"

Please ensure you have read all the sections above and that the requirements for Active Directory and SQL Server have been completed before you attempt to install Activate.

Azure SQL Database Requirements

Prepare for Installation

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

Provision Activate Server

Activate Knowledge Centre

For Engineers

For Architects

For Service Desk

For C-Suite and Decision Makers

For Partners & Analysts

Welcome to Activate Knowledge Centre

What is Activate?

Key terms

System Overview

Solution Architecture Overview

Areas of Automation

Overview