---
title: Quick Start Guide
slug: quick-start-guide
createdAt: 2025-07-25T02:27:14.368Z
---

This article assumes that the Activate Server is installed and working as expected following the Activate Installation Guide.

The Activate Folder Manager provides online self-service capability for NTFS based folders. The default installation provides basic functionality, however, depending upon the implementation requirements for the site there are several configuration changes that may be required. This document outlines the most common of these.

## Pre-Requisites

Please ensure the following before starting the steps outlined in this document:

1. All the installation steps in the Activate Installation Guide have been completed.
2. You are familiar with the Activate Administrator overview section.
3. Ensure you can logon as the Activate Service account - this user must be a member of the Domain Admins group.



# Folder Manager Overview

The following provides a quick overview of Activate Folder Manager.

1. Activate caches information for existing folder paths and their associated Active Directory (AD) security groups within the Activate database and therefore folders are not immediately available within the Activate system.
2. Activate scans specified Windows Server Shares into Activate. This process creates Activate objects called Folder Resources under the **Resources > Folders** node. This scan is done once initially as part of the implementation of Activate and then a background task runs each night to keep Activate synchronized with changes to the folder structures.
3. Different business rules can be applied for the creation of Secured Folders using Activate.

Please refer to the Activate Folder Manager Technical Overview\.pdf for more information.




# Basic Configuration

The following example provides a basic overview of configuring Folder Shares and synchronizing the file system into Activate.




**Configure a file share and synchronize the file system**

1. Log onto the Activate Server as an Administrator and open the Activate Administrator application.
2. Navigate to **Resources > Folders**
3. Right click on **Folders**
4. Select **Add New FolderResource**



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/4ZKKyQ3KGVtv8ovJN5Amu6Wwxxm)

1. Enter the UNC path of a \\\ServerName\Share within your organization which has a number of folders that are secured using AD groups. Type in the path of the server name and share to rename the new object. You must use the Microsoft UNC format of **\\\ServerName\Share**.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/r7v6vkBDerU6pbPrpzGZceN0KB1)

1. Right click on the new folder resource and click** FolderResource Tasks > Synchronize Filesystem** to synchronize Activate with the file system. NOTE: You should be logged on to the Activate Server with Domain Admin rights to perform this task.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/WN7mxxaabgs90aaR0wkOcBNmjG5X)



1. Click on the triangle icon to the left of the new share to show the folders imported as part of the synchronization. You should see groups securing the folders similar to below:



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/QorxjW39VnSDXoK3A3Ppck9bQRD)




**Test Request Folder access task**

Log on to the Activate Web Portal as an Administrator user.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/w7mOgzJW50CJNwLMAvV6FbOR3oNM)

Go to the Activate Web Portal and click on the Shared Folders tile.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/ng6XmKwJzYhGX77WGJGNfGAnJ8a)

Click on the Server\Share that you imported into Activate that should now be available once the Share has been scanned:
 






![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/qpkremW8vDsaO5O5wr06UekG1keo)

Select a folder you wish to gain access to – in this example we have selected the **Human Resources **folder.




Click on the **Myself **button on the **Request Access for** sidebar to start a request to add the user logged onto Activate to this folder.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/GYPRox9LvyhevoW5rWVNuXeBnnvZ)




Select the access rights option – you may have more than one option depending on the current security that is applied to the folder you chose to request access to.




In the example below select Change rights option then click **Next**.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/1w9xKAr4YXi3DQ5mwzeMsMRkjZN5)




Enter a reason click **Submit Request.**



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/opraNDLMY6SLYbbLrLYmt5XwOv4)




Approval for the request will go the approver listed above, but as an Administrator you are able to override this.

Click on the View Your Previous Requests icon on the app bar.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/WOQmMWnn9KU9qoY8A78YtVabngQ)






![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/8beKxPPRvGFWm3vNQmZpcAV30KRZ)

The new job will be listed under **Open Requests, **click the job Id to open it for approval.
 






Click on the **Action Request **button.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/0VAWwMgwJkCv3Nv5RRQPSNr8gnZ)






![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/1R8ePjn8wJf3g7QYvzXGfMMgGZYW)

Then click on the Approve icon to Approve the request.




Verify the user has been added to the group via Active Directory Users & and Computers or other AD Management tools.




# Configure Create Folder Task

The create folder task allows end users to create folders with the appropriate security, approval and business rules being enforced.

The following process outlines the basic process for setting this up.



## Specify where new AD groups that secure the folders will be created

1. Log onto the Activate Server as the Activate Service Account.
2. Open the Activate Administrator application.
3. Navigate to **Resources > Folders**



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/VGoXp81XKRTvBMq8NKWmc8b8Rbe)

Double click on the **GroupOU** parameter. 

Click on the **Browse...** button to search for the AD OU that you wish to use to store the new AD groups that are created when you use the Create Folder task within Activate.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/rAqDWqomJmHgDZpZzD76uMR9K4XV)




Type in the name of the OU and click **Find**.






![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/6zAYRY51j5cbBvgQar0RuzBx68Y)

Select the OU from the results returned and click **Ok twice**.







## Test the Create Folder task

Log on as an Administrator user and browse to the Activate Web Portal.






![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/w7mOgzJW50CJNwLMAvV6FbOR3oNM)

Go to the Activate Web Portal and click on the Shared Folders tile.




****


![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/GXbgvKZQy8teabLyAvmOHD7qLxn)

Click on one of the folders that should be available once the Share has been scanned - in this example we have selected the Sales folder:****
 



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/39XgeJm9P7cWzNrzgmmRfwxM5BO)

Click on the Create Folder button on the toolbar.****
 




Enter a name for the new folder and then select the Private Folder option and click Next. A private folder means a single new AD group will be created to secure the folder with modify permissions.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/WRMoq3JKkPU9RYxO547DHBNzba0D)




Enter a reason for the request and then click Submit Request.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/z9nj5yp9wLHJxrG5GX43HkbwNW66)









![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/Nap9OBYJDOh1ee9pqvLpcv511wZ4)

Verify the new folder has been created and secured correctly. Confirm the new AD group(s) has been created in the OU configured above.****
 





![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/WOQmMWnn9KU9qoY8A78YtVabngQ)

You may have to approve this job depending on which version of Activate has been installed – check the home page for the Administrators user and see if there are any Requests waiting for them by clicking on the ‘Pending Requests’ icon.


Browse to the Activate Web Portal and click on the Shared Folders icon.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/w7mOgzJW50CJNwLMAvV6FbOR3oNM)







Browse to and expand the parent folder in which you created the new folder – in this example we have selected the **Sales** folder then selected the **Sales Promotions**:

View who has access to the **Sales Promotions** folder and who the approvers are by clicking on the **Display Access **button on the tool bar.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/vX75raAZ8RUYqY8bLNQvTxgRDGwV)



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/KGoMNPg0ADIKo65p38zrI1B8kAP)






![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/K9L6Ra7eR6hDe3xkNbr9cDrLmVqw)

A list of who currently has access and what level of access they have is displayed.




# Appendix

## How to determine who is an Activate Service Desk User

**View Service Desk role members**

Log on as the Activate Service account.

Open the Activate Administrator Application.

Navigate to **Roles > System Roles > Service Desk**



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/oABKrMQmBLSL5raRoBBLtBzmVKj)

Double click on the **Members** parameter.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/jGgbLJG1yzcyDx0azP5NTzB1AV9M)

Click **Properties** to bring up the properties of the AD group.

Click on the **Members **tab to view members of the group/Service Desk Role.



![](https://activate.activatelive.com/images/activate/R1bXRb7L4xFpPLpGaGR3SkVzxJ8j)