How to deactivate a user in Windchill?

Introduction

Procedure based on Windchill 8.0, but probably valid for futur versions and builds as well.

 

Overview

Steps to be performed, logged in with the account of the user :

1. Check if everything is checked in (or undo check out)
2. Remove all workspaces (can be done as site admin as well)
3. Remove all subscriptions
4. Delegate indefinitly all assignments

 

Steps to be performed, logged in as site administrator

1. Remove all saved searches of the user.
2. Add "[deactivated]" to the full name, remove the email adress from his account
3. Remove the user from all groups
4. Add the user to the group "deactivated users"
5. Remove all profiles

 

What to avoid

1. deleting the account from the directory

 

Cleaning checked out objects

Ask the user, before leaving the organisation, to check in or undo check out all checked out objects.

If the user left in a very short term, and he has changed his password, change it again (as organisation admin), so you can log in with his account.

Removing all workspaces

If the designer organised his CAD work in distinct workspaces, it could be interesting to leave them available for a while, in order to facilitate the transfer.  Another approach I used is to make a listing of the workspaces, and for each workspace, the dominant assemblies.

Anyway, before continuing, the workspaces have to be deleted!

Delegating (indefinitly) all assigments

All actual assignments can easily be reassigned while logged in with the user account.  But since running workflows can still address assigments to the user, they have to be delegated indefinitly.

Procedure :

(logged in with the account of the user)

Home > Utilities > Calendar Management > Delegate Indefinitely   and search for an account to delegate to.

Removing all saved searches

I don't know if this is really necessary, but since Windchill 9.1, you can query and delete the saved searches of the users.

Procedure :

(logged in as site administrator)

Search > Saved Seaches : Customize > Administrative Delete   and search and delete the saved searches

Remove all subscriptions

Editing the account

Finally, the account itself has to be desactivated.  Never delete an account, since all references to this account will be deleted.  E.g. the user may have created an important document, or he may change his/her mind.

Procedure :

(logged in as organisation administrator)

Organisation > Utilities > Principal Administration > Add user to table > Edit Account

>> add '[deactived]' to the full name and to the user id

>> remove it from all groups

>> add him/her to group 'Deactivated Users'

>> remove all profiles

 

Remarks :

- Adding to the 'Deactivated Users' group enables you to avoid spilling your licenses, and keep PTC happy.

Try to avoid using user accounts in access policies, context roles, etc.  It will be hard to remove them when they leave ...

- accounts of former colleagues that died or are retired, I add "[deleted]" to the account, instead of "[desactivated]", since I'm sure that they never will come back.

- accounts of actual colleagues, that temporarly do not use Windchill, get an "[inactive]" to their user ID in Windchill.