Grouper Users - Open Discussion List

[Chris Hyzer <>]

We are starting to do this at Penn with our organizational structure (I say 
"starting" because we are in production, but only loading a subset of all the 
orgs we need).

We have all our data in one warehouse database, and I made a view which links 
users to orgs.  Then I use grouper-loader to sync up that view with our org 
groups.  If a user moved from one org to another, or another org was added, 
or an org was renamed, grouper-loader figures it all out... maybe it can help 
you (less people use the loader, but if you find issues, I will fix them... 
:)  ).  Note, in the loader if an org is moved, or renamed, then it will 
delete the old, create the new, which might give other problems... but maybe 
we can add some features there :)

https://wiki.internet2.edu/confluence/display/GrouperWG/Grouper+-+Loader

Kind regards,
Chris

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Loris Bennett 
> [mailto:]
> Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 9:39 AM
> To: Grouper Users Mailing List
> Subject: [grouper-users] Grouper-WS: Strategies for moving
> groups/stems?
>
> Hi,
>
> On the roadmap the "Namespace Transition Support" is listed. I was
> wondering what the status of this is and what strategies people are
> using as a workaround. Specifically I am interested in how to deal
> which
> changes in an organizational structure.
>
> Currently I am doing the following:
>
>         1. read the organizational structure from a human resources
>         database
>         2. construct a corresponding structure of folders in Grouper
>         using the web services interface
>         3. add a standard group to each folders
>         4. read the user data from the HR database
>         5. add the users to the standard group in the appropriate
>         folders.
>
> If, say, HR decides to move a group from one unit within a department
> to
> another, that group should remain a member of the department, but
> should
> no longer be a member of any unit-specific groups.
>
> I would envisage doing something like:
>
>         1. create new group in the new unit
>         2. add members of old group to new group
>         3. determine memberships of old group
>         4. recreate memberships which need to be preserved
>         5. add any new memberships required
>         6. delete all old memberships
>         7. delete old group
>
> Steps 4 and 5 would require some human interaction regarding what
> exactly should be done.
>
> My questions are:
>
>         1. Is this the approach that other people are taking?
>         2. Are there any alternatives?
>         3. Will "Namespace Transition Support" provide this
>         functionality?
>         4. When might NTS be available?
>
> Thanks
>
> Loris
>
> --
> Dr. Loris Bennett
> Computer Centre
> Freie Universität Berlin
> Berlin, Germany