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AdminTools - Technical Toolkit

AdminTools is the central console for advanced technical operations. It's the equivalent of "opening the hood" of your application, reserved for experienced administrators or technical support.

Access​

Access Path: Administration Tools > AdminTools menu

Prerequisites: System administration rights

AdminTools Interface

Interface​

The interface presents a "Tool List" dropdown menu providing access to various critical functions. Each tool is accessible via a dedicated page.

Available Tools​

Cache Management​

Application cache management

Function: Clears the application cache (temporary memory where frequently used data is stored)

When to use:

  • Theme or logo change
  • Workflow modification
  • Form update
  • System parameter change
  • A modification doesn't seem to take effect

Options:

  • Clear complete cache: Removes all cache
  • Remove specific form: Via dropdown menu

Action:

  1. Click "Clear cache" or select a form
  2. Click "Remove this form from cache"
  3. Refresh your browser (F5 or Ctrl+F5)

Impact: Temporarily, pages may load slightly slower (while rebuilding the cache).

Active Sessions (MngUserInfo)​

See dedicated article "Surveillance and monitoring".

Connected users management

Function: Lists all users currently connected in real time

Usage:

  • Identify who is using the application before maintenance
  • Detect ghost sessions
  • Verify that a user is properly connected
  • Estimate system load

Actions:

  • Force disconnection of a blocked session
  • Monitor activity

Scheduled Tasks (ProcessTimers)​

See dedicated article "Surveillance and monitoring".

Scheduled tasks management

Function: Views and controls automatic background tasks (jobs)

Typical tasks:

  • Incremental indexing
  • Active Directory synchronization
  • Deferred notification sending
  • Log purging
  • Automatic backup
  • Indicator calculation

Actions:

  • Enable / Disable
  • Force immediate execution
  • View history
  • Modify frequency (expert only)

Application Pool​

Application Pool information

Function: Displays information about the IIS pool that hosts Avanteam

Visible information:

  • Pool name
  • Status (Running / Stopped)
  • Execution account
  • .NET version
  • Uptime (duration since last startup)
  • Memory used

Usage: Diagnosis during performance or availability issues

Action: Pool restart (equivalent to application restart) in case of blocking

Health indicators:

  • Status = Running: OK
  • Status = Stopped: Application unavailable (KO)
  • Short uptime (less than 1h): Frequent restarts (problem)
  • High memory (>2GB): Possible memory leak

SQL Command (Direct Queries)​

Function: Allows executing SQL queries directly on the database

⚠️ CRITICAL DANGER: Extremely powerful and dangerous tool

Risks:

  • A poorly formulated DELETE query can delete thousands of documents
  • An incorrect UPDATE query can corrupt data
  • A complex query can block the database
  • No rollback possible

Restriction: Reserved EXCLUSIVELY for administrators with advanced SQL skills or upon explicit request from Avanteam support

Traceability: All executed queries are logged with user identity

[!DANGER] NEVER use this tool without being absolutely certain of your query. When in doubt, contact Avanteam support. An error can be irreversible and require complete database restoration.

License Request​

License request interface

Function: Technical utility to identify the instance and generate key requests from the publisher

Information displayed:

  • Client name
  • Web machine(s) / server(s) name(s)
  • Application name
  • Usage type (Production / Test / Demo)

Actions:

  • Send license key request: Compiles information and transmits it to Avanteam for new key generation
  • Reload License file: Forces consideration of a new license file without restarting the server

Usage:

  • License renewal
  • Server change
  • License upgrade
  • New module activation

Note: This tool is purely technical. For daily user management and token quotas, use Directory > Licenses.

Backup​

Backup tool

Function: Triggers or schedules Avanteam configuration backups

Backup types:

  • Configuration: Forms, workflows, settings
  • Data: Documents and metadata (requires coordination with DB admin)

Usage: Before any major modification (migration, version change)

Best practices:

  • Backup before critical modifications
  • Regular restoration testing
  • Off-production server storage
  • Backup documentation (content, date)

Document Templates (Office Template)​

Office template management

Function: Management of Word/Excel templates used for document generation

Usage:

  • Upload new templates
  • Modify existing templates
  • Delete obsolete templates

Use cases:

  • Audit report templates
  • Certificate templates
  • Letter templates
  • Label templates

Format:

  • Word (.docx) with merge fields
  • Excel (.xlsx) with named ranges

Password Management (Password)​

Password management

Function: User password reset

Usage:

  • User account unlocking
  • Forgotten password
  • First access

Security: Action logged in audit logs

Procedure:

  1. Select the user
  2. Generate a new password or set one
  3. Option: Force change at next login
  4. Communicate password to user (secure channel)

Azure AD Synchronization (SynchroAzureAD)​

Azure AD synchronization

This tool allows configuring and executing synchronization of users and groups from Microsoft Azure AD to the Avanteam directory.

A. Technical Connection Settings​

Use configuration from Web.config: If checked, uses server configuration file settings

Connection fields:

  • Resource URI: https://graph.microsoft.com (typically)
  • Client ID: Azure AD application ID
  • Authority: https://login.microsoftonline.com/
  • Tenant ID: Your Azure directory unique ID
  • Secret: Secret key (Client Secret) generated in Azure

B. Filter Configuration​

Resource Type: Users or Groups

CN / DN Attribute: Azure properties (Common Name, Distinguished Name)

Filter: OData query to restrict import

  • Example: department eq 'Quality'

Group Filter: Synchronize only members of a specific Azure AD group

C. Property Mapping​

Object Property: Source property in Azure AD (ex: mail, givenName, surname)

APS Property: Destination field in Avanteam (ex: Email, FirstName, LastName)

Property Format: Data type (Text, Date, etc.)

D. Synchronization Actions​

PREVIEW RESULT: Displays the list of impacted users without modifying data. Essential for verifying filters.

GENERATE RESULT (THIS FILTER): Launches import/update for current filter only

GENERATE RESULTS (ALL FILTERS): Global synchronization of all configured rules

[!CAUTION] Misconfigured synchronization can deactivate many users or create duplicates. ALWAYS use "Preview" before launching actual generation.

Debug Workflow (Workflow Debug)​

Workflow debugger

Function: Diagnostic tools for workflows

Usage:

  • Identify why a workflow is blocked
  • Check current workflow state
  • Identify unsatisfied conditions

Information:

  • Step status
  • Transitions performed
  • Conditions evaluated
  • Assigned users

Actions:

  • State visualization
  • Task reassignment (with caution)
  • Force transition to next step (last resort)

Workflow Report​

Workflow reports

Function: Generates reports on workflow usage

Metrics:

  • Number of documents per step
  • Average processing time
  • Bottlenecks
  • Rejection rate

Usage:

  • Performance analysis
  • Process optimization
  • Recurring problem identification
  • Management reporting

AdminFulltextIndex​

See dedicated articles in "4.2 Search and indexing".

Function: Full-text search index management

Actions:

  • Force reindexing
  • Optimize index
  • Explore document index
  • View statistics

Email Send Test (CheckSendMail)​

See dedicated article "Surveillance and monitoring".

Function: Test email sending and SMTP configuration

Usage:

  • Verify configuration after modification
  • Diagnose sending problems
  • Test with different modes (synchronous/asynchronous)

Security Best Practices​

Restricted Access​

Principle: Limit AdminTools access to experienced system administrators only

Configuration:

  • User record Security tab
  • "Can access" administration checkbox
  • Specific AdminTools rights

Recommendation: Maximum 2-3 people with full access

Traceability​

Logs: All actions performed via AdminTools are recorded in audit logs

  • Who did what
  • When
  • On which object
  • Result (success/failure)

Consultation: Log Journal > Filter by user and action

Documentation​

Before any intervention:

  • Document initial state
  • Note reason for intervention
  • Take screenshots if relevant
  • Keep exports/backups

After intervention:

  • Document actions performed
  • Note result
  • Archive documentation (wiki, ticket)

Preliminary Backup​

Before using critical tools:

  • SQL Command
  • Workflow modification
  • AD synchronization
  • Mass deletion

Action: Perform complete backup (or at minimum of impacted area)

Training​

Required skills:

  • Deep Avanteam knowledge
  • Impact understanding
  • Rigor and method
  • Documentation ability

Initial training:

  • Guided tour of all tools
  • Supervised practical cases
  • Procedure documentation
  • Non-production environment testing

Ongoing training:

  • Keep updated on new features
  • Experience sharing between admins
  • Documentation updates

Precautionary Principle​

[!WARNING] AdminTools provides direct access to the application's internal workings. Only use these tools if you perfectly understand the impact of your actions, or under supervision of Avanteam technical support. When in doubt, ALWAYS contact support before acting.

Business Case: Resolving a Blocked Workflow​

Situation: An NC is "blocked", action button doesn't respond

Diagnosis with AdminTools:

  1. Check active sessions:

    • AdminTools > MngUserInfo
    • User session active and recent?
    • If "frozen" session, force disconnection

  2. Clear cache:

    • AdminTools > Cache
    • Select "Non-conformity" form
    • Click "Remove this form from cache"
    • Ask user to reconnect

  3. Check workflow:

    • AdminTools > Workflow Debug
    • Search record by reference
    • Check current state
    • Identify blocking condition (unfilled required field?)

  4. Check scheduled tasks:

    • AdminTools > ProcessTimers
    • "Workflow processing" task active?
    • Recent last execution?
    • If error, check logs

Resolution: In 80% of cases, clearing cache resolves the problem.

Business Case: Maintenance Preparation​

Context: Planned version update Saturday morning

Procedure with AdminTools:

1. Planning:

  • Off-production time slot
  • Notify users 1 week in advance

2. Before maintenance:

  • AdminTools > MngUserInfo: Verify no users are connected
  • AdminTools > Backup: Launch complete backup
  • AdminTools > ProcessTimers: Disable all automatic tasks

3. During maintenance:

  • Perform operations (update, etc.)

4. After maintenance:

  • AdminTools > Cache: Clear complete cache
  • AdminTools > ProcessTimers: Reactivate all tasks
  • AdminTools > AdminFulltextIndex: Force incremental indexing
  • Functional testing

5. Communication:

  • Inform users of maintenance completion
  • Remain available for support

Result: Successful maintenance with minimal impact.

Support​

For any questions about using AdminTools or for technical assistance on complex interventions, contact Avanteam support. They can guide you step-by-step or perform the operation remotely if necessary.