Please Note: This blog article applies to Passwordstate Build 9381 or lower.
Passwordstate is an Enterprise Password Management Solution…check. It allows the secure storage of passwords and other associated data of interest…check. It provides auditing of access and change on these passwords and associated data…check. But how do you get Password Records into Passwordstate? Good Question!
Passwordstate provides a number of mechanisms to add Password Records into Passwordstate. These include adding records via;
- Browser Extension. This is arguably the most basic method of adding a password record to Passwordstate. It is limited to web site credentials and a user’s Private Password List or selectable for any of the Shared Password Lists they have access to. On entering your Account Credentials on a web site login screen you’ll be prompted to save the record in Passwordstate.
- UI (User Interface). This is the next most basic method of adding a password record. It requires the user to have logged into Passwordstate. From here the user chooses where the record should be added, either a Shared or Private Password List and adds the new password record and all associated information.
- AD Synchronization. This is typically setup by a Security Administrator and is based on adding your Active Directory Domain information and then synchronizing selected AD User Accounts and/or Security Groups (including their Users) into Passwordstate.
- API. You can use custom scripts to utilize the Passwordstate Standard and Windows Integrated APIs to add password records.
- CSV (Comma-separated Values). You can generate a CSV template and populate it with the records to be imported.
Adding Password Records Use Case
The example we are using for this week’s blog is the migration of user accounts for the CEO’s Performance Management Portal. These were previously stored in a separate password management system and are being migrated into Passwordstate. Prior to the migration I’ve created a Shared Password List under the CEO Office Folder and called it Performance Portal. As you can see in the image below there are currently no Password Records in this Password List,
I’ve based the Password List on the Web Site Logins template and created the Password List using the Add Shared Password List Wizard.
Next, we’ll generate an appropriate CSV (Comma-separated Values) Template that matches the default fields for our Password List. This is done by clicking on the List Administrator Actions… drop down list and clicking on Import Passwords,
This brings up the Import Passwords Screen, effectively a mini-wizard style process that allows the creation of the CSV Template that is used for capturing the records that will be imported,
Simply click on the Generate CSV Template button. This will create a Comma-separated Value file as shown in the image below. Note that I have Microsoft Excel installed and that is why the file titled results.csv is shown as an Excel file.
When you click on Open file the results.csv file will open, in this example with Excel. I’ve copied across all the data to the correct fields as per the image below and saved the file, making sure not to convert it to a .xls file.
Now we’re ready to test the import and if everything is ok, import those password records.
Check and Import the Records
In this example, we’ve already created the Shared Password List called Performance Portal, and created a matching import template based on the type of Password List we’re storing the records in. We’ve populated the CSV template results.csv with the records and are now ready to import them.
The first thing we now do is test the import process. This is found on the tab labelled step 3 – import data,
Simply select the file results.csv using the Select button, and then click on Test Import. This provides you with an opportunity to test importing the data against the field definitions shown under step 2 – populate template with data. All being well you’ll be presented with the Import Successful screen advising the test import of records successfully passed the import process.
Now click on the Continue button, reselect the step 3 – import data tab, reselect the results.csv file and then click on Import Passwords. You will now be presented with the Import Successful screen as show below;
And to prove the records were imported correctly, on clicking Continue we are automatically taken back to the Performance Portal Password List showing that the records have indeed been imported as per the image below,
The Import using a CSV template is a useful means of bulk importing password records from other systems and spreadsheets. The key is ensuring that the right CSV template is used (generated for the target Password List). And to be 100% sure test the import first!
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