FAQs: Understanding Policy PINs
| • | How do policy PINs differ from traditional PINs in SirsiDynix Symphony? |
| • | Which policies do I need to configure for the Policy PINs feature to work? |
| • | How do I switch existing PINs to the secure format? |
| • | Can users use only numbers in PINs? |
| • | Are there any limitations to what a PIN can include? |
| • | What will happen to a user's PIN if I change the user's library or user access level? |
| • | What if I make a change to a User PIN policy? Will existing PINs that use that policy need to be changed? |
How do policy PINs differ from traditional PINs in SirsiDynix Symphony?
There are two SirsiDynix Symphony PIN features customers can choose from for their library system: traditional PINs and policy PINs. Traditional PINs are limited to ten characters in length and are randomly generated by SirsiDynix Symphony upon the creation of a user's record. Policy PINs are limited to 25 characters in length and rely on User PIN policies for character requirements. SirsiDynix Symphony uses the User PIN policies to determine how to randomly generate user PINs upon user creation. Library systems using the Policy PINs feature can also take advantage of secure storage in the SirsiDynix Symphony database (unless the library system uses an ISAM database).
Both of these features are activated by SirsiDynix Customer Support; contact SirsiDynix Customer Support if you are interested in having one of these PIN features activated for your library system.
Once the Use Policy PINs feature has been activated, PINs become case-sensitive. In that case, patrons and staff need to enter PINs containing A–Z characters in uppercase to successfully log in to WorkFlows and other applications.
Which policies do I need to configure for the Policy PINs feature to work?
For a complete overview of the policies and configurations required to configure the Policy PINs feature, see Getting Started with Policy PINs.
How do I switch existing PINs to the secure format?
After fully enabling the Policy PINs feature, you need to run the Secure User PINs report to have your users' PINs stored in the secure format. For more information, see Secure User PINs Report.
Can users use only numbers in PINs?
No. In SirsiDynix Symphony, a PIN serves the function of a password and may contain any combination of letters, numbers, or other permitted characters; the PIN is not limited to numbers only.
The User PIN policy contains attributes you can use to specify how many uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters are required in a PIN for a given user profile. For more information, see User PIN Policy Wizard.
Are there any limitations to what a PIN can include?
A PIN cannot contain only asterisk (*) characters. Otherwise, SirsiDynix Symphony allows any combination of characters as long as it's permitted by the applicable User PIN policy.
What will happen to a user's PIN if I change the user's library or user access level?
SirsiDynix Symphony only checks the User PIN Map policy for a matching Library and User Access policy combination when creating a user or modifying a user's PIN. If you change a user's library or user access level so that the User PIN policy that affects their PIN requirements changes, SirsiDynix Symphony continues to use the existing PIN in the user's record; SirsiDynix Symphony would not require a change of the user's PIN.
For example, you may have two branch libraries MAIN and EAST that have slightly different PIN requirements; MAIN may require a minimum PIN length of ten characters while EAST requires a minimum PIN length of twelve characters. If a library staff member from MAIN library transfers to go work at EAST library, the library in their user record should be changed from MAIN to EAST. Even though EAST library requires a minimum PIN length of twelve characters, SirsiDynix Symphony would not require the staff member to change their PIN because SirsiDynix Symphony only checks PIN requirements when creating or modifying a user's PIN. If, however, the staff user attempts to change their PIN after having their library changed in their user record, the new PIN would have to abide by the User PIN policy that controls requirements for staff member PINs at EAST library.
What if I make a change to a User PIN policy? Will existing PINs that use that policy need to be changed?
No. Because SirsiDynix Symphony only checks the User PIN Map policy for a matching Library and User Access policy combination when creating a user or modifying a user's PIN, an existing user affected by a modified User PIN policy can continue to use their old PIN until they change it; at that point, their PIN would be subject to the updated User PIN policy's requirements.
Any updated requirements in the User PIN policy would affect new users belonging to a given library and user access combination immediately.
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