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Backend Administrators accounts are separate from Tableau Server users and only exist on Curator. Permissions can be customized for a backend user to allow for a range of access. New permissions become available as you enable “Features” and must be enabled for older users if applicable. To manage backend users:
  1. If a backend user is unable to view menu items, it is possible they do not have the appropriate backend permissions. These permissions can be edited using the following steps. If the “Backend Administrators” menu item is not visible, it is likely that user does not have the necessary permissions. A backend admin with access to “Backend Administrators” will need to update the permissions for the other user.
  2. Navigate to the backend of the system (e.g. http://curatorexample.com/backend).
  3. Log in if prompted.
  4. Click on Settings > Curator > Backend Administrators in the left navigation.
  5. Click on the “New Backend User” button to create a new user, or click on an existing user to modify user details or permissions.
When creating a new user, the Send Account Creation Email toggle (enabled by default) sends a notification email to the new administrator with their account details. Disable it to skip the email for that user, which is useful when you intend to share credentials with the new administrator out-of-band.
The Password and Confirm Password fields each have an eye icon at their right edge. Click it to reveal what you have typed, and click it again to hide it. This only ever shows text you typed in the current session — both fields are always empty when the form loads, so an existing password is never revealed.

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SAML Integration

Curator can integrate backend users with the same SAML authentication that is being used on the front-end. In order for this to work, set up your environment following the steps below:
  1. Ensure your SAML authentication has been set up properly.
  2. Login to the backend of your Curator instance (e.g. http://curatorexample.com/backend).
  3. Navigate to the Settings > Curator > Portal Settings section from the left-hand menu.
  4. Click on the General tab and expand the Security section.
  5. Toggle the switch to enable “Force Backend Users to Login Via Frontend Authentication Forms” then click save
After this you can create users normally, and when they visit the backend of Curator they will be redirected to log in via SAML, then re-routed to the backend. Note: You can create backend users as normal following the steps above (including a password) however users will not be able to log in via these credentials due to Force Backend Users to Login Via Frontend Authentication Forms being enabled. Only backend usernames matching frontend usernames will be able to access Curator’s administrative interface. Compare the two by checking the Frontend User section and Backend User section.

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Using Frontend Users as Backend Users

Curator can use the same Portal Settings as SAML to allow Frontend Users to login to the backend as well. This will restrict backend users who don’t have a corresponding frontend user. In order for this to work, set up your environment following the steps below:
  1. Ensure your chosen Authentication Type is set up properly, and sign in with a frontend user of your choice.
  2. Create a backend user with account info that matches the frontend user you just used.
  3. Sign out of both the frontend and the backend.
  4. Login to only the frontend with the corresponding account.
  5. Go to the backend of your Curator instance (e.g. http://curatorexample.com/backend).
  6. It should sign you in automatically. You should then enable Force Backend Users to Login Via Frontend Authentication Forms.
  7. This should enable frontend users to sign into the backend automatically with the same account. Note: In order to access the backend, a given frontend user will have to have a backend account manually made by an existing backend user.

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Backend Preferences

Each backend administrator has personal preferences that can be configured by clicking on their name in the top-right corner of the backend and selecting My Account, then navigating to the Preferences tab.

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Timezone

The Timezone preference controls how dates and times are displayed in the backend interface for that specific administrator. For example, datetime picker fields (such as the Cron Debug Mode expiration) will display times converted to this timezone.
This setting only affects the display of dates and times in the backend UI. It does not affect when cron jobs run or when Scheduled Reports are delivered. Those are controlled by the Cron Timezone setting in Portal Settings.

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Locale

The Locale preference controls the language used in the backend interface for that administrator.

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Appearance

The Appearance control sets whether the backend uses a light or a dark color scheme. Unlike Timezone and Locale, it lives in the account dropdown itself rather than the Preferences tab: click your name in the top-right corner of the backend and the control appears above Sign out. It offers three options, and clicking one applies it immediately:
This choice is remembered per browser rather than on your administrator account, so it does not follow you to a different browser or device. Setting it on your laptop will not change the backend’s appearance when you sign in from another computer.