SSO: Microsoft Entra ID
  • 4 Minutes to read
  • Dark
    Light

SSO: Microsoft Entra ID

  • Dark
    Light

Article summary

Integrating SmarterU with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) allows you to:

  • Control who has access to SmarterU from Microsoft Entra ID
  • Automatically sign users into SmarterU using their Microsoft Entra accounts (i.e. single sign-on)
  • Manage your accounts from the Microsoft Entra admin center
If you want to integrate Azure Active Directory (AD) B2C using OpenID, refer to Setting Up Azure Active Directory B2C
Be sure you have a Microsoft Entra ID subscription. You can create a free account by visiting https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/entra-id.

To set up Microsoft Entra ID with SmarterU:

  1. Add SmarterU as a managed app. 
  2. Configure single sign-on in Microsoft Entra ID.
  3. Configure single sign-on in SmarterU.
  4. Create a user in Microsoft Entra ID. See note about creating a test user, below this list.
  5. Assign the SmarterU app to the user. See note about creating a test user, below this list.
  6. Add the user to SmarterU. See note about creating a test user, below this list.
  7. Determine the URL users will use to log in.
For single sign-on to work, you need to create a relationship between a Microsoft Entra ID user and the related SmarterU user. We recommend completing steps 4-6 for a test user before creating additional user accounts to ensure that you've properly established the relationship between Microsoft Entra ID and SmarterU. After you've tested single sign-on for your test user, you'll need to complete steps 4-6 for each user.

Adding SmarterU as a Managed App 

To add SmarterU as a managed app in Microsoft Entra ID:

  1. From the left menu in Microsoft Entra ID, select Microsoft Entra ID

Azure Active Directory Menu Option 20240812

  1. From the sub-menu, select Enterprise Applications.

Azure - Enterprise Applications Menu Option 20240812

  1. Ensure All Applications is selected.
  2. Click New Application.

Azure - New Application Button 20240812

  1. Enter SmarterU in the search field.

Azure - Search for SmarterU App 20240812

The SmarterU application displays in the search results. 

  1. Click SmarterU.
  2. Click Create.

Azure - Add SmarterU App 20240812

NEXT STEP: Configure single sign-on in Microsoft Entra ID.

Configuring Single Sign-On in Microsoft Entra ID

To configure single sign-on in Microsoft Entra ID:

  1. From the SmarterU - Overview page's menu, select Single Sign-On

Azure - SU Menu - Single Sign On 20240812

  1. Select SAML.
  2. From the Basic SAML Configuration section, click Icon  Description automatically generated. The Basic SAML Configuration workscreen displays.
  3. From the Basic SAML Configuration workscreen:
    1. In the Identifier field, be sure the identifier is https://integrations.smarteru.com/<accountID>, where you replace <accountID> with your account's ID.  
You can find your account's ID by logging into SmarterU and looking at the URL.

  1. Click Save.
  2. Click  to close the Basic SAML Configuration workscreen.

  1. On the SmarterU - SAML-Based Sign On page, scroll down to the SAML Certificates section.
  2. From the SAML Signing Certificate section, click the Download link beside Federation Metadata XML. 

Azure - SU Download Federation Metadata XML Certificate 20240812

  1. Save the file to your computer. You'll need this file in the Configuring Single Sign-On in SmarterU step.

NEXT STEP: Configure single sign-on in SmarterU.

Configuring Single Sign-On in SmarterU

To configure single sign-on in SmarterU:

  1. Enable external authorization for your SmarterU account.
  2. Specify the following settings:
SettingValue

Master Login Control

Select the SmarterU option.

User Default Login

Select the SmarterU option.

Enable SAML

Check the Enable SAML checkbox.

IdP Metadata

Use Notepad to open the Federation Metadata XML certificate that you downloaded in the Configuring Single Sign-On in Microsoft Entra ID section. Copy the contents of the certificate file and paste it into the IdP Metadata field. 

Identifier Attribute/Claim

Select the identifier you want to use for log in.

Identifier Type

Select the identifier type.

Graphical user interface, text, application, email, website  Description automatically generated

  1. Click Save.

NEXT STEP: Create a user in Microsoft Entra ID.

Creating a User in Microsoft Entra ID

To create a user in Microsoft Entra ID:

  1. From the left menu in Microsoft Entra ID, select Microsoft Entra ID.
  2. Select Users.

Azure - Users Menu Option 20240812

  1. Ensure All Users is selected. 
  2. Click New User.

Azure - New User Button 20240812

  1. Select Create New User

Entra ID - Create New User 20240819

The Create New User workscreen displays.

Entra ID - Create New User - Basics 20240819

  1. Specify the following settings in the Create New User workscreen.
SettingValue

User Principal Name

The user's email address.

NOTE: If you're using the user's email address to link Microsoft Entra ID to SmarterU, make note of the user's email address. You will need to use this email address when you create the user in SmarterU. 

Display Name

The user's full name.

Password

Do one of the following:

  • Enter the user's password.
  • To auto-generate a password, select the Auto-Generate Password checkbox. You can click the eye icon in the Password field to view the password. Make note of the password as you'll need it when you create the user's SmarterU user account
  1. Click Review + Create
  2. Click Create.

NEXT STEP: Assign the SmarterU app to the user.

Assigning the SmarterU App to the User

You must assign the SmarterU app to the user in order for it to display in the user's Microsoft Entra Access Panel. 

To assign the SmarterU app to the Microsoft Entra ID user:

  1. From the left menu in Microsoft Entra ID, select Microsoft Entra ID.
  2. Select Enterprise Applications.

Azure - Enterprise Applications Menu Option 20240812

  1. Select All Applications.
  2. From the list of applications, select SmarterU.
  3. Select Users and Groups.
  4. Click Add User/Group. The Add Assignment workscreen displays.
  5. Click Users.

Azure - Add Assignment 20240812

The Users panel displays.

  1. Select the checkbox beside the user's name. The user's name displays in the Selected section of the panel.


Azure - Add Assignment - Selected Users 20240812


  1. Click Select. The Add Assignment workscreen reflects the number of users that were selected.
  2. Click Assign.

NEXT STEP: Adding the user to SmarterU.

Adding the User to SmarterU

To add the user to SmarterU:

  1. Follow the steps detailed on the Adding a User Manually page.
  2. Be sure that the email address specified matches the user's Microsoft Entra ID email address.
  3. Determine the URL users will use to log in.
  4. Log in with single sign-on using the test user

Determining the URL Users Will Use to Log In

To determine the URL that users will use to log in:

  1. From the left menu in Microsoft Entra ID, select Microsoft Entra ID.
  2. Select Enterprise Applications.
  3. From the list of applications, select SmarterU.
  4. Select Properties.
  5. Locate the User Access URL. This is the URL that users will use to log in.


Azure - SU Properties - User Access URL 20240812


Troubleshooting

If your users are having trouble logging in, refer to our Troubleshooting User Accounts page for common issues.


Was this article helpful?


What's Next