March 12, 2004

Web Sponsor and the Importance of NIH IDs

Every employee and contractor at NIH should now be registered in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED). The NED is a centralized directory that maintains current contact and organizational information for all NIH workers and people using NIH services or facilities. Individuals are identified in the NED via their NIH ID—the 10 digit number at the bottom of their ID badge. As more and more NIH systems use the NIH ID for identification, it is important that all records in the NED be accurate and current.

The NIH ID is also contained in the database that records IDs and domains used for the NIH Login. The NIH Login is used by the NIH Portal and other systems, such as nVision, NBS, NIDB, and ITAS.

Web Sponsor and the NIH ID

Over a year ago, CIT began propagating the NIH ID into the Web Sponsor customer database. We were initially able to match more than 12,000 people in that database to their NIH ID. Since then, sponsors have updated an additional 2,000 users' records to include the NIH ID. Once the user's NIH ID has been added to the Web Sponsor customer database, any change to an entry in the NED is reflected in the Web Sponsor database.

CIT is introducing new facilities that allow sponsors and users to access some Web-based services using their NIH Login (user name and password) rather than their Titan userid. For example, the new Web-based password reset allows users to request a reset of Parachute, VPN, Helix, or ALW passwords directly rather than going through their sponsor. These facilities will be available only to users whose NIH ID is in the Web Sponsor database. For this reason, we encourage sponsors to add the NIH ID to their users' information via Web Sponsor.

How to Add an NIH ID via Web Sponsor

How can you determine if your user's NIH ID is in the Web Sponsor database? And how can you add it if necessary? Use either the "Customers" or the "Accounts" sections of Web Sponsor.

•       Customers—Display "Customer Information"

In Web Sponsor under Display, click on the link to "Customer Information." Specify the type of ID, enter the user's ID, and click "Display." Click on the desired userid to open the record. The output will include the NIH ID, if it has been specified.

If it has not been specified, a link on the output page—"Click here to change customer information"—will take sponsors to the "Change Customer Information" page for that userid.

-	Enter the NIH ID in the input box and click the "Change" button. This will display the customer information using data from the NED database.
-	Click the "Submit Request" button on that page and then "Complete" on the next screen.

•       Accounts—Display "Customer Information"

Click on "Customer Information" under Display. Enter the account, and click on "Submit." On the result, the column "NED Status" will say Active if the person's NIH ID has been specified or be blank if it has not. In some cases Inactive will appear. This means that (according to the NED), the person is no longer at NIH and will not be able to use the NIH Login.

The userid displayed for each person is a link that will take you to the "Change Customer Information" page for that userid. Do the same as you would using the Customer Display:

-	Enter the NIH ID in the input box and click the "Change" button. This will display the customer information using data from the NED database.
-	Click the "Submit Request" button on that page and then "Complete" on the next screen.

More Information

If you have any questions regarding NED, the NIH Portal or the NIH Login, please contact call TASC at 301-594-6248. See articles on NED and the NIH Portal in previous issues of Interface.