Training management course completion records fail to sync with LDAP

QMS Arena QMS (by PTC)
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1

Running Arena QMS 2022.2 with LDAP integration for user management. Course completion records in our training management module aren’t syncing back to LDAP. Users complete courses in Arena, but their LDAP training attributes remain blank.

The LDAP connector appears to be running - we can authenticate users and pull in new employee data successfully. However, the reverse sync for training completion attributes just doesn’t work. I’ve checked the LDAP attribute schema and our custom training fields are defined correctly.

Here’s our connector config:

<ldap-sync direction="bidirectional">
  <attribute-map arena="courseCompleted" ldap="trainingRecord"/>
  <sync-schedule interval="hourly"/>
</ldap-sync>

The sync job logs show it’s running on schedule, but zero records get updated in LDAP. Could this be a service account permission issue or something with the attribute mapping?

2

I see you’re mapping to a custom LDAP attribute. Have you verified that trainingRecord actually exists in your LDAP schema? Run ldapsearch to confirm:


ldapsearch -x -b "dc=company,dc=com" "(uid=testuser)" trainingRecord

If the attribute doesn’t return, it’s not in the schema. Custom attributes need to be added to your LDAP schema definition before Arena can write to them. Also check if your LDAP server requires the attribute to be part of a specific objectClass.

3

Look at your sync job logging configuration. Navigate to Admin > Integration > LDAP Connector > Logging and set it to DEBUG level. Then manually trigger a sync and review the detailed logs. You’re probably seeing authentication succeed but write operations fail with a specific error code. Common issues are schema violations (trying to write incompatible data types) or the connector using a cached read-only connection even though the account has write permissions.

4

First thing to check: does your LDAP service account have write permissions on the trainingRecord attribute? Most LDAP connectors are configured with read-only service accounts by default. You need explicit write permissions on custom attributes for bidirectional sync. Check your LDAP ACLs to verify the Arena service account can modify user objects in the directory.

5

Check your attribute-map configuration more carefully. The direction=“bidirectional” setting at the sync level doesn’t automatically enable writes for all attributes. Each attribute mapping needs its own direction specified. Your current config might only be pulling FROM ldap to arena, not pushing back. Try adding explicit direction on the attribute map element itself and verify the data type transformation is defined.

6

Ran the ldapsearch command - the trainingRecord attribute does exist and returns values for some users (manually populated during testing). So the schema is correct. I checked the service account permissions in our Active Directory, and it has Modify permissions on the user objects and the custom training attributes. What else could block the sync from Arena to LDAP?

7

I’ve dealt with this exact scenario multiple times. The issue involves all four focus areas you need to address systematically:

1. LDAP Attribute Schema Validation Your trainingRecord attribute exists, but verify the data type compatibility. Arena stores course completion as a complex object (course ID, completion date, score). LDAP expects a string or multi-value attribute. Add a transformation rule:

<attribute-map arena="courseCompleted" ldap="trainingRecord" direction="both">
  <transform type="serialize" format="JSON"/>
  <ldap-type>multiValue</ldap-type>
</attribute-map>

This serializes Arena’s course completion object into JSON strings that LDAP can store as multi-value attributes.

2. Service Account Permissions Even with Modify permissions, check these specific requirements:

  • Service account needs “Write trainingRecord” permission explicitly (not just generic Modify)
  • Verify the account is NOT restricted by LDAP access control rules that limit writes to certain OUs
  • In Active Directory, check that “Deny” permissions aren’t overriding your Allow permissions
  • Test with ldapmodify command using the service account credentials:

ldapmodify -x -D "cn=arena_svc,ou=services,dc=company,dc=com" -W
dn: uid=testuser,ou=users,dc=company,dc=com
changetype: modify
replace: trainingRecord
trainingRecord: test-value

3. Sync Job Scheduling and Logging Your hourly schedule is fine, but the logging configuration is critical for diagnosis:

  • Admin > Integration > LDAP Connector > Advanced Settings
  • Set `ldap.sync.log.level=DEBUG
  • Enable ldap.write.audit=true to track all write attempts
  • Set ldap.error.notification=true with your email
  • Review logs at /logs/ldap-sync.log after next scheduled run
  • Look specifically for “WRITE_FAILED” or “SCHEMA_VIOLATION” entries

4. Connector Authentication Settings The connector might be using different credentials for read vs. write operations:

  • Navigate to Admin > Integration > LDAP Connector > Authentication
  • Verify both read.connection.principal and write.connection.principal are set
  • If write.connection.principal is not configured, it defaults to read-only mode
  • Set explicitly:
<ldap-connector>
  <authentication>
    <read-principal>cn=arena_svc,ou=services,dc=company,dc=com</read-principal>
    <write-principal>cn=arena_svc,ou=services,dc=company,dc=com</write-principal>
    <credentials-store>encrypted</credentials-store>
  </authentication>
</ldap-connector>

Complete Solution Steps:

  1. Update attribute mapping with explicit direction=“both” and data transformation
  2. Verify write-specific service account permissions with ldapmodify test
  3. Enable DEBUG logging and audit trail for sync operations
  4. Configure separate write.connection.principal in authentication settings
  5. Restart LDAP Connector service after configuration changes
  6. Manually trigger sync job and monitor logs for specific error messages
  7. Test with single user course completion before enabling for all users

The most common root cause is the missing write.connection.principal configuration combined with lack of data type transformation for complex Arena objects. After implementing these changes, your course completions should sync to LDAP within the next scheduled interval.