It's easier to learn ActiveManage if you carry a mental model of how its parts relate. Here's the short version.
1. Data lives in datastores
Everything starts with a datastore. Customers, orders, leave requests, asset records, calendar bookings — each is a datastore with its own fields. Datastores can reference each other (a row in orders can link to a row in customers).
2. Forms write to datastores
A form (Custom Form or User Input View) collects input and writes a row into a datastore. UIVs add a workflow layer on top — the row moves through stages with email notifications and approvals.
3. Views read from datastores
Browse Views, Data Layouts, and Custom Query Views render datastore rows for end users. Each is configurable per role — what's visible, what's editable, which actions are exposed.
4. Permissions wrap everything
Every action on a datastore — read, write, edit, delete — is controlled by permissions granted to security groups. Users are added to security groups, either manually or via registration rules.
5. Notifications travel through configured channels
Email accounts, SMS senders, chat engines, and push notification channels are configured once and reused everywhere — UIVs, Tasks, Cart confirmations.
6. Pages, Dashboards, and Custom HTML wrap the user experience
The Page Builder lets you assemble end-user pages from blocks. Custom Dashboard Blocks build out reporting widgets. Custom HTML/JS/PHP can be dropped in where the platform doesn't already cover what you need.
7. The Task Engine glues it all on a schedule
Anything that should run automatically — scheduled reports, data syncs, recurring billing, cleanup jobs — lives in the Task Engine as a scheduled task with its own log.