Logging into the portal and workspace

There are two steps when logging into DataLab, which have been streamlined as of August 2023:

1. Log into the DataLab portal where you can access information and settings related to your profile, project and start your virtual machine (VM)
2. Launch the VM for your project where you and your project team members view data, run analysis and prepare reports or data outputs for clearance

Enter your account details into the DataLab log in page.

If you are logging in for the first time, for system security you will need to authenticate your log in using the Microsoft Authenticator app on your mobile phone. To set this up, see First time use/new phone steps.

For returning users, click on your account (firstname.lastname@mydata.abs.gov.au) or use another account and enter your account name. All DataLab accounts use the @mydata.abs.gov.au domain format. Enter your password and Sign in.

By logging in you agree to these conditions:

Once you have entered your credentials and hit ‘Sign in’, a notification from the Microsoft Authenticator app is sent to your phone and asks you to perform a “number match”. Enter the numbers shown on your browser screen into the authenticator app on your phone to proceed.

If you don't approve within the time limit, click ‘Send another request to my Microsoft Authenticator app’. If the request expires, re-enter your account and password in the DataLab log in screen.

You can also change the way you approve the sign in request by selecting "I can’t use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now".

You then have two options:

1. approve a request on your phone app
2. use a verification code from your phone app

After you approve in Microsoft Authenticator, you are logged into the DataLab portal.

To enter your DataLab project workspace you need to:

1. Activate your VM
2. Launch your desktop

Each project VM is displayed on individual tiles, with your “active” VM appearing at the top above those that are “locked”. For more information about your VMs, see Functions in My Projects.

Each project has a separate VM and you can only access one project VM at a time. If your machine is already available to launch, skip to Launch your desktop.

• If not, click the ‘Activate' button as shown below and wait until the ‘Launch’ button appears.
• If your machine shows a status other than ‘Launch’ or ‘Activate’ you must rebuild the VM first. See VM management options for more information.

Click on the ‘Activate’ button of the VM you want to launch.

If you have a VM for another project that is currently active, this logs you out of your other session. If you have a program running in your Workspace using another VM, this will stop the program. You can only run multiple VMs if you have requested and are using offline local disk space.

As seen below, you can track the VM activation progress by either selecting 'Track' from the pop up notification or from the action log icon on the left navigator.

When the VM activation completes, an additional pop up notification confirms that the action was successful. If the action fails, repeat the above steps to activate.

If you navigated to the Action Log page, select the laptop icon named 'My Projects' in the left navigator to return to the 'My Projects' page.

If you have changed your VM version to AVD (refer to VM management options on how to do this), launch the VM by clicking the ‘Connect’ button on the active VM tile.

Prior to launch, you will be asked to choose the type of connection you wish to utilise from the drop-down menu, as shown in the image below. AVD provides the option to select between a web browser user experience OR downloaded application if required (via the 'Remote Desktop Client').

Note: If you want to use multi-screen functionality, we advise you to connect via the 'Remote Desktop Client' for Windows version. This version may also improve connection stability and VM screen resolution.
 

If you are connecting to the 'web client' version of AVD, a new browser page will be launched, and you will be met with the below settings screen. This window may have slightly different options for each device. There is no need to change any of these settings. Press ‘Connect’ to continue. 

You will then be asked to log into your VM using your DataLab credentials. Once you have entered your credentials, click 'Sign In'. 

After a successful login, you will see the below loading screen. 

Your VM will then prepare Windows for you. 

You should now have access to your VM within a browser window. For more information on using the workspace see Using your workspace. 

Note: You may see an upload button in the toolbar which, intentionally, does not work. You may encounter a success message after uploading but you will not be able to retrieve any files that you have uploaded. If you wish to upload data or packages to the DataLab, please Contact us. 

If you are connecting to the 'Remote Desktop Client' version of AVD, ensure that your IT department has enabled the correct networking addresses. See Enabling access to the Datalab under 'Azure Virtual Desktop configuration' for more information. 

Note: If you intend to use the 'Remote Desktop Client' on your organisation's workspace, you will need to contact your internal IT department to make it available to you. 

The latest version of 'Remote Desktop Client' for Windows is available here. 

The latest version of 'Remote Desktop Client' for Macintosh is available here. 

Once you have access and started the application, you can first click ‘Subscribe’ as shown below. 

You will then be shown a new window that allows you to log into your DataLab account using your DataLab credentials. 

Upon a successful login, you will be shown all your available VMs. If you can’t see the VM that you want, it may be dormant and requires a rebuild. 

If you have access to multiple projects you may be shown multiple tabs, one for each project as shown in the image below. 

Note: If you wish to use multi-display, right click on your VM icon, click ‘Settings’, and turn off ‘Use default settings’. You should now see options for how you would like to display you VM on your computer. 

Click into one of the computer icons and you will be taken to a login screen to reconfirm your identity, before access is granted to enter your VM. This may not appear if you have recently logged in, through a similar window. 

The below loading bar should briefly appear. 

If, instead of the second login prompt, you receive a message as shown in the below image, then either your machine is not the active machine or it is not using the AVD version ‘2024avd’. If your desktop session does not start, repeat  Step 1 Activate your VM and check that the version at the bottom of your VM says ‘2024avd’. 

You will then be presented with another login screen for the VM itself. 

You should then have a new window open on your computer with your VM desktop open. 

For more information on using the workspace see Using your workspace.

Launch the VM using the ‘Launch’ button from the active VM tile. If you are using Citrix, this action will open the Citrix Workspace application after a few moments.

The Citrix dashboard shows all your recently used desktops. Desktop is the Citrix term for VM.

From the All Desktops view, click the VM/Desktop (this is your project number) to open your project in the DataLab environment.

Citrix will then begin connecting to your DataLab desktop, this may take a few minutes. A popup in the bottom right hand corner of your screen will show you the connection progress. If your desktop session does not start, repeat Step 1 Activate your VM.

You will then be asked to open the Citrix Workspace Launcher. If you do not have the Citrix receiver application, you will need to download it to your device. The latest version of Citrix Workspace is available at https://www.citrix.com/en-au/downloads/workspace-app/windows/.

At this point you can select the ‘Always allow’ checkbox, if you do not wish to receive this alert each time Citrix attempts to broker your connection.

Log in using the same credentials you used to log into the DataLab Portal. Once logged in, the system may take a few minutes to load as it prepares Windows.

As part of the conditions of use, all activity within the workspace is recorded for auditing and reporting purposes.

Your DataLab workspace looks like this. For more information on using the workspace see Using your workspace.

The DataLab uses two factor authentication to provide a secure log in environment. You need to download the Microsoft Authenticator app to your smart phone to use the DataLab.
Open https://datalab.abs.gov.au and enter your credentials.

The first time you log in, enter the username and password provided to you by the ABS. 

If you are using a new phone, refer to the Contact us page for system support. An ABS system administrator will need to reset your Authenticator. 

Note: all DataLab accounts use the @mydata.abs.gov.au domain format.

If you are switching to a new phone (not new account) you will be given the screen ‘More information required’, click ‘Next’.

This will direct you to Step 1 of setting up your Microsoft Authenticator application. Download the Microsoft Authenticator app to your smart phone from the App Store (for iOS) or Google Play (for Android). Make sure that the authenticator is published by Microsoft, as the ABS DataLab only supports Microsoft Authenticator.

Once you have fulfilled the initial requirements noted for Step 1, proceed by clicking ‘Next’.

You will then be guided to open your downloaded Microsoft Authenticator app and add a ‘Work or school account’.

Once complete, click ‘Next’.

The following screen presents a QR code to scan using your Microsoft Authenticator app. 

Initiate the scanning function on your phone, then hover your phone over the QR code shown on your browser screen.

Once scanning is complete, click ‘Next’ on your browser screen. You will be asked to enter the security number shown on your browser screen into your Microsoft Authenticator app, once complete, click ‘Next’.

After entering the security number and receiving approval from your Microsoft Authenticator application, you will see a ‘Notification Approved’ confirmation on your browser. Click ‘Next’ to proceed to Method 2 of setting up your multi-factor authentication.

To make sure you can reset your password in the future, you also need to set up an authentication phone and/or email. The system will verify you by the option you select.

Authentication by phone

The system verifies your phone by the option you select.

Select your region from the drop-down menu, enter your mobile number and choose between receiving a text or a call to activate the verify button. Enter the code then select ‘Next’ to verify. The call option sends you an automated phone call that will ask you to press the # key to verify.

Once verified, select ‘Next’ and then ‘Done’ to return to the sign in page. 

Authentication by email

Click the ‘I want to set up a different method’ and select ‘Email’ from the drop down menu.

Enter an email address then click ‘Next’.

A verification code is emailed to you. Enter the verification code and select ‘Next’. Once you have set up your details, select ‘Done’ to return to the sign in page. 

Set up a new password for your account. Your password cannot contain your user ID. It must be a minimum of 8 characters and contain at least three of the following:

• upper-case letters A – Z
• lower-case letters a - z
• numbers 
• special characters @ # $ % ^ & * - _ ! + = [ ] { } | \ : ' , . ? / ` ~ " ( ) ;

You can then log in to your account using your new password. 

If you forget your password click on the ‘Forgotten my password' link. If you have received a notification to reset your password while in your VM, log out and then click on the ‘Forgotten my password' link. 

Your user ID is populated for you. Enter the characters in the picture, or words in the audio, then click 'Next'.

The next screen takes you to Step One of verifying your account. Choose from the options in the left-hand column (options available depend on what you chose during your original account set up process).

Verify your account information via email, text, or call (whichever you chose), and follow the prompts to reset your password. The screen below displays when your password has been reset. Click the link to sign in with your new password.