Pre-Qualifier & Verifiable Credentials Administration

Verifiable credentials and pre-qualifier credentials are an evolution in the way organizations issue and manage credentials. These can be used in many ways including with the Microsoft Entra platform.

Create a Verifiable Credential

Verifiable credentials are the digital equivalent of the traditional paper documents that we’ve used for years to prove who we are in the physical world. Verifiable credentials serve the same purpose as these physical records. In short, they are simply digital objects, like certificates and training documents, consisting of claims made by an issuer, like educational institutes, training companies, or government agencies.

There is a difference between “verified” credentials and “verifiable” credentials and it’s an important distinction. Verifiable credentials are tamper-evident credentials that are machine-verifiable using secure communication technology, or cryptography, based on globally recognized standards. Blockchain technology is an example of cryptography that enables immutable and decentralized storage of tamper-evident logs, such as proofs of identity or verifiable credentials.

A key differentiator between conventional digital badges and “verified” credentials versus “verifiable” credentials is that the latter not only satisfy common standards but comply with open standards making them globally recognized and independently verifiable – anywhere, anytime – even if the issuer no longer exists.

From the Admin portal, click to expand the Organization menu item, then click Credentials.
This will open the Credential Catalogue. To create a new credential, click Create credential in the top right corner of the screen.
This will open a window with detail fields to be completed for Step 1 including the name of the credential, description, skills demonstrated, and images for the public credential. Click Continue to step 2.
In Step 2, complete the fields as you normally would for a regular credential being sure to set the Verifiable Credential setting to Yes in Step 2 Credential settings.
Review the details you entered for each step in the tables above after each step and click Save credential in Step 3 when complete.
The credential can be claimed and verified the same way as other credentials but now the credential has an added option for it to be shared with Microsoft Authenticator or another VC wallet by its holder.

Create a Credential with Pre-qualifications

A credential with pre-qualifications to claim it can also be called a stacked or stackable credential. These pre-qualifications can include attestations, document acknowledgments, or having other credentials in good standing. When a claimant adds the credential to their wallet, they will be presented with the list of conditions to be met to achieve the valid credential.

From the Admin portal, click to expand the Organization menu item, then click Credentials.
This will open the Credential Catalogue. To create a new credential, click Create credential in the top right corner of the screen.
Complete the information fields in Step 1 the same way you would for any credential. Before moving to the next step select Yes for the Pre-qualifications section to add conditions for claiming the credential. These conditions will be added in a later step after the credential creation process is completed. Click Continue to step 2.
If Pre-qualifications is set to Yes, the options available in Step 2 will be limited and the credential cannot be published until the pre-qualifiers are applied. Select the category for the credential and whether it will be a Verifiable credential then click Continue to step 3.
Before completing Step 3, review the details you entered in the previous steps to ensure they are correct. You will see that the Auto-verify, Issued date, and ID fields are pre-filled to require no information.
In Step 3, set the appropriate security for the credential and then click Save.
You will now be taken to the Details page for the credential where you will see a message stating that pre-qualifiers need to be added before the credential can be published.
Click the Pre-qualifications tab to add the pre-qualifier conditions. Click Add pre-qualification.
You have the option of including any combination of three different types of pre-qualifiers. Click on the pre-qualifier(s) to add.
1. Attestation – request a declaration from the claimant relating to the completion of a task, training, or other conditions.
2. Credential – request submission of a valid credential from the claimant’s wallet.
3. Document Acknowledgement – require the claimant to read and acknowledge a code of conduct, corporate policy, or other document depending on your organization's requirements.
For an Attestation, you will be presented with 3 boxes to enter information. First, enter a Short Description for the qualifier. This will be displayed in the listing of pre-qualifiers for the credential.
In the next box provide a Long Description of the pre-qualifier. This information will be displayed to the claimant when they fulfill the qualifier. This information should help the claimant understand what is required of them and how to satisfy this condition.
Finally, enter a label for the checkbox and then click Save.
To add a Credential request, select Credential from the Add pre-qualification drop down and you will see this window. Click Add approved credentials.
Select the Issuer and the Credential you require from that Issuer that will satisfy the pre-qualifier and then click Add.
You can select more than 1 credential to satisfy a pre-qualifier by clicking on Add approved credentials again and selecting another credential to add. This can be from the same issuer as the first or a different issuer. Next, fill in the description to provide guidance to the claimant when attempting to fulfill this requirement. Click Save to add the Credential Pre-qualifier.
To request a Document acknowledgment, select it from the Add pre-qualification drop-down and you will see this window.
Browse or drag and drop the PDF document you want to add. Provide a Description of what is being requested of the claimant. Click Save to add this pre-qualifier.
Once you have added all the pre-qualifier conditions, they will be listed under the Pre-qualifications tab for the credential. Clicking the Garbage icon at any time will remove them from the list.
Once the appropriate pre-qualifiers have been added, the credential is ready to be published.
Click on the Details tab and then click Edit.
Change the Status from Unpublished to Published to make the credential available for claiming by an Individual and click Save.
The status for the credential will now change to Published under Details and is ready to be claimed.