Custom Permission in Salesforce

In the Salesforce ecosystem, Custom Permissions are crucial in controlling access to various features and functionalities within your Salesforce org. They provide a flexible way to grant or restrict access based on custom criteria beyond the standard Salesforce profiles and permission sets. 

In this blog, you will learn about

• Definition of Custom Permissions in Salesforce
• Steps to create custom permission and assign permissions to users
• Dynamic evolution and use cases of Custom permission

What are Custom Permissions?

Custom Permissions are a feature in various software systems, including Salesforce, allowing administrators to define and manage access levels and capabilities beyond the standard user permissions. These permissions are tailor-made to suit an organization’s specific needs, providing finer control over user access and actions within the system.

In Salesforce, for example, custom permissions are defined as settings that determine whether a user can perform a specific action or access certain data. Users can be granted these permissions individually or through permission sets, providing a versatile and customizable security framework.

Also Read – What is Custom Settings in Salesforce?

Use Cases for Custom Permissions

Fine-Grained Access Control

Custom permissions enable organizations to implement fine-grained access control. Instead of relying solely on standard roles and profiles, administrators can create custom permissions to control access to specific features, objects, or data within an application.

Feature Enablement

Custom permissions are frequently employed to regulate entry to particular features or functionalities within an application. This is particularly useful when certain features only apply to a subset of users or roles within an organization.

Cross-Object and Cross-App Permissions

Custom permissions can extend access control beyond individual objects or applications. This is helpful when organizations must implement complex security models involving multiple interconnected components.

External Integration Control

Custom permissions can control access to external APIs for applications that integrate with external systems, ensuring that only authorized users can interact with external services.

Benefits of Using Custom Permissions

Increased Flexibility

Custom permissions give administrators a high degree of flexibility to define and manage access controls based on their organization’s unique requirements. This flexibility is crucial for adapting the system to evolving business needs.

Enhanced Security

By allowing administrators to define specific permissions for various actions, custom permissions contribute to a more robust security model. 

This aids in averting unauthorized entry and mitigates the likelihood of data breaches or unintended activities within the system.

Customizable User Experience

Organizations can tailor the user experience by turning on or off specific features for different user groups. This customization guarantees that users exclusively encounter and engage with functionalities pertinent to their designated roles and responsibilities.

Simplified Administration

Custom permissions simplify administration by providing a modular and scalable approach to access control. Instead of relying solely on complex role hierarchies, administrators can manage permissions at a more granular level, making it easier to maintain and update the security model as needed.

Steps to Create Custom Permissions

Creating custom permissions, especially in platforms like Salesforce, typically involves administrative steps. Here is a general guide:

1. Log in to the Admin Console: Log in to the admin console of the platform (e.g., Salesforce) using an account with administrative privileges.
2. Navigate to Custom Permissions: In Salesforce, go to Setup. Under “Platform Tools,” find “Custom Code,” and then select “Custom Permissions.”
3. Create a New Custom Permission: Press the “New Custom Permission” button to initiate the creation process.  Complete the necessary details, such as the label and name for the custom permission. Clearly outline the custom permission’s behavior, indicating whether it is intended for application or external permissions.
4. Save the Custom Permission: After providing the necessary information, save the custom permission.

Assigning Permissions to Users

Once custom permissions are created, the next step is to assign them to users based on their roles or specific needs:

Navigate to User Profiles or Permission Sets:

1. In Salesforce, go to Setup.
2. Under “Administer,” select “Users” and then either “Profiles” or “Permission Sets.”

Edit the User Profile or Permission Set:

1. Choose the user profile or permission set to which you want to assign the custom permission.
2. Edit the profile or permission set.

Assign Custom Permissions:

1. Find the section related to custom permissions.
2. Add the desired custom permissions to the profile or permission set.

Save Changes:

1. Save the changes to apply the custom permissions to the selected users.

Permission Sets and Custom Permissions

Permission sets offer a means to extend permissions to users without adjusting their profiles. Here’s how permission sets and custom permissions work together:

1. Create a Permission Set:

• Navigate to Setup in Salesforce. Under the “Administer” section, choose “Manage Users” and then click on “Permission Sets.” 
• Proceed to generate a new permission set.”
• Create a new permission set.

2. Assign Custom Permissions to Permission Set:

• Edit the permission set and navigate to the custom permissions section.
• Add the custom permissions to the permission set.

3. Assign Permission Set to Users:

• Grant the permission set to designated users or profiles.

Use Cases for Combining Custom Permissions with Profiles/Permission Sets

Feature-Driven Access Control

Custom permissions can control access to specific features within your application. Combining them with profiles or permission sets allows you to create a comprehensive security model where profiles set the baseline access, and custom permissions provide fine-grained control over features.

Conditional Logic

Apex code can use custom permissions to execute logic when access requirements depend on dynamic conditions. This dynamic evaluation allows for flexible and context-dependent access control.

External Integrations

Custom permissions can control access to integration points when integrating with external systems. Profiles and permission sets handle the general access, while custom permissions ensure that only specific users have permission to interact with external services.

Cross-Object or Cross-App Access

Suppose your application involves multiple interconnected components or integrates with other applications. In that case, custom permissions can provide a way to control access across these boundaries, working in conjunction with profiles and permission sets.

Conclusion

The flexibility Custom Permissions in Salesforce offers beyond standard profiles and permission sets empowers organizations to tailor permissions based on unique criteria, ensuring a fine-grained level of control. For developers, the ability to implement Custom Permissions in Apex code opens up dynamic evaluation possibilities, contributing to the extensibility of Salesforce applications. 

If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of Salesforce and its myriad features, including Custom Permissions, joining our community on Slack is an excellent opportunity. By becoming a part of this vibrant community, you’ll have access to a wealth of knowledge and resources, and you’ll be able to connect with fellow Salesforce enthusiasts and professionals.

Moreover, don’t miss out on the chance to enhance your skills through saasguru’s online Salesforce bootcamps. These bootcamps offer hands-on training and real-world project experience, equipping you with the practical skills and insights needed to excel in the Salesforce domain. 

Join saasguru and elevate your Salesforce career today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the use of custom permission in Salesforce?

The use of custom permission in Salesforce is to provide a flexible and granular approach to access control within the Salesforce platform. Custom permissions allow administrators to define and manage unique access levels and capabilities beyond what’s available with standard Salesforce profiles and permission sets. This functionality is particularly useful for tailoring user access to specific features, functionalities, or data, based on the unique requirements of an organization. Essentially, custom permission in Salesforce empowers businesses to enhance their security model and customize user experiences according to specific roles and responsibilities.

2. How to check custom permission assignment in Salesforce?

To check custom permission assignment in Salesforce, you need to navigate to the specific user’s profile or permission set where the custom permission may be assigned. This can be done by going to Setup, then selecting ‘Users’, and choosing either ‘Profiles’ or ‘Permission Sets’. From there, you can view the details of a specific profile or permission set to see if the custom permission has been assigned. Additionally, Salesforce provides reports and tools like the ‘Setup Audit Trail’ or ‘Permission Set Assignments’ report, which can help track and audit custom permission assignments across different users and profiles.

3. In Salesforce, can we change permissions of custom objects in standard profiles?

Yes, in Salesforce, you can change permissions of custom objects in standard profiles. To do this, you need to navigate to the specific standard profile and then adjust the permissions for the custom objects as required. This includes setting object-level permissions such as ‘Read’, ‘Create’, ‘Edit’, and ‘Delete’. It’s important to note that while customizing standard profiles for custom objects is possible, Salesforce recommends using permission sets for more flexibility and easier management. Permission sets allow you to grant additional permissions without altering the baseline permissions in standard profiles.