An object in Salesforce is a database table that serves as a storage for data. It plays a fundamental role in the management and organization of data within the Salesforce CRM platform. Object-level security is a core aspect of Salesforce’s data security model. It allows you to control access by preventing specific users or a group of users from creating, editing, deleting, and viewing any records of an object by setting permissions on the object.
Visual representation of the Object Manager interface in Salesforce, highlighting its navigation path via Setup in the Object Manager.
An overview of the Profiles section in Salesforce, accessed via the Quick Find Box in Setup. Profiles determine the object-level permissions and access for users.
Every user is assigned a profile, and this profile determines the objects the user can access. Profiles in Salesforce are of two major types: standard profile and custom profile. You cannot edit standard profile permissions, but you can edit the following settings:
Profiles define the baseline object-level permissions for a user, such as:
Detailed view of the process to assign a profile to a new user within the Salesforce interface, showing how user roles and permissions are configured during user creation.
Permission sets are used to grant additional permissions without modifying the user’s profile. Permission sets can only be assigned to users and not profiles. Through a permission set, a Salesforce administrator can grant a user access to an object.
Visual representation of the Salesforce interface demonstrating the steps to create a new permission set, accessed via the Setup menu under Permission Sets.
Permission set groups help tailor the management of permissions for a user or a group of users into groups. If a group of users has a set of permissions, a permission set group can be created to streamline all the permissions into a single entity.
Salesforce interface displaying the process of creating a new permission set group via Setup, navigating to Permission Set Groups, and selecting 'New Permission Set Group'.
Guide for accessing CRED permissions in Salesforce by navigating to manage CRED permissions within the Standard Object Permissions section of Profile settings.
An administrator has been contacted by a user in his company's marketing department. The user needs access to the lead object for a quick analysis. By the profile assigned to them, their default access to that object is restricted. What can be done? Well, simple! Create a permission set. A permission set will give that user temporary access to the object, which can be revoked after it is done.
Object-level Security in Salesforce is an integral part of the platform’s attempt to secure users’ data. Salesforce Administrators are expected to familiarize themselves with this key feature of the platform.