DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROFILE AND ROLE IN SALESFORCE
One of the most important aspects of Salesforce release management, Salesforce data backup and recovery and Salesforce security solutions is effectively organizing and managing user access. A key component of any Salesforce application is user and permission management, and the two objects that play a critical role in this process are Profiles and Roles. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they are different objects and serve distinct purposes. Profiles A Salesforce Profile is defined as a group of settings which controls access to Salesforce data, fields, apps, and tabs. It is an important module within a Salesforce org. It can also be used to control a user’s access to Salesforce functionality and record types. A profile defines which apps and tabs are visible, which objects, fields and related lists a user can view compare to other users, whether a user can log into Salesforce Chatter, and a host of other information. Important to note is that Profiles control what data a user can view and interact with, but they do not control which records are accessed. Roles A Salesforce Role is an object with the principle purpose of controlling your data hierarchy. When accounts, contacts, cases, opportunities, and other records are created or assigned to individuals, the process of Role Hierarchy becomes critical in providing a “roll-up” of data to respective managers. As an example, a Sales Rep may own an opportunity, and the Sales Rep’s Manager may be able to view that opportunity in their respective view, even though it is not assigned to them. Roles also are organization-wide default settings, meaning that Roles can be assigned to users and roles are the basis for sharing data with users. Using Profiles and Roles Together Utilizing the combination of Profiles and Roles to control user access provides a powerful toolset to organizations who are handling sensitive information. Leveraging Profiles and Roles fully allows Enterprise level organizations to ensure security by controlling who has access to certain records, while also giving users the ability to develop custom views and panels to drive better insight and efficiency with the Salesforce instance. Conclusion Successfully allocating, assigning and managing user licenses in Salesforce is critical to efficient operations and security. Keeping a clear distinction between Profiles and Roles is the key to maximizing the potential for any Salesforce environment. Building a hierarchy which provides the necessary levels of security and access is fundamental to any strong Salesforce organization. For those looking to maximize both security and efficiency in their Salesforce platform, understanding the difference between Profile and Role is essential.
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