Concepts
Hierarchy security is a powerful feature in the Microsoft Power Platform that allows you to control access to data based on the hierarchical relationships defined in your organization. As a Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant, it is essential to understand how to configure hierarchy security to ensure proper data access and security for users within your organization.
1. Understand Hierarchy Security Concepts:
Before diving into the configuration process, it is crucial to understand the key concepts related to hierarchy security. In the context of the Power Platform, the hierarchy refers to the relationships between records in an entity. These relationships are defined using fields that link records in a hierarchical structure, such as a manager-employee relationship.
2. Identify Supported Entities and Fields:
Hierarchy security can be applied to specific entities and fields within the Power Platform. As a Functional Consultant, you should be familiar with the entities and fields that support hierarchy security. The Microsoft documentation provides a comprehensive list of entities and fields that can be enabled for hierarchy security.
3. Enable Hierarchy Security for an Entity:
To enable hierarchy security for an entity, you need to navigate to the Entity Metadata in the Power Platform admin center. From there, select the desired entity and navigate to the “Entity Permissions” section. In this section, you can enable hierarchy security by checking the “Enable Hierarchy Security” checkbox.
4. Configure Hierarchy Settings:
Once hierarchy security is enabled for an entity, you need to configure the hierarchy settings. These settings include specifying the hierarchy field, which represents the hierarchical relationship, and defining the level depth for data visibility. The hierarchy field can be selected from the available lookup fields in the entity.
5. Define User Manager Relationship:
Hierarchy security relies on the user-manager relationship to control data access. Users’ access is determined based on their position in the hierarchical structure defined by the user-manager relationship. It is essential to maintain accurate user-manager relationships to ensure proper data access.
6. Test and Validate Hierarchy Security:
After configuring hierarchy security, it is crucial to test and validate the applied security settings. You can simulate different user scenarios and verify whether they have the expected data access based on their position in the hierarchy. This step will help identify any misconfigurations or issues in the hierarchy security setup.
7. Monitor and Adjust Hierarchy Security:
Hierarchy security should be periodically monitored and adjusted based on organizational changes. As the Functional Consultant, you should regularly review the hierarchy settings and make necessary adjustments to align with any changes in the organizational structure.
8. Considerations and Limitations:
While configuring hierarchy security, it is essential to be aware of its considerations and limitations. For example, hierarchy security does not work with teams and security roles, and it does not support all types of relationships within an entity. Microsoft documentation provides detailed information on these considerations and limitations.
In conclusion, configuring hierarchy security in the Microsoft Power Platform is an important skill for a Functional Consultant. By understanding the concepts, enabling hierarchy security, configuring settings, and validating the setup, you can ensure proper data access and security for users within your organization. Remember to refer to the Microsoft documentation for detailed information and best practices in configuring hierarchy security.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
1. When configuring hierarchy security in Microsoft Power Platform, can users with subordinate roles see records owned by users with superior roles?
a) Yes
b) No
Correct answer: b) No
2. Which entities can hierarchy security be enabled for in Microsoft Power Platform? (Select all that apply)
a) Accounts
b) Contacts
c) Opportunities
d) Leads
Correct answer: a) Accounts, b) Contacts, c) Opportunities
3. True or False: Hierarchy security should be used when you want to restrict access to records based on the user’s position in the business hierarchy.
a) True
b) False
Correct answer: a) True
4. Which role is required to enable and configure hierarchy security in Microsoft Power Platform?
a) System Administrator
b) System Customizer
c) Sales Manager
d) Marketing Specialist
Correct answer: b) System Customizer
5. How is hierarchy security different from sharing records manually in Microsoft Power Platform?
a) Hierarchy security is system-wide, while sharing records manually is specific to individual records.
b) Hierarchy security can only be applied to custom entities, while sharing records manually can be applied to any entity.
c) Hierarchy security is permission-based, while sharing records manually is role-based.
Correct answer: a) Hierarchy security is system-wide, while sharing records manually is specific to individual records.
6. When evaluating hierarchy security, what should you consider? (Select all that apply)
a) The size of the organization’s hierarchy
b) The number of users in the system
c) The complexity of the security requirements
d) The user’s job title
Correct answer: a) The size of the organization’s hierarchy, b) The number of users in the system, c) The complexity of the security requirements
7. True or False: Users with a higher position in the hierarchy can always see records owned by users with a lower position in the hierarchy.
a) True
b) False
Correct answer: b) False
8. What happens to records owned by a user when their position in the hierarchy changes?
a) The records are automatically shared with users in the new position.
b) The records remain visible only to the user, regardless of their position in the hierarchy.
c) The records are automatically deleted.
d) The records are transferred to the supervisor of the user.
Correct answer: a) The records are automatically shared with users in the new position.
9. Which type of hierarchy security is supported in Microsoft Power Platform?
a) Manager hierarchy
b) Team hierarchy
c) Department hierarchy
d) Location hierarchy
Correct answer: a) Manager hierarchy
10. True or False: Hierarchy security can be disabled or bypassed by users with higher security roles.
a) True
b) False
Correct answer: b) False
This post helped me understand hierarchy security in model-driven apps. It’s a bit tricky to set up, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really powerful!
Can someone explain why we would use hierarchy security over just using security roles?
Make sure to test your hierarchy security settings in a sandbox environment first!
The trickiest part for me was understanding the difference between ‘Manager hierarchy’ and ‘Position hierarchy’.
Thank you for this blog post!
Can hierarchy security be customized to only show specific entities?
I found the Microsoft documentation on hierarchy security a bit confusing. This blog clarifies a lot!
One downside is that hierarchy security can add additional overhead to system performance.