LESSON 1.2 · ABOUT 20 MINUTES
Design access deliberately
Separate permissions to use an object from access to individual records.
By the end of this lesson
- Distinguish object, field, and record access.
- Explain a minimal-access support design.
Three questions
Can this user read the Case object? Can they read this particular field? Can they access this specific record? These are different questions, and a page layout is not a substitute for field-level security.
Grant capability
Profiles and permission sets govern capabilities such as object and field access. Permission sets can add capabilities for a job function. Treat broad bypass permissions such as View All as deliberate exceptions.
Grant record access
Organization-wide defaults establish baseline record access. Ownership, hierarchy, and sharing mechanisms can extend record access, depending on the object and configuration. Sharing a record does not by itself grant missing object permissions.
Worked example
An agent can read Cases but should not see a sensitive custom field. Is hiding it on the page layout enough?
No. Restrict field-level access for that user. Layouts control presentation, while field-level security controls access to the field. Verify with a representative test user.
Continue with the official resource: Trailhead: Data Security