An Overview of How to Create Sharing Rules in Salesforce

Sharing Rules are a vital component of Salesforce that enable organisations to control data access and maintain data security. By extending access to specific records based on predefined criteria, sharing rules ensure that the right users have appropriate visibility. 

Now pertaining to the market success of Salesforce, the company invested over 10 million GBP in its sales and marketing segment, according to a Statista Survey of 2023. The organisation is especially an industry standard for service and marketing capabilities. Now in this blog, you will learn about What Is meant by Sharing Rules in Salesforce, examples, use-cases, types of Sharing Rules in Salesforce, and so on. 

Table of Contents 

1)  Understanding Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

     a) Types of Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

     b) Components of Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

          i) Choice of records to share 

          ii) Selection of users to share records with 

          iii)Type of access to be granted 

2) Steps to create Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

3) Use case of Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

a) Record Ownership-based Sharing Rule 

b) Criteria-based Sharing Rule 

4) Benefits of Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

5) Conclusion 

Understanding Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

Sharing Rules in Salesforce is a crucial tool for controlling data access. They extend access beyond the organisation-wide defaults, granting specific users or groups access to records based on predefined criteria.   

Organisations can ensure that the right people have appropriate access to the data they need, by defining the Sharing Rules, thus maintaining data security and streamlining collaboration. With sharing rules, you can customise data access levels and exceptions, creating a robust data-sharing model that aligns with your organisation's requirements. 
 


 

Types of Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

Below are the various types of Sharing Rules in Salesforce:

1) Organisation-wide defaults: These rules set the baseline level of access for all records within an object. They define the default access for internal users and external users. 

2) Managed sharing: The Salesforce role guide dictates that the tool allows organisations to share the access to the Lighting platform based on record ownership. 

3) Role-based Sharing Rules: These rules expand data access based on user roles. They allow record visibility to be extended to users in specified roles, ensuring appropriate access to relevant data. 

4) Criteria-based Sharing Rules: These rules grant access to specific records based on defined criteria. They can be based on field values or ownership attributes, enabling targeted data sharing. 

5) Territory-based Sharing Rules: These rules are specifically designed for organisations that use Salesforce Territory Management. They assign territories to users, aligning data access with geographical or organisational divisions. 

6) Manual sharing: This feature allows individual record access to be shared with specific users or groups manually, providing flexibility in granting temporary or exceptional access. 

The above list of Sharing Rules describes the wide range of options provided to organisations to help customise their data access and control, and ensure security of data and efficient collaboration. 

Components of Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

Sharing Rules in Salesforce comprise of components offering various rule options to organisations for implementing across their data records. These components are as follows: 
 

1) Choice of records to share: Users can share their data records owned by specific users or by fulfilling certain requirements. Sharing Rules based on criteria help users determine the records they want to share depending on ownership. 

2) Selection of users to share records with: Organisations can define user groups by roles or by establishing user territories. A public group is essentially an administrator-defined segregation of users for simplifying the creation of Sharing Rules. Public groups 

3)  Type of access to be granted: Sharing Rules determine the level of access granted to users or groups. Access levels can range from read-only to read or write, and can be further customised with additional permissions. 

Steps to create Sharing Rules in Salesforce

Below is a list of steps that users can follow to create Sharing Rules in Salesforce:


 

1) Access the setup menu: Log in to Salesforce and click on the gear icon in the top-right corner to access the Setup menu. 

2) Navigate to sharing settings: In the left sidebar of the Setup menu, under the "Platform Tools" section, select "Sharing Settings." 

3) Choose the object: On the "Sharing Settings" page, select the object for which you want to create sharing rules. For example, choose "Accounts" or "Opportunities." 

4)  Define entry criteria: Click on "New Sharing Rule" to start creating a new rule. Define the entry criteria based on field values, user roles, or public groups. This determines which records the sharing rule will apply to. 

5) Set access levels: Specify the access levels you want to grant to users or groups. Choose from options like read-only, read/write, or full access. 

6) Configure exceptions (if needed): If certain records need different access levels, specify exceptions to override the general rule. The rule allows for granular control over data access. 

7) Save and activate: Review the sharing rule settings and click "Save" to create the rule. Activate the rule to make it effective. 

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Use case of Sharing Rules in Salesforce

Sharing Rules have some important use cases in Salesforce depending on the category chosen by the user, such as: 

Record ownership-based Sharing Rule

A record ownership-based sharing rule is a type of sharing rule in Salesforce that extends data access based on ownership attributes. With this rule, you can grant access to records based on its owner. For example, you can create a sharing rule that allows managers to have access to all records owned by their team members.  

By leveraging record ownership-based sharing rules, you can ensure that relevant users have appropriate access to their own records. This type of sharing rule is especially useful in hierarchical structures or when specific users need access to records based on ownership relationships.  

Configuring record ownership-based sharing rules helps streamline data visibility and collaboration within your Salesforce organisation, enhancing efficiency and ensuring data security. 

Criteria-based Sharing Rule 

A criteria-based sharing rule is a powerful sharing rule in Salesforce that grants access to specific records based on defined criteria. This rule allows you to extend data access beyond the organisation-wide defaults by specifying conditions that determine which records should be shared. 
 
By setting criteria based on field values, user roles, public groups, or ownership attributes, you can customise data access for different user groups. For example, you can create a criteria-based sharing rule that shares records with a specific field value to a designated group of users. 
 
Criteria-based sharing rules provide flexibility and control over data visibility, ensuring that the right users have access to relevant records. It allows for targeted sharing, enhancing collaboration and data-driven decision-making within your Salesforce organisation. 

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Benefits of Sharing Rules in Salesforce 

Sharing Rules in Salesforce provide users with a host of benefits, such as: 

1) Data security: Sharing Rules allow you to define granular access controls, ensuring that only authorised users have access to specific records. By extending access based on predefined criteria, sharing rules help maintain data security and prevent unauthorized access. 

2) Collaboration and productivity: Sharing Rules streamline collaboration by granting appropriate data visibility to different user groups. Teams can access and work on relevant records, promoting efficient collaboration, and improving productivity. 

3)  Customised data access: Sharing Rules enable you to customise data access based on various criteria, such as user roles, field values, or ownership attributes. This flexibility ensures that users see the data they need to perform their roles effectively, resulting in improved decision-making and streamlined workflows. 

4) Compliance and regulatory requirements: Sharing Rules help organisations adhere to compliance and regulatory requirements by controlling data access. With sharing rules in place, you can ensure that sensitive or confidential data is only accessible to authorized personnel. 

5)  Data integrity: Sharing Rules contribute to maintaining data integrity by preventing data silos and ensuring that the right users have access to the right information. By enforcing consistent access controls, sharing rules help maintain accurate and up-to-date data within the Salesforce environment. 

6) Scalability and flexibility: As your organisation grows, sharing rules can be easily configured and adjusted to accommodate evolving data access requirements. This scalability and flexibility enable your Salesforce implementation to adapt to changing business needs. 

Conclusion 

Sharing Rules in Salesforce are essential for controlling data access, maintaining security, and promoting collaboration. They allow organisations to extend access based on predefined criteria, ensuring that the right users have the appropriate visibility to relevant records.  
 
Furthermore, businesses can enhance data integrity, streamline workflows, and maximise the value of their Salesforce implementation. 

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