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Understanding
Act! Roles & Permissions
To understand how Act! database security works, it is important to think of it being applied at four different levels to control data access:
- At the database at the database level with login credentials
- At the user level with security roles;
- At the contact level based with Limited & Private access;
- And finally at the field level with read and write permissions.
While each security level serves different purposes, one of the most important security levels on this list is the assigning of user permissions. When a database is created the first user must always have Administrator access. Subsequent users should be assigned based on their experience, responsibilities, management position, and their maintenance role with the database. Assigning everyone Administrator permission may seem convenient at first, but creates many risks for business owners, including data loss and misuse.
The following section briefly describes security roles as a means to safeguard your database.
User security roles determine:
- The areas of the application (such as the Contacts menu or Tools menu) that a user can access.
- The tasks (such as adding contacts or running reports) the user can perform.
User Security Roles
The five user security roles are: Administrator, Manager, Standard, Restricted, and Browse. Give users the role that lets them access only the functions they need to perform their job.
- Administrator - Is the highest level role in Act!. Users with this role can access all features, and all records that have public or limited access. Users who are responsible for maintaining the database, ensuring data security, and adding or deleting users, should be Administrators.
- Manager - Has access to all features except Manage Users, Delete database, and Password Policy. The Manager role can be expanded by adding or removing permissions for the individual user. Managers have access to all public records. Users who need to Manage Teams, modify database schema, manage records owned by other users, create/edit layouts, import/export data, manage custom activity types, or update product information, should be Managers.
- Standard - Represents the typical user. Standard users can access most areas of the application. This role can be expanded by adding or removing permissions for the individual user. Standard users can access public records and their private records. Users who perform a variety of tasks, including creating/modifying word-processing and report templates, but who do not need to modify or maintain the database, should be Standard users.
- Restricted – Can access only basic functionality. Restricted users can only access public records and their private records. In addition, users with this role cannot delete any records, even records they own. Typically, Restricted users are assistants, hourly workers, or others requiring only limited access to features.
- Browse – Gives users read-only access to information. For example, a Browse user can run reports. Temporary employees and users who only need to reference information should be Browse users.
