Territory hierarchy versus role hierarchy
Key Takeaway
Use the role hierarchy for who manages whom. Use the territory hierarchy for sales coverage, which means record access by territory assignment and territory forecasts. Don't copy one hierarchy into the other.
Salesforce has two separate hierarchies that do different jobs. The role hierarchy models who manages whom. It drives management reporting, approvals, and other hierarchical workflows. The territory hierarchy is part of Sales Territories. It models how sales territories nest, extends record access based on territory assignments, and drives territory forecasts. So when sales coverage doesn't match the management structure, you model coverage in the territory hierarchy instead of reshaping roles.
What each hierarchy is for
| Role hierarchy | Territory hierarchy | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Management and Human Resources reporting structures, where one person reports only to one other person | A matrix reporting structure, where someone can report to multiple managers |
| Use it for | Management relationships, reporting rollups, approvals, and other hierarchical workflows | Extending access to records based on users' territory assignments |
| Forecasts it drives | Forecast types other than territory forecasts | Territory forecasts |
Every user must be assigned to a role, even in an org that relies on territories for record access. Without a role, a user's data won't display in opportunity reports, forecast roll-ups, and other displays based on roles.