Administrative permissions on profiles and permission sets
Key Takeaway
End users should get record access through sharing. When a user must go beyond sharing, apply least privilege: View All Records or Modify All Records covers one object, while View All Data or Modify All Data covers all objects.
Administrative permissions are powerful settings in profiles and permission sets that let a user see or change records beyond what sharing normally allows. The main ones are View All Data and Modify All Data, plus View All Records and Modify All Records. They are for people who manage data across the org, such as administrators cleansing data.
Profiles and permission sets
Permissions and access settings live in profiles and permission sets. Every user has exactly one profile but can have many permission sets.
| Use for | |
|---|---|
| Profiles | Defaults such as assigned apps, record types, page layouts, login hours, and login IP ranges |
| Permission sets | User permissions (app and system), object permissions, and field permissions |
Salesforce recommends managing permissions with permission sets and permission set groups. Small, reusable permission sets mean you don't have to build dozens or hundreds of profiles, one for each job function.