Criteria-Based Sharing Rules in Salesforce are powerful tools that allow administrators to automatically extend record access to users based on specific field values within records. Unlike Owner-Based Sharing Rules, which share records based on who owns them, Criteria-Based Sharing Rules evaluate r…Criteria-Based Sharing Rules in Salesforce are powerful tools that allow administrators to automatically extend record access to users based on specific field values within records. Unlike Owner-Based Sharing Rules, which share records based on who owns them, Criteria-Based Sharing Rules evaluate record data against defined conditions to determine sharing.
When configuring these rules, administrators select an object and define criteria using field comparisons. For example, you might create a rule that shares all Account records where the Industry field equals 'Healthcare' with a specific public group or role. The criteria can include up to 25 filter conditions using AND/OR logic for complex requirements.
To create a Criteria-Based Sharing Rule, navigate to Setup, search for Sharing Settings, and select the desired object. Click 'New' under the sharing rules section and choose 'Based on criteria' as the rule type. You then specify which records to share by setting field conditions, select the users or groups to share with, and define the access level (Read Only or Read/Write).
Key considerations include: these rules only grant additional access and cannot restrict existing permissions. They work within the organization's sharing hierarchy and respect the Organization-Wide Defaults (OWD). The rules are evaluated automatically when records are created or modified, ensuring access is always current.
Criteria-Based Sharing Rules are particularly useful for scenarios such as sharing opportunity records above a certain value with executives, granting access to cases with high priority to specialized support teams, or sharing accounts in specific regions with regional managers.
Administrators should note that while these rules provide flexibility, they consume system resources during recalculation. Large organizations should plan sharing rule implementations carefully to maintain performance. These rules complement other sharing mechanisms like manual sharing, role hierarchy, and teams to create a comprehensive security model.
Criteria-Based Sharing Rules: Complete Guide for Salesforce Administrators
Why Criteria-Based Sharing Rules Are Important
Criteria-Based Sharing Rules are essential for Salesforce Administrators because they enable automated, granular access to records based on specific field values. Unlike owner-based sharing rules that share records based on who owns them, criteria-based rules share records based on what the records contain. This allows organizations to implement complex security requirements while maintaining the principle of least privilege.
What Are Criteria-Based Sharing Rules?
Criteria-Based Sharing Rules are automated sharing mechanisms that extend record access to users based on record field values rather than record ownership. They allow you to share records that meet specific criteria with designated groups of users, roles, or territories.
Key characteristics include: - They can only extend access, never restrict it - They work with both standard and custom objects - They evaluate records against defined field criteria - They grant either Read Only or Read/Write access
How Criteria-Based Sharing Rules Work
1. Define Criteria: You specify conditions using field values (e.g., Region equals 'West' or Status equals 'Active')
2. Select Users to Share With: Choose from public groups, roles, roles and subordinates, or territories
3. Set Access Level: Determine whether shared users get Read Only or Read/Write access
4. Automatic Evaluation: Salesforce automatically evaluates records when they are created or modified, applying sharing rules when criteria are met
Configuration Steps: - Navigate to Setup > Sharing Settings - Locate the object requiring the sharing rule - Click 'New' under Sharing Rules - Select 'Based on criteria' as the rule type - Define your field conditions using AND/OR logic - Specify the users or groups who should receive access - Save and wait for sharing rule recalculation
Common Use Cases: - Sharing all opportunities with 'High Priority' status with a support team - Granting access to accounts in specific regions to regional managers - Sharing cases of a certain type with specialized teams
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Criteria-Based Sharing Rules
Tip 1: Remember the Direction of Sharing Sharing rules only OPEN UP access. They cannot make records more restrictive than the Organization-Wide Defaults (OWD). If a question asks about restricting access, sharing rules are not the answer.
Tip 2: Know the Evaluation Criteria Criteria-based sharing rules support most field types but NOT formula fields, text area (long), or encrypted fields. Watch for questions that include these as criteria options.
Tip 3: Understand the Sharing Hierarchy Know where criteria-based sharing rules fit: OWD > Role Hierarchy > Sharing Rules > Manual Sharing > Apex Sharing. Questions often test your understanding of this order.
Tip 4: Differentiate from Owner-Based Rules Owner-based rules share records owned by certain users or groups. Criteria-based rules share records meeting field conditions regardless of ownership. Exam questions frequently test this distinction.
Tip 5: Performance Considerations Remember that criteria-based sharing rules trigger recalculation when saved, which can take time for large data volumes. Questions may reference performance or timing scenarios.
Tip 6: Access Level Options Only two access levels are available: Read Only and Read/Write. If a question mentions other access levels like 'Full Access' for sharing rules, that option is incorrect.
Tip 7: Prerequisites Criteria-based sharing rules require the OWD to be set to Private or Public Read Only. If OWD is Public Read/Write, there is no need for sharing rules on that object.
Practice Question Approach: When you encounter a scenario asking how to grant access to records meeting specific conditions, first verify that sharing rules are appropriate (OWD is restrictive), then determine if the scenario describes field-value conditions (criteria-based) or ownership conditions (owner-based).