Manual Sharing in Salesforce is a feature that allows record owners and administrators to grant access to specific records on a case-by-case basis, extending beyond the organization's default sharing settings and role hierarchy. This functionality provides flexibility when users need access to reco…Manual Sharing in Salesforce is a feature that allows record owners and administrators to grant access to specific records on a case-by-case basis, extending beyond the organization's default sharing settings and role hierarchy. This functionality provides flexibility when users need access to records they wouldn't normally see based on their role or the organization-wide defaults (OWD).
When OWD settings are set to Private or Public Read Only, manual sharing becomes particularly useful. Record owners can share their records with individual users, public groups, roles, or roles and subordinates. The sharing access levels available include Read Only and Read/Write, depending on organizational needs.
To implement manual sharing, users navigate to the record they own and click the Sharing button. From there, they can add users or groups and specify the access level. This creates a sharing rule that persists until the record owner removes it, the record ownership changes, or an administrator deletes the sharing entry.
Key characteristics of manual sharing include:
1. Only record owners, users higher in the role hierarchy, and administrators can manually share records.
2. Manual shares are automatically deleted when record ownership transfers to another user.
3. The feature works with standard and custom objects that have OWD set to Private or Public Read Only.
4. Manual sharing cannot restrict access below what is already granted through OWD, role hierarchy, or sharing rules.
5. Administrators can view and manage all manual shares through the Sharing button on records or via reports.
Manual sharing complements other sharing mechanisms like sharing rules, role hierarchy, and teams. It serves as a solution for exceptional access requirements that don't fit into broader sharing rule patterns. For optimal security practices, organizations should use manual sharing sparingly and prefer systematic sharing rules when access patterns are predictable and consistent across multiple records.
Manual Sharing in Salesforce: A Complete Guide
What is Manual Sharing?
Manual Sharing is a feature in Salesforce that allows record owners and users with higher access levels to grant additional access to specific records on a case-by-case basis. This method of sharing operates on top of the organization-wide defaults (OWD) and provides flexibility when standard sharing rules don't cover all necessary access scenarios.
Why is Manual Sharing Important?
Manual Sharing is crucial for several reasons:
• Flexibility: It allows users to share individual records with specific users, roles, or groups when automated sharing rules don't apply • Collaboration: Enables teams to work together on specific deals, cases, or projects by sharing relevant records • Security Balance: Maintains tight security through restrictive OWD settings while still allowing necessary access when needed • User Empowerment: Record owners can manage access to their own records rather than relying on administrators
How Manual Sharing Works
Manual Sharing follows these key principles:
1. Who Can Share: Record owners, users above the owner in the role hierarchy, and administrators can manually share records
2. Access Levels: When manually sharing, you can grant Read Only or Read/Write access (but never more access than you have yourself)
3. Share With Options: Records can be shared with: - Individual users - Public groups - Roles - Roles and subordinates
4. Prerequisites: Manual Sharing is only available when the OWD for an object is set to Private or Public Read Only. If OWD is Public Read/Write, manual sharing buttons won't appear since everyone already has full access
5. Accessing the Feature: Users click the Sharing button on a record detail page to add manual shares
Key Characteristics to Remember
• Manual shares are not automatically maintained - when record ownership changes, manual shares created by the previous owner are deleted • Manual shares created by administrators or users with "Modify All" permission are retained when ownership changes • Manual sharing cannot restrict access; it can only extend access beyond what's already granted • The Sharing button appears on records only when OWD is Private or Public Read Only
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Manual Sharing
Tip 1: Always check the OWD setting in the scenario. If OWD is Public Read/Write, manual sharing is not relevant or necessary.
Tip 2: Remember that manual sharing is record-specific, not object-wide. Questions may try to confuse this with sharing rules.
Tip 3: Know the difference between owner-created manual shares (deleted on ownership change) and admin-created shares (retained on ownership change).
Tip 4: When a question asks about granting temporary or one-off access to specific records, manual sharing is often the answer.
Tip 5: Manual sharing cannot be used to reduce access - only to grant additional access. If a question mentions restricting access, manual sharing is not the correct answer.
Tip 6: Watch for questions about collaboration scenarios where a sales rep needs to share an opportunity with a colleague from another team - this is a classic manual sharing use case.
Tip 7: Remember that manual sharing requires the user performing the share to have at least the same level of access they're trying to grant.
Common Exam Scenarios
• A user needs to share a single opportunity with a colleague in a different territory - Answer: Manual Sharing • Access needs to be granted to multiple records meeting specific criteria - Answer: Sharing Rules (not manual sharing) • The Sharing button is missing from a record - Answer: Check if OWD is Public Read/Write