Anyone who knows me (or follows this blog!) will know I like the AppExchange. It helps businesses solve challenges, without reinventing the wheel.
In my last post, I wrote about Access Management. Maintaining healthy access management is essential. However, depending on your org, your users may have a tapestry of permissions. This can be challenging to monitor and manage. Moreover, if you are seeking to transition from permissions on ‘Profiles’ to ‘Permission Sets’ and ‘Permission Set Groups’, this will become more challenging. This post looks at a free app which seeks to help with Access Management.
NOTE: As with any AppExchange app, check it is the right app for your business. Test any new features, including AppExchange products in a sandbox or developer org. For guidance on reviewing AppExchange apps, check out this post.
User Access and Permissions Assistant
User Access and Permissions Assistant is a free, native app provided by Salesforce. It was first released in 2018 as Permission Set Helper. In the flipbook below, I’ve summarised the main features.
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Findings/Thoughts
The App has many useful features. However, it is worth noting at the time of writing (v3.0 of the App):
- You need to follow the installation steps carefully
- Familiarise yourself with the options available. The flipchart shows the main features I’ve found
- This product can help with analysing / troubleshooting access settings. For example, ‘why does ‘John Smith’ have Delete access to Accounts’? In principle, it can save time and effort
- Use ‘Permissions Analyzer’ to see the origin of access rights (Profile, Permission Set or Permission Set Group)
- Use the Dependency Permissions Map to visualise the implications of assigning a user permission
- You can convert Profiles to Permission Sets. However, be careful. Ensure you know the content of the Profile before doing so!
- There are limitations. Check your conversions carefully
- The app has tools to help with the management (assigning, unassigning and setup) of Permission Set Groups
- Read AppExchange listing/reviews and test the app. There are some issues being reported
- In my exploration of the app, I found some slowness on pages as well as the occasional error. In my case, a page refresh resolved these. However, my test was in an org with limited metadata; a larger/more complex org may encounter more difficulties
- The app is supported by Salesforce. If you have any issues, raise a case
Overall, ‘User Access and Permissions Assistant’ looks useful. It can help with day-to-day permissions analysis and aid the transition from Profiles to Permission Sets/ Permission Set Groups. However, I would recommend continuing to monitor feedback on the AppExchange listing and testing to ensure it suits your use case.
Other Apps to Explore
As I mentioned at the start, there is often a lot of choice when looking into apps on the AppExchange! This is no exception. If you want to explore further, why not take a look at some of these Apps? Not all are free, but you may find one which suits your use case:
- The Permissioner
- Org Security Center – Profile & Permission Set Management
- Satrang Mass Assign Permissions
- Admin: Automatically Add or Remove Permission Set(s) and License(s)
- Config Workbook
Over to you...
If you find an App which you found useful for Access Management, or have any experiences to share, please leave a comment to help others!
Summary
This post has looked at a free Salesforce app called User Access and Permissions Assistant. Its purpose is to help Admins more easily analyse and manage permissions within an org. The app requires setup, but once complete, it contains features that can help. In my test, it looked helpful. However, be mindful of reviews on the AppExchange and test the app for your use case.
Bonus Penguin Fact
It’s time for some more Penguin news 
!
It is common knowledge that Penguin species eat a variety of fishes, squids and krill in the wild. However, what you may not know is Penguins can be fussy! This is the case at the Hakone-en Aquarium in Japan, where the Penguins and Otters are proving to be very selective about their fish! Click here for more info.
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