Curriculum
Sharing Rules are a powerful Salesforce security feature used to extend record access beyond the restrictions defined by Organization Wide Defaults (OWD). While OWD establishes the baseline level of record access, Sharing Rules allow administrators to automatically share records with specific users, roles, territories, or public groups based on business requirements.
In many organizations, employees need access to records they do not own. For example, sales teams may need access to regional opportunities, support teams may need access to customer cases, and managers may need visibility into team activities. Sharing Rules provide a scalable and automated way to grant this access while maintaining security.
Understanding Sharing Rules is essential for Salesforce Administrators because they are a core component of Salesforce record-level security and frequently appear in certification exams and real-world implementations.
Sharing Rules are automated record-sharing mechanisms that provide additional access to users beyond Organization Wide Defaults.
Sharing Rules help administrators:
Sharing Rules can only open access; they cannot restrict access.
Organizations often require collaboration across teams.
Examples:
Without Sharing Rules:
Sharing Rules solve these challenges efficiently.
Salesforce evaluates security in layers.
Baseline access.
Manager access.
Additional access.
Collaborative access.
Individual record sharing.
Sharing Rules operate after OWD and Role Hierarchy.
Example:
OWD:
PrivateResult:
Users can only access their own records.
Sharing Rule:
Share all opportunities owned by Sales Team A with Sales Team B.
Result:
Sales Team B gains access automatically.
This additional visibility improves collaboration.
Salesforce supports two primary types of Sharing Rules.
Based on record ownership.
Based on record field values.
Both types are widely used.
Owner-Based Sharing Rules share records according to the record owner’s role, role hierarchy, or public group.
Example:
Records Owned By:
Sales Team Jaipur
Shared With:
Sales Team Delhi
Result:
Delhi team gains access to Jaipur records.
Ownership determines sharing behavior.
Example:
Opportunity Owner:
Sales Representative Jaipur
Sharing Rule:
Share opportunities with Regional Manager Group.
Result:
Regional Managers automatically gain access.
This process occurs automatically.
Criteria-Based Sharing Rules share records based on field values rather than ownership.
Example:
Opportunity Stage:
Closed WonSharing Rule:
Share all Closed Won opportunities with Finance Team.
Result:
Finance users gain access regardless of record ownership.
This provides greater flexibility.
Object:
Opportunity
Criteria:
Amount > ₹10,00,000Share With:
Executive Management Team
Result:
Large deals become visible to leadership.
This is a common enterprise use case.
Every Sharing Rule contains several components.
Unique identifier.
Target object.
Defines which records are shared.
Users receiving access.
Read Only or Read/Write.
These components define sharing behavior.
Users can:
Users cannot:
Users can:
Administrators choose the appropriate level based on business needs.
Public Groups are collections of:
Sharing Rules often use Public Groups as sharing targets.
Benefits:
Public Groups are widely used in Salesforce security models.
Example:
Public Group:
Regional ManagersSharing Rule:
Share all high-value opportunities with Regional Managers.
Result:
All group members gain access automatically.
This reduces administrative effort.
Navigate to:
Setup
Search:
Sharing Settings
Open:
Sharing Settings
Locate the object.
Example:
Opportunity
Click:
New Sharing Rule
Define:
Save.
Salesforce recalculates sharing access automatically.
Examples:
These are among the most commonly configured sharing rules.
Sharing Rules also support Custom Objects.
Examples:
Administrators can configure sharing independently for each object.
Sharing Rules require restrictive OWD settings to be effective.
Example:
OWD:
PrivateSharing Rule:
Share records with Managers.
Result:
Managers gain additional visibility.
If OWD is already:
Public Read/WriteSharing Rules may not be necessary.
Role Hierarchy:
Provides upward access.
Sharing Rules:
Provide horizontal access.
Example:
Sales Team A shares records with Sales Team B.
Role Hierarchy alone cannot accomplish this.
Sharing Rules fill this gap.
| Feature | Sharing Rules | Manual Sharing |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic | Yes | No |
| Scalable | Yes | No |
| Record-Specific | No | Yes |
| Administrative Effort | Low | High |
Sharing Rules are generally preferred for large-scale sharing.
| Feature | Sharing Rules | Role Hierarchy |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal Sharing | Yes | No |
| Based on Organization Structure | No | Yes |
| Automatic | Yes | Yes |
| Flexible Access | High | Moderate |
Both features complement each other.
| Feature | Sharing Rules | OWD |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline Security | No | Yes |
| Expands Access | Yes | No |
| Flexible Sharing | Yes | Limited |
| Record Visibility | Additional | Default |
Sharing Rules build upon OWD settings.
Share regional opportunities.
Access approved deals.
Share escalated cases.
Share student records with department heads.
Share employee records with HR managers.
Sharing Rules support diverse business requirements.
Apply least privilege principles.
Simplify management.
Support future maintenance.
Conduct security audits.
Protect sensitive data.
Verify visibility before deployment.
These practices improve security and maintainability.
Complex administration.
Large organizations may require optimization.
Excessive visibility risks.
Require rule adjustments.
Administrators should periodically review sharing configurations.
A software training company manages student enrollments.
OWD:
PrivateRequirement:
Training Managers must access all student records.
Solution:
Owner-Based Sharing Rule
Records Owned By:
Student Counselors
Shared With:
Training Managers Group
Access:
Read Only
Result:
Managers gain visibility without changing ownership.
This demonstrates a practical Sharing Rule implementation.
Understanding Sharing Rules helps professionals:
Sharing Rules are a critical component of Salesforce security architecture.
Sharing Rules are automated record-sharing mechanisms that extend access beyond Organization Wide Defaults. Through Owner-Based and Criteria-Based Sharing Rules, administrators can securely share records with users, roles, or public groups while maintaining control over sensitive data. Sharing Rules improve collaboration, reduce manual sharing efforts, and support scalable Salesforce security models.
Sharing Rules are automated mechanisms used to grant additional record access beyond Organization Wide Defaults.
No. Sharing Rules can only grant additional access.
Owner-Based Sharing Rules and Criteria-Based Sharing Rules.
Role Hierarchy provides upward access, while Sharing Rules provide additional horizontal access.
Yes. Sharing Rules support both Standard and Custom Objects.
They improve collaboration, automate sharing, and support secure record visibility management.
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