Definition
Field Accessibility is a Setup page that provides a comprehensive matrix view of field-level security across all profiles and permission sets. It shows whether each field on an object is visible, editable, or hidden for each profile, making it easy to audit and troubleshoot field access issues across the org.
Real-World Example
A user at Cobalt Dynamics reports that they cannot see the "Revenue" field on the Account page. The admin opens Field Accessibility for the Account object's Revenue field and instantly sees a matrix showing that the user's profile has the field set to "Hidden." She updates the field-level security to "Visible" for that profile, resolving the issue in seconds.
Why Field Accessibility Matters
Field Accessibility is a powerful Setup page that provides a comprehensive matrix view of field-level security across every profile and permission set in the org. For any field on any object, administrators can instantly see whether it's Visible, Editable, or Hidden for each profile. This eliminates the tedious process of checking field-level security settings one profile at a time. When a user reports they can't see a field, Field Accessibility is the fastest diagnostic tool — the admin can look up the field, find the user's profile, and identify the exact security setting causing the issue, often resolving problems in seconds.
As organizations grow and their security model becomes more complex with dozens of profiles and permission sets, Field Accessibility becomes indispensable for governance and compliance. Auditors frequently request evidence that sensitive fields (like revenue, salary, or SSN) are properly restricted. Field Accessibility provides this evidence in a single, exportable view rather than requiring administrators to navigate through each profile individually. Without this tool, field-level security audits are time-consuming and error-prone. Organizations that incorporate Field Accessibility checks into their change management process — verifying field visibility after every deployment — catch security misconfigurations before they reach end users.
How Organizations Use Field Accessibility
- Cobalt Dynamics — A user at Cobalt Dynamics reported they couldn't see the Revenue field on Accounts. The admin opened Field Accessibility for the Account Revenue field and instantly identified that the user's profile had the field set to 'Hidden.' She changed it to 'Visible' in under a minute, resolving a ticket that would have taken 30 minutes to diagnose through traditional profile navigation.
- Sterling Financial Group — During a SOX compliance audit at Sterling Financial Group, auditors requested proof that the 'Annual Revenue' and 'Employee SSN' fields were restricted to specific profiles. The admin exported the Field Accessibility matrix for both fields, showing exactly which profiles had access, satisfying the audit requirement in minutes.
- Apex Manufacturing — After deploying a new custom field called 'Cost Margin' to production, the admin at Apex Manufacturing used Field Accessibility to verify that only the Finance and Executive profiles could see the field. She discovered that the Sales Rep profile had inadvertently been granted visibility and corrected it before any sensitive data was exposed.