Role
A Salesforce record in the role hierarchy that defines a user's position within the organization's data access structure, determining which records they can see based on the 'roll-up' visibility model.
Definition
A Salesforce record in the role hierarchy that defines a user's position within the organization's data access structure, determining which records they can see based on the 'roll-up' visibility model.
In plain English
“A Role in Salesforce is a record in the role hierarchy defining where a user sits in the organization for data access purposes. Roles work with the role hierarchy to determine which records users can see based on the 'roll-up' visibility model. Higher roles see records of lower roles.”
Worked example
Sculptor Capital's role hierarchy mirrors the firm's org chart: at the top sits the VP Sales Role, with regional director Roles (VP Sales East, VP Sales West) underneath, AE Roles below those, and SDR Roles at the bottom. When a sharing rule shares Opportunities along the hierarchy, the VP Sales sees every Opportunity owned by anyone below her in the hierarchy - even though she doesn't own any of them - because the hierarchy rolls visibility up. An East regional director sees her East team's deals but not the West team's. The Role hierarchy is what implements the basic "managers see their team's stuff" sharing in Salesforce.
Why Role matters
A Role is a Salesforce record in the role hierarchy that defines a user's position within the organization's data access structure, determining which records they can see based on the 'roll-up' visibility model. Roles are assigned to users and arranged in a hierarchy where users at higher roles can see records owned by users at roles below them.
Roles are distinct from profiles in Salesforce: profiles control what users can do (CRUD permissions, field-level security, etc.), while roles control what data they can see based on hierarchy. A user has one profile and one role. Mature orgs design role hierarchies thoughtfully to match management structures, with hierarchy levels reflecting actual reporting relationships. Bad role design creates either too much access (managers seeing everything) or too little (managers unable to coach reps).
How organizations use Role
Designs role hierarchies matching their actual management structure for realistic data access.
Reviews role hierarchy periodically as the organization evolves.
Treats role design as foundational to record-level security.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Role.
- Controlling Access Using the Role HierarchySalesforce Help
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Role in Salesforce?
Q2. How is a role different from a profile?
Q3. How many roles can a user have?
Discussion
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