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Create Sharing Rules: Control Cross-Team Data Access Step by Step

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Read Understanding Sharing Rules first. Make sure your Roles and Teams are already created — you will need to select them when building each rule.

Step 1 — Open Settings#

Click the Settings icon in the left sidebar.

Settings icon in the left sidebar

Step 2 — Go to Sharing Rules#

Under Security Control, click Sharing Rules.

Sharing Rules under Security Control in Settings

Step 3 — Click New Rule#

Click the New Rule button to open the rule builder.

New Rule button on the Sharing Rules list page

Step 4 — Select the Module and Name the rule#

The form opens with a Basic Information card at the top:

  • Module — choose which module's records this rule will share (e.g. Contacts, Leads, Deals). You cannot change this after saving, so choose carefully. Create a separate rule for each module you need to share.

  • Sharing Rule Name — give the rule a descriptive label, such as Sales Contacts → Marketing Read. This name appears on the Sharing Rules list so you can identify it at a glance.

Basic Information card showing Module and Sharing Rule Name fields

Step 5 — Choose the Sharing Type#

Select one of two options:

  • Based on Record Owner — shares records based on who owns them. Best when you want to share "all records owned by the Sales team".

  • Based on Criteria — shares records based on field values. Best when you want to share "all Deals where Amount > 50,000".

Sharing Type radio group: Based on Record Owner / Based on Criteria
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Your choice here changes what appears in Step 6. The rest of the form (Steps 7–10) is the same for both types.

Step 6(a) — Records Shared From (Owner-Based only)#

If you chose Based on Record Owner, this section appears. Select who owns the records you want to share:

  • Type — choose User, Roles, or Team

    Step 6(a) — Records Shared From (Owner-Based only)

  • Value — pick the specific user, role, or team whose records will be shared

Example: Type = Roles, Value = Sales Representative → every Contact record owned by any Sales Representative will be shared.

Step 6(a) — Records Shared From (Owner-Based only)
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Selecting a Role shares records owned by users currently in that role. It does not automatically include subordinate roles — create additional rules for each subordinate role if needed.

Step 6(b) — Add Conditions (Criteria-Based only)#

If you chose Based on Criteria, build your conditions here. Each condition has three parts:

  • Field — any active field on the module (searchable)

  • Operator — Equals, Contains, Greater Than, Is Empty, etc. (options change based on the field type)

  • Value — the value to compare against

Click Add Condition to add more rows (up to 5). Between conditions, click the AND / OR connector to choose how they combine. For complex logic, you can also edit the Criteria Pattern directly — for example ( 1 AND 2 ) OR 3.

Step 6(b) — Add Conditions (Criteria-Based only)
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A record must match all conditions when using AND. With OR, matching any one condition is enough. Use the Criteria Pattern field for mixed logic like "(1 AND 2) OR 3".

Step 7 — Records Shared To#

Select who receives the extended access. Same two-dropdown pattern as Step 6a:

  • Type — User, Roles, or Team

    Step 7 — Records Shared To

  • Value — the specific user, role, or team that will gain visibility

Example: Type = Roles, Value = Marketing Manager → the Marketing Manager role gets access to the records matched by this rule.

Step 7 — Records Shared To

Step 8 — Set the Access Level#

Choose what the recipient can do with the shared records:

  • Read Only — view only, no edits or deletes

  • Read / Write — view and edit, no deletes

  • Read / Write / Delete — full access

Step 8 — Set the Access Level
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The access level works within the recipient's Profile permissions. If their profile does not grant Edit on this module, Read/Write has no effect beyond read. Start with Read Only and increase only if needed.

Step 9 — Allow Superiors (optional)#

The Allow Superiors toggle is off by default. Turn it on if you want users higher in the role hierarchy than your "Shared To" target to automatically receive the same access.

Step 9 — Allow Superiors (optional)

Example: You share with the Sales Representative role and Allow Superiors is on → the Sales Manager (who sits above Sales Representative) also gets access without being listed explicitly.

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Leave Allow Superiors off unless you specifically need senior roles to inherit this rule's access. Turning it on can grant access to more people than intended.

Step 10 — Create the rule#

Click Create Rule. The rule is created immediately and takes effect on the next page load for affected users. You are returned to the Sharing Rules list where you can see the new rule, its module, type, and status.

Save button on the Create Sharing Rule form
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The rule is now active. Users in the "Shared To" group will see the matched records on their next page load — no logout required.
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Need to share the same records with a second group at a different access level? Create a second rule with the same Source but a different "Shared To" target and access level.

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