Configuring System Roles and Data Permissions

In Actionstep, "system role" refers to a group of users. You can define these roles how you want, but you should be mindful of the way their permissions are grouped when creating them. Actionstep offers a few basic system roles by default. You can edit these or create new roles. 

Once you have created or edited your system roles, you can start configuring the set of permissions for each. Permissions can be set on a modular basis and through 'system objects' for various aspects of the system. Additionally, you can control user permissions through menu permissions. 

When you create a new user that is not an admin, you will most likely need to enable these settings. For example, if you create a new matter and your new user is unable to view the new matter, they may not have the can_read permissions enabled for this specific matter type. You will need to follow the process below for all matter types you want your new user to view or edit.

There are two parts to configuring system role permissions for groups of users:

• Create the system roles you will need for your firm (if needed)
• Assign the data permissions. This is the core set of permissions that governs the level of access each group of users has. 

To create a new system role: 

1. In Actionstep, go to Admin > Users & permissions. The Users & Permissions page appears.
2. Click System roles on the right side of the page. The System Roles page appears.
3. Click Create new System role. 
4. Follow the instructions in Creating a System Role in Actionstep to set up the roles you want for your firm.

To assign data permissions to a system role:

1. In Actionstep, go to Admin > Users & permissions. The Users & Permissions page appears. 
2. Click Data permissions on the right side of the page. The Permissions page appears.
3. Click the System Role drop-down list and choose the role you want to grant data permissions for. 
4. Click the System Object drop-down list and choose the system access you want to assign permissions to. A list of individual permissions for that system object is displayed. 
5. Select (or clear) the checkbox circle for the permission you want to enable (or disable).
   NOTE:  For example, if you wanted to give paralegals the ability to check documents other users have edited in to Actionstep, you would select the System Role of Paralegal, choose Action Documents from the System Object drop-down list, and select can_checkin.
   
6. Click Save to save your changes. 

NOTES: 
Some system objects allow you to specify detailed combinations of permissions. For example, when setting non-admin-level permissions for matter types, you can grant the permissions for all divisions, sub divisions, or peer divisions, as well as restrict access to users based on their participant status on the matter. You can click OR to add as many alternate conditions as needed. 

Additionally, some permissions are tier-based. For example, users will only be able to access matters of a certain type if the can_view panel is enabled for both the specific matter type but also the Action table system object as well. 

Related Articles: 

• About Data Permissions (System Objects)
• Configuring Menu Permissions (Admin)
• Setting Report Permissions (Admin)