# Sharing sets and share groups for high-volume users

*Experience Cloud Consultant Study Guide · Sharing, Visibility, and Licensing · Last updated October 24, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant/sharing-visibility-and-licensing/sharing-sets-and-share-groups-for-high-volume-users*

The declarative sharing tools built for external users: sharing sets that open records matching the user's account or contact (access mappings, one per profile, the object list, Contacts to Multiple Accounts), share groups that open high-volume users' records to others, and when role-based users need sharing rules instead.

- Certification: Salesforce Experience Cloud Consultant
- Exam section: Sharing, Visibility, and Licensing
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/experience-cloud-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Recommend the Declarative Sharing options that could be leveraged for an Experience.

## What the exam expects

- Configure a sharing set access mapping that opens exactly the records a requirement names (account-based or contact-based).
- Explain why an object is missing from the sharing set object list, and why a second sharing set for the same profile isn't the fix.
- Use a share group to open records owned by high-volume users to internal users or to users of the same account.
- Recognise when share groups don't apply (Customer Community Plus and Partner Community users) and pick sharing rules on roles or public groups instead.
- Predict that sharing set access doesn't roll up the role hierarchy and doesn't include the parent account automatically.

Key terms:
- **Sharing set**: grants site users access to records whose account or contact matches the user's account or contact.
- **Access mapping**: the pair of lookups (on the user, on the target object) plus an access level for one object.
- **Share group**: a group of users who receive access to records owned by high-volume users, attached to a sharing set.
- **Role-based user**: an external user with a role, such as Customer Community Plus or Partner Community.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where sharing sets live | Setup, Digital Experiences, Settings; Customize Application | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Scope | One sharing set applies across all sites the user belongs to | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Profiles | One sharing set per profile | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Excluded objects | Public Read/Write objects; custom objects without an account or contact lookup | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Access levels | Read Only or Read/Write; only Read/Write if the default is Public Read Only | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Role hierarchy | Sharing set access isn't extended to superiors | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Parent account | Not granted by contact, case or opportunity mappings; add Account | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Reports | Sharing sets aren't supported by reports and dashboards | [Experience Cloud User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_license_types_communities.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Share group members | Internal users and external users from the owner's parent account; not guests | [Share groups](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_sharing_light_users.htm&type=0) |
| Share group licenses | Not available to Customer Community Plus and Partner Community users | [Create a sharing set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| High-volume records | Can't be shared manually; owners can't be in public groups or owner-based rules | [High-volume users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_about_hvpu.htm&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why can a customer open a case but not its account when only Case is in the sharing set?
- When is a custom object missing from a sharing set's Available Objects list?
- Who can be added to a share group?
- When must you use sharing rules instead of a share group?

## Sources

- [Create a Sharing Set for Experience Cloud Site Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_setting_light_users.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Use Share Groups to Share Records Owned by High-Volume Experience Cloud Site Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=networks_sharing_light_users.htm&type=0)
- [About High-Volume Community or Site Users](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.networks_about_hvpu.htm&type=5)
- [Experience Cloud User Licenses](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.users_license_types_communities.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [External User Access Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.networks_access_best_practices.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Set Up Contacts to Multiple Accounts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.shared_contacts_set_up.htm&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Experience Cloud Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams