Configuration and Setup15% of the exam

Profiles, permission sets, groups and muting

How to grant object, field and system permissions with the least effort and least privilege: what only a profile can do, why permission sets and permission set groups are the recommended model, how permissions combine, and how a muting permission set removes a permission from one group without touching the others.

Official exam objective
Given a scenario, determine the appropriate use of a custom profile or permission set (using the various profile settings, permission set group, and muting).

~7 min read · 6 practice questions

What the exam expects

  • Decide whether a requirement belongs on a profile or in a permission set, knowing which settings only profiles hold.
  • Grant a one-off permission to a single user without cloning a profile.
  • Predict a user's effective permissions when a profile and several permission sets grant different levels on the same object.
  • Remove a permission that a profile grants, and explain why a permission set can't do it.
  • Bundle permission sets into permission set groups by job function, and use a muting permission set to withhold one permission from one group.

Key facts

Profiles per user
Detail
Exactly one
Permission sets per user
Detail
Many, depending on edition
Profile-only settings
Detail
Login hours, IP ranges, page layout assignment, default app and record type
Combining permissions
Detail
Most permissive result across profile, permission sets and groups
Denying access
Detail
Not possible with profiles, permission sets or groups
Recommended baseline profile
Detail
Minimum Access - Salesforce, or a clone of it
Permission set group
Detail
Users get the combined permissions of its permission sets
Permission set reuse
Detail
One permission set can be in many groups
Muting permission sets per group
Detail
Only one
Muting scope
Detail
Only permissions from that group's permission sets, only for that group's users
Mute permission
Detail
Requires Manage Profiles and Permission Sets
Assignment expiration
Detail
Permission set and group assignments can end on a set date
Sources for this section (5)
  • Where do you see every user assigned to a permission set?
  • How many profiles and permission sets can one user hold?
  • When you need every permission a user holds, from the profile and all permission sets and groups, in one place, what do you open?
  • What do integration permission sets define?
  • Why does a permission set group show a status?

The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.

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