In an ERP like Odoo, where multiple users have access to sensitive data, it is essential to ensure that each person only accesses what they need to perform their job. Poor configuration could lead to risks such as:
- Confidential information leaks
- Errors caused by users modifying data they shouldn’t
- Compromised regulatory compliance if proper controls are lacking
It’s crucial to minimize these risks with a well-configured system.
How does permission management work in Odoo?
Odoo manages security through three key concepts:
- User Groups: Each user is assigned one or more security groups organized by system areas. For example: Sales / Manager.
- Access Rules: These rules specify what actions a group can perform on records in general (read, write, create, or delete). For instance, the Sales / Manager group can view and edit sales orders.
- Record Rules: These rules define which specific records a group can view or modify. For example, a user in the Sales / User group can only see their own customers.
This system enables granular control of access, but it also has some limitations.
Limitations of the group-based approach
The biggest challenge of this approach is that configuring a new user becomes complex, as you must review each application to determine which group they belong to. With a small number of applications or users, the process is straightforward. However, as the number of users to configure grows, it becomes complicated and prone to errors. Moreover, this process not only consumes time but can also lead to human mistakes.
For example, if we decide that our salespeople must now have access to customer tickets, we would need to assign new groups to each salesperson individually.
Role Creation
To simplify this process, the OCA has created a module (base_user_role) that introduces a new concept: the role.
A role is a group of user groups, enabling better organization of users. The idea is to define the roles for your company with the appropriate permissions they require. From there, users are assigned roles rather than groups, and the groups are inferred based on the roles assigned to them.
Additionally, roles allow access to be automatically deactivated based on time-based criteria, reducing security risks by ensuring users don’t retain unnecessary permissions in the future.
Best practices for managing roles
- Principle of least privilege: Provide users with the minimum access they need to perform their job.
- Periodic reviews: Regularly audit permissions and adjust them according to changes in roles or the business structure.
- Superuser security: Limit the number of users with administrative access and enable two-factor authentication (2FA).
- Documentation: Maintain a record of configured permissions and track who has access to what.
Conclusion
Implementing roles in Odoo not only improves security but also optimizes user management. It ensures precise configuration, reduces the risk of errors, and offers far more efficient management when dealing with a large number of users.
If you're interested in learning more or need assistance configuring roles in your system, contact us!