Overview: Permission Groups

Permission groups control what each user can see and do in Humanforce Analytics. As an administrator, you assign permission groups to users to determine which datasets they can access (such as HR or Talent) and whether they can view or edit dashboards and visualisations within those datasets.

This article explains how permission groups work and what each group controls. For instructions on assigning permission groups to users, refer to the related articles at the bottom of this page.

How permission groups work

Permission groups use an additive model. Each user can be assigned one or more permission groups, and each group grants additional access. The more groups you assign, the broader the user's access becomes.

There are two dimensions to a user's access in Humanforce Analytics:

• Dataset access determines which data the user can see. Datasets correspond to Humanforce products such as HR and Talent, with more datasets planned for the future.
• Access level determines what the user can do with that data. A user can be a Viewer (view only) or a Publisher (view, create and edit). Publisher permission groups are only available on the Analytics Pro product tier.

These two dimensions combine through permission groups. For example, assigning the HR Viewer group gives a user view-only access to HR data, while assigning the Talent Publisher group gives a user full editing access to Talent data.

A separate Admin Settings group controls access to administrative functions like user management, independent of any dataset.

Available permission groups

Humanforce Analytics includes the following permission groups by default:

The permission groups available to assign depend on which Humanforce products your organisation uses. For example, HR permission groups are only available if your organisation has an active HR subscription.

What each permission group controls

Admin Settings

The Admin Settings group grants access to administrative functions in Humanforce Analytics. This group operates independently of dataset access — it does not grant access to any dashboards, visualisations or data.

Users with Admin Settings can:

• Access the Settings page
• Create, edit and delete user accounts
• Assign and update permission groups for other users

A user with only the Admin Settings group will see Settings, Help Centre and Logout in the navigation menu, but will not see Home or Dashboards. Navigation items that are exclusive to the Analytics Pro tier — including Ask AI, Visualisations, Create a Visual and Subscriptions — will also not be visible.

Dashboard Viewer groups (HR Viewer, Talent Viewer)

Dashboard Viewer groups provide view-only access to dashboards and visualisations for a specific dataset.

Users with a Viewer group can:

• View dashboards and visualisations within the assigned dataset
• Apply filters and drill down into data
• Download dashboards
• Favourite content for quick access
• View AI-generated highlights (Analytics Pro only)

Users with a Viewer group cannot create, edit, save or share dashboards or visualisations.

Dashboard Publisher groups (HR Publisher, Talent Publisher)

Dashboard Publisher groups provide full access to dashboards and visualisations for a specific dataset. Publisher access includes everything a Viewer can do, plus additional capabilities.

Users with a Publisher group can:

• Do everything a Viewer can do, plus:
• Create new visualisations and dashboards
• Edit and rename dashboards they have created
• Copy dashboards
• Delete dashboards they have created
• Save visualisations
• Share content with other users
• Access the Create a Visual page (Analytics Pro only)

Standard dashboards designed by Humanforce cannot be edited, renamed or deleted. You can interact with them using the normal interactive elements such as filters and drill-downs.

Publisher groups are only available on the Analytics Pro product tier.

Common permission group combinations

Users typically need a combination of permission groups to do their job effectively. Here are some common configurations:

Analytics administrator with HR access (Analytics Pro)
Admin Settings + HR Publisher — This user can manage other users and create or edit HR dashboards.

HR reporting viewer
HR Viewer — This user can view HR dashboards and visualisations but cannot make changes.

Cross-dataset analyst (Analytics Pro)
HR Publisher + Talent Publisher — This user can create and edit dashboards across both HR and Talent datasets.

Administrator without data access
Admin Settings — This user can manage users and settings but cannot see any dashboards or data. This is suitable for IT administrators who manage access but do not need to view analytics.

Multi-dataset viewer
HR Viewer + Talent Viewer — This user can view dashboards and visualisations across both datasets but cannot create or edit content.

Important things to know

The highest level of access applies. If a user is assigned both a Viewer and Publisher group for the same dataset, Publisher access takes effect. You do not need to assign both — the Publisher group includes all Viewer capabilities.

Permission groups are dataset-specific. Assigning HR Viewer does not grant access to Talent data, and vice versa. To give a user access to multiple datasets, assign a permission group for each dataset.

Changes take effect promptly. When you update a user's permission groups, the changes are applied and synchronised automatically. You do not need to take any additional action for the new permissions to take effect.

Removing access restricts the user immediately. If you remove a user's only dataset permission group, they will no longer be able to see dashboards or data. If the user tries to access content they no longer have permission for, they will see an access denied page.

At least one Admin Settings user is required. The system prevents you from removing the last Admin Settings group to avoid locking all administrators out of user management.

Available groups depend on your subscription. The permission groups you can assign depend on which Humanforce products are active for your organisation and your product tier. Publisher groups, AI features and advanced navigation items (Ask AI, Visualisations, Create a Visual, Subscriptions) are only available on the Analytics Pro tier.

Related articles

• Create a user in Humanforce Analytics
• Edit a user in Humanforce Analytics
• Delete a user in Humanforce Analytics
• Feature Overview - Humanforce Analytics
• Logging into Humanforce Analytics