# How sharing controls report and dashboard data

*Platform Administrator Study Guide · Data and Analytics Management · Last updated September 26, 2026 · https://certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator/data-and-analytics-management/sharing-model-impact-on-reports*

Separates the three layers that decide what someone sees in analytics: folder access decides who can open, save or manage a report; record sharing decides which rows appear; field permissions decide which columns show values. Covers running users for dashboards and subscriptions.

- Certification: Salesforce Platform Administrator
- Exam section: Data and Analytics Management
- Study guide: https://certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator

**Official exam objective:**

> Describe the impact of the sharing model on reports (visibility, understand folder structure, sharing fields).

## What the exam expects

- Explain why two users running the same report see different rows, naming the org-wide default, role hierarchy, sharing rules and manual shares as the causes.
- Choose Viewer, Editor or Manager folder access for a requirement, and design a folder and subfolder structure that matches who should see which reports.
- Diagnose a blank column (field permissions) versus missing rows (record access or the Show Me scope filter).
- Predict what dashboard viewers and subscription recipients see based on the running user, and when that exposes more data than they normally have.
- Fix a visibility gap with the narrowest tool, such as a sharing rule to a public group rather than View All Data.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Report record access | Never wider than the running user's own access | [Control Who Sees What](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_data_access.htm&type=5), [Folder Access Levels](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.analytics_folder_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Org-wide default | Baseline access; lock to most restrictive | [Control Who Sees What](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_data_access.htm&type=5) |
| Role hierarchy | Users above can view and report on records below | [Create a User Role](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.admin_roles.htm&type=5) |
| Sharing rules | Only grant more access; never stricter than the default | [Control Who Sees What](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_data_access.htm&type=5) |
| Field permissions | Hide fields in reports, list views and search | [Control Who Sees What](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_data_access.htm&type=5) |
| Viewer folder access | View reports only | [Folder Access Levels](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.analytics_folder_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Editor folder access | View and save reports in the folder | [Folder Access Levels](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.analytics_folder_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Manager folder access | Editor plus share, rename and delete the folder | [Folder Access Levels](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.analytics_folder_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Folder shares in the UI | Up to 25 users, groups, roles or territories | [Share a Folder](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=analytics.rd_folders_share_enhanced.htm&type=5) |
| Folder shared with a role | Not visible to superior roles automatically | [Create a User Role](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.admin_roles.htm&type=5) |
| Subfolder depth | Up to 3 levels | [Create a Subfolder](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.rd_folders_create_subfolders.htm&type=5) |
| Dashboard running user | Me, another person, or the viewer | [Dashboard Data Visibility](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=analytics.dashboards_view_as.htm&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Which three record-level mechanisms can make two users see different rows in the same report? → The org-wide default, the role hierarchy, and sharing rules or manual sharing; folder access adds no rows ([Control Who Sees What](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_data_access.htm&type=5))
- What can an Editor do in a report folder that a Viewer can't, and what is reserved for a Manager? → Editors save reports and dashboards in the folder; sharing, renaming and deleting the folder need Manager ([Folder Access Levels](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.analytics_folder_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5))
- Why can't you limit one subfolder to a single team, and what do you do instead? → Access is controlled at the root folder, so move those reports to their own top-level folder and share it ([Create a Subfolder](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.rd_folders_create_subfolders.htm&type=5))
- When a column shows values for some users and is empty for others who see the same rows, what do you check? → Field-level security for those users, not the page layout or folder access ([Control Who Sees What](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_data_access.htm&type=5))
- What do recipients see when a report subscription runs as another person? → That person's data, which can be more or less than their own; it needs Subscribe to Reports: Set Running User ([Subscribe to Reports](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.reports_subscribe_lex.htm&type=5&language=en_US))

## Sources

- [Control Who Sees What](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.security_data_access.htm&type=5)
- [Access Levels for Report and Dashboard Folders](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.analytics_folder_access.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Enhanced Folder Sharing for Reports and Dashboards](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=analytics.analytics_sharing_enable.htm&type=5)
- [Share a Lightning Report or Dashboard Folder](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=analytics.rd_folders_share_enhanced.htm&type=5)
- [Create a Report or Dashboard Subfolder in Lightning Experience](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.rd_folders_create_subfolders.htm&type=5)
- [Create a User Role](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.admin_roles.htm&type=5)
- [Sharing Rules](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.security_about_sharing_rules.htm&type=5)
- [Configure Dashboard Data Visibility in Lightning Experience](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=analytics.dashboards_view_as.htm&type=5)
- [Subscribe to Reports in Lightning Experience](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.reports_subscribe_lex.htm&type=5&language=en_US)
- [Build a Report in Lightning Experience](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=reports_build_lex.htm&language=en_US&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 Platform Administrator pack (USD $19): https://certifyforce.com/practice-exams