Getting Started with Salesforce Sharing Rules: A Practical Guide for Admins

Proper data access is at the heart of every successful Salesforce implementation. While Organization-Wide Defaults and Roles control baseline access, Sharing Rules give Admins the flexibility to grant access based on real business needs.

In this practical guide, we’ll break down how to use Salesforce Sharing Rules to open up record access safely and strategically—without compromising data security.

What Are Sharing Rules?

Sharing Rules allow Admins to extend record access beyond the role hierarchy. They are declarative configurations that open up access based on:

• Record Owner
• Criteria (field values)
• Public Groups, Roles, or Territories

Why Sharing Rules Matter

Types of Sharing Rules

1. Owner-Based Sharing Rules
   Grants access based on who owns the record.

2. Criteria-Based Sharing Rules
   Grants access based on field values (e.g., Region = “West”).

3. Guest User Sharing Rules
   Extends access to unauthenticated users via Experience Cloud.

Sharing Rule Capabilities by Object Type

How to Create a Sharing Rule

Step-by-Step:

1. Go to Setup → Sharing Settings
2. Choose the object (e.g., Account)
3. Click New Sharing Rule
4. Select Based on owner or Based on criteria
5. Define the source (who) and target (who gets access)
6. Choose access level: Read Only or Read/Write
7. Save and deploy

Real-World Example: Sharing Opportunities by Region

Scenario:

West Coast Sales team needs to see all Opportunities with Region = “West”.

Solution:

• Create a Criteria-Based Sharing Rule
• Object: Opportunity
• Criteria: Region__c = 'West'
• Share with: Public Group “West Sales”
• Access: Read/Write

Now reps outside the owner hierarchy can collaborate on deals.

Using Public Groups for Flexibility

Public Groups simplify sharing rule maintenance.

Why use Public Groups?

• Combine users, roles, and territories
• Use the same group in multiple rules
• Easier to manage than custom roles

Example: Public Group = Support Leadership
Includes: Role = Support Manager, User = ExternalConsultant

Monitoring and Troubleshooting Sharing

Tools for Admins:

• Sharing Button on records (classic only or via Lightning component)
• Why Can’t I See This Record? Lightning feature
• Debug Logs for manual sharing triggers
• Sharing Settings Reports (custom-built)

Common Use Cases for Sharing Rules

Tips and Best Practices

1. Keep It Simple

Avoid excessive sharing rules—combine where possible.

2. Use Groups Instead of Roles

They’re easier to manage and more flexible.

3. Review Sharing Hierarchy Regularly

Ensure rules still align with organizational structure and compliance.

4. Avoid Performance Bottlenecks

Too many sharing rules can impact sharing recalculations during data updates.

Advanced Options

• Apex Managed Sharing: Custom logic via code for complex scenarios
• Manual Sharing: One-off record sharing by owners
• Territory Model Sharing: Advanced field sales orgs
• Sharing Sets: For Experience Cloud users

Limitations to Be Aware Of

Conclusion

Salesforce Sharing Rules provide Admins with a powerful way to expand access while maintaining control. By using Owner- and Criteria-Based rules strategically, you can support collaboration, enforce security, and ensure users get the access they need—no more, no less.

Need a sharing rule planning worksheet or example configurations? Drop a comment and we’ll send over a customizable template!