What is a Sharing Rule?

– Automated rules that grant access to groups of users
– Exceptions to Organization Wide Defaults
– Irrelevant for Public Read/Write organizations
– Levels of Access that can be granted
• Read Only
• Read/Write

Notes:
• Sharing rules should be used when a user or group of users needs access to records not granted them by either the role hierarchy setup or the organization wide default settings.
- Sharing rules open up access whereas organization wide defaults restrict access.
- You can use sharing rules to grant wider access to data. You cannot restrict access below your organization-wide default levels.
• Sharing rules apply to all new and existing records owned by the specified role or group members.
• Sharing rules apply to both active and inactive users.
• When you change the access levels for a sharing rule, all existing records are automatically updated to reflect the new access levels.
• When you delete a sharing rule, the sharing access created by that rule is automatically removed.
• When you transfer records from one user to another, the sharing rules are reevaluated to add or remove access to the transferred records as  necessary.
• When you modify which users are in a group or role, the sharing rules are reevaluated to add or remove access as necessary.
• For contact, opportunity and case sharing rules, if the role or group members do not have access to the account associated with the shared contact, opportunity or case the rule automatically gives them access to view the account as well.
• Managers in the role hierarchy are automatically granted the same access that users below them in the hierarchy have from a sharing rule.
• You can edit the access levels for any sharing rule. You cannot change the specified groups or roles for the rule.