D365 Security Role: Create New Security Role

In Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, role-based security is aligned with the structure of the business. Users are assigned to security roles based on their responsibilities in the organization and their participation in business processes. The administrator grants access to the duties that users in a role perform, not to the program elements that users must use.

In role-based security, access is not granted to individual users, only to security roles. Users are assigned to roles. A user who is assigned to a security role has access to the set of privileges that is associated with that role. A user who is not assigned to any role has no privileges.

There are existing privileges, duties and roles for each functionality available out of the box in Dynamics 365. Nevertheless, to meet specific requirements new roles can be created easily.

 In order to fabricate a new security role in D365, following steps need to be pondered.

1.      Create a ‘Privilege’

2.      Create a ‘Duty’ and associate privilege with it. This step is optional

3.      Create a ‘Role’ and associate duty or direct privilege to it.

4.      Publish the Role.

5.      Assign role to the user.

 Find Menu Items

Menu items are a reference to an object that we need to add to a menu. So hiding and unhiding of any feature depends on the menu items. That's why its necessary to know how to find the menu item of targeted feature. Here, I am going to show steps that how one can know the exact menu items to grant access accordingly.

We have three types of menu items: Display, Output, and Action. Display is used to add forms, Output is used for reports, and Action is used for classes.

Menu items are also added as privileges to the security system. Users that aren't an administrator will not be able to see the menu items unless they are assigned a role, duty, or privilege that gives them access to the menu item's required access level.

Steps to find ‘Display Menu Item’ of forms

1.      Navigate to the desired form

2.      Right click on it > select form information 

3.      On form information form > Go to Administration tab > Menu item name field: Copy the name.

Steps to find ‘Output Menu Item’ of Reports

1.      Take example ‘Vendor Aging Report’.

2.      Track navigation of ‘Vendor Aging Report’ i.e. Accounts Payable > Reports & Inquiries > Vendor Aging Report

3.      Now open visual studio

4.      Go to User Interface > Menus > Accounts Payable > Reports & Inquiries > drill down exact item i.e. ‘VendorAgingBalance’ in above mentioned example.

(Note: to verify name of report> Open properties window and track ‘Label’ it should be same as report name on UI.)

Steps to find ‘Action Menu Item’ of Classes

1.      Go to User Interface > Forms > Search for the form> Right click > open designer

2.      Track form (for instance ‘PriceDiscAdmPost’ button > On properties window > Note down ‘Menu item name’ and note ‘Menu item type’

Create Privilege

In the security model for Finance and Operations, a privilege specifies the level of access that is required to perform a job. A privilege contains grants to individual application objects, such as user interface elements, entities and tables.

Steps to create a ‘Privilege’

1.      Navigate to System Administration > Security Configuration > Privilege > Click Create New. 

2.      Enter new privilege name and click OK. 

3.      Click desired references depends on the nature of UI type of chosen functionality. For instance, Action Menu Items > Filter menu item for the desired functionality from the list.

4.      Set properties for the selected menu item from available list of grants.

5.      Click OK

6.      Publish the newly created privilege.

7.      Go to Unpublished objects > Select the newly created privilege.

8.      Click ‘Publish selected’.

Create Duty

Duties correspond to parts of a business process. The administrator assigns duties to security roles. A duty can be assigned to more than one role. In the security model for Finance and Operations, duties contain privileges.

 Steps to create a ‘Duty’

9.      Navigate to System Administration > Security Configuration > Duties > Click Create New.

10.   Enter new Duty name

11.   Navigate to References > Privileges > Add references > Select the newly created privilege from the list.

12.   Click OK.

13.   Go to Unpublished objects > Select the newly created duty

14.   Click ‘Publish selected’.

Create Role

All users must be assigned to at least one security role in order to have access to Finance and Operations. The security roles that are assigned to a user determine the duties that the user can perform and the parts of the user interface that the user can view.

Steps to create a ‘Role’

15.   Navigate to System Administration > Security Configuration > Roles > Click Create New.

16.   Enter new role name and click OK.

17.   Navigate to References > Duties (OR) Privileges (directly) > Add references > Select the newly created duty/privilege from the list.

18.   Click OK.

Publish Role

19.   Go to Unpublished objects > Select the newly created Role

20.   Click ‘Publish selected’.

  Assign Role to User

Now Role is prepared to be assigned to user(s). Following are the steps need to be followed.

1.      Go to System Administration > Users > Users

2.      Track user and open details page

3.      Click ‘Assign Roles’> Select the desired role from available list of roles.

4.      Click Ok.