Global data restrictions
Restrict the data users can interact with in your data sources.
Global data restrictions hide irrelevant or sensitive records across dynamic blocks, dropdown options, and inline filters. You set a rule once, and it applies to the whole app. Your users see the records they need and nothing else.
Client portals are a common use case. They restrict each client to their own data, which protects privacy and blocks access to other clients’ information.
Getting started
To open global data restrictions, open your app in the Studio, go to the Users tab, and open Data restrictions. This tab lists every restriction in your app. Click Add restriction to create one.
Adding a restriction
Select a source to define restrictions
A restriction rule applies to one table in your data source. Select the source as you do when you connect a block. Use the “Used in this app” toggle to list only the sources your app already uses.
Apply restrictions to
A restriction rule can apply to one or several user groups. You cannot apply a restriction to a single user, unless that user is alone in a user group.
Specifying restriction types & scopes
Restriction types
A restriction is made up of restriction types.
| Type | Description |
| View | Restrict what users can only or can’t see |
| Create | Restrict users from creating new records |
| Edit | Restrict what users can only or can’t edit |
| Delete | Restrict what users can only or can’t delete |
Choose one or all of these restriction types. The rules then apply to the table and the user groups you selected.
Restriction scopes
A restriction also contains one of two scopes.
| Scope | Description |
| Can only | Specifies the records that users can take any of the available actions on (viewing, creating, editing or deleting). |
| Can’t | Specifies the records that users can’t take any of the available actions on (viewing, creating, editing or deleting). |
For example: Table X has 5 records: A, B, C, D, E and the following restriction rules applied:
| User group | Restriction rule |
| A | Can only view record A, B, C |
| B | Can only view record D, E |
| C | Can’t view record E |
Result: A user in all three user groups can view records A, B, C, and D.
Adding conditions
Add conditions to link records to the table and user group. For example, to let User group A view only its own records in Table W, match the logged-in user’s email to the Email field of Table W. Each user then sees only the Table W records with their email.
What your app users see
This table shows how global data restrictions change what your app users see.
| Type | Scope | Action buttons | Dropdown field options | Inline filters | Customizable forms | Dynamic block records |
| View | Can only view certain or all records | N/A | App users will only be able to see the dropdown options for records specified by restriction rules. | App users will only be able to see the options for records specified by restriction rules (i.e if there is a “Status” inline filter, and only “Done” & “In Progress” items are visible, then only display the Done & In Progress filters). | N/A | App users will only be able to see the options for records specified by restriction rules (same behavior as conditional block filter). |
| View | Can’t view certain or all records | N/A | App users will not be able to see the dropdown options for records specified by restriction rules. | App users will not be able to see the options for records specified by restriction rules (i.e if there is a “Status” inline filter, and all “ToDo” items are restricted, then don’t display the ToDo filter). | N/A | App users will not be able to see the options for records specified by restriction rules (same behavior as conditional block filter). |
| Create | Can’t add records | App users will not be able to see any configured add record action buttons used in blocks connected to the restricted table. | N/A | N/A | App users will not be able to submit form entries. They still see a submit button, but it is disabled. | N/A |
| Edit & Delete | Can only edit/delete certain or all records | App users will see the configured edit, update, or delete action buttons for the records that the restriction rules allow. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Edit & Delete | Can’t edit/delete certain or all records | App users will not be able to see any configured edit, update or delete action buttons for the records specified by restriction rules. | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Adding more than one restriction to a table
You can add several restriction rules to a table. Each combination of table and user group can appear only once. This limits conflicting rules.
For example, a rule on the Full-time table already applies to the HR user group. You can add another rule to the Full-time table, but you cannot select HR again. To use HR in the new rule, first remove it from the existing rule.
