#Trailhead Challenges #OWD Access
If OWD is set to Private but a user can still access another user's records, how would you identify the exact source of access? Would you check roles, sharing rules, teams, or permission settings first?
Hi @Abhiram Sailada Good question! Even when OWD is Private, users can still access records through other sharing mechanisms.
In real-time projects, I usually check in this order:
- Profile & Permission Sets: Check for View All, Modify All, View All Data, or Modify All Data permissions.
- Role Hierarchy: Check whether the user is above the record owner in the hierarchy.
- Sharing Rules: Check owner-based and criteria-based sharing rules.
- Manual Sharing: Verify whether the record was shared directly with the user.
- Account/Opportunity/Case Teams: Check whether team membership provides access.
- Other Access: Check public groups, territories, and Apex-managed sharing where applicable.
Open the record's Sharing Hierarchy (if available) and use the User Record Access information to investigate the user's access.
Also, remember that OWD Private doesn't mean nobody else can access the record. It only defines the default level of record access.
The key is to identify which permission or sharing mechanism is granting additional access.
