SharePoint Site Permissions Inheritance: Best Practices and Tutorial

SharePoint is a powerful platform for collaboration and document management in organizations. One of the key aspects of managing SharePoint sites is setting up and managing permissions effectively. In this article, we will discuss the best practices for SharePoint site permissions inheritance and provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to manage permissions.

Understanding SharePoint Site Permissions

Before we dive into the best practices, let's first understand how SharePoint site permissions work. In SharePoint, permissions can be assigned at different levels - site collection level, site level, list/library level, and item level. When permissions are assigned at a higher level, they are automatically inherited by the lower levels unless explicitly broken.

Best Practices for SharePoint Site Permissions Inheritance

Now that we have a basic understanding of SharePoint site permissions, let's explore some best practices for managing permissions effectively:

1. Plan your permission structure

Before setting up permissions, it is important to plan your permission structure. Think about the different user groups and their access requirements. Consider creating SharePoint groups to manage permissions at a group level rather than individual user level. This will make it easier to manage permissions and ensure consistency across your sites.

2. Use site templates for consistent permission settings

SharePoint allows you to create site templates that can be used to create new sites with predefined settings, including permissions. By creating site templates with consistent permission settings, you can ensure that new sites created in your organization follow the same permission structure. This can save time and effort in managing permissions for each new site individually.

3. Avoid breaking inheritance unless necessary

While SharePoint allows you to break inheritance and assign unique permissions at lower levels, it is generally recommended to avoid breaking inheritance unless necessary. Breaking inheritance can lead to complex permission structures and make it harder to manage permissions in the long run. Only break inheritance when there is a specific need for unique permissions at a lower level.

4. Regularly review and update permissions

Permissions should not be set and forgotten. It is important to regularly review and update permissions to ensure that users have the appropriate access and permissions are aligned with the changing needs of your organization. Set up a review process to periodically review permissions and remove unnecessary access.

Tutorial: How to Manage SharePoint Site Permissions

Now that we have covered the best practices, let's dive into a step-by-step tutorial on how to manage SharePoint site permissions:

Step 1: Access the SharePoint Site Settings

To manage permissions, you need to have the necessary permissions yourself. Navigate to the site for which you want to manage permissions and click on the "Settings" gear icon in the top right corner. From the drop-down menu, select "Site settings".

Step 2: Navigate to the "Permissions" page

In the Site Settings page, under the "Users and Permissions" section, click on "Site permissions". This will take you to the "Permissions" page where you can manage permissions for the site.

Step 3: Assign permissions

In the Permissions page, you can assign permissions to individual users or groups. To assign permissions to a user, click on "Grant Permissions" and enter the user's email address or username. Select the desired permission level for the user and click "Share". To assign permissions to a group, click on "Create Group" and enter the group name and description. Add users to the group and assign the desired permission level.

Step 4: Manage permissions inheritance

To manage permissions inheritance, you can choose to break inheritance at a lower level and assign unique permissions. To break inheritance, navigate to the desired list or library, click on the "Settings" gear icon, and select "List/Library settings". In the settings page, under the "Permissions and Management" section, click on "Permissions for this document library" or "Permissions for this list". Here, you can break inheritance and manage permissions at the list or library level.

Conclusion

Managing SharePoint site permissions effectively is crucial for ensuring the security and proper access to your organization's information. By following the best practices discussed in this article and using the step-by-step tutorial, you can set up and manage permissions in SharePoint in a structured and efficient manner. Remember to regularly review and update permissions to align with the changing needs of your organization.