Article summary: Role mapping automates the assignment of administrative permissions across your network. By linking HR attributes to Speakap roles, you can ensure that the right people have the right level of access, whether network-wide or restricted to specific local units, without manual intervention. Good to know: the role mapping is preferred over the group mapping when it comes to giving users permissions in Business Unit(s), Department(s) and Group(s).
1. The Role mapping dashboard
The Role mapping interface allows you to create and manage rules that define user permissions based on their professional data. Like other sync components, it features full version control.
- Revision History: By clicking the clock icon (as seen in the screenshots), you can access the Change history. This log tracks every revision of your role logic, showing the timestamp, the administrator who made the change, and any specific comments regarding the update.
- Management Tools: From the dashboard, you can quickly edit, delete, or add new rules to the active configuration.
2. Configuring role mapping rules
Creating a role mapping rule involves defining a Target, a Value, and an Expression.
A. Selecting the Target
The "Target" defines the scope of the permission you are assigning. As shown in the dropdown menu screenshots, you can choose from:
- Network role: Controls permissions for the entire Speakap network (e.g., Company-wide Admin).
- Business unit: Controls permissions limited to a specific Business Unit.
- Local department: Controls permissions limited to a specific local team.
- Group: Controls administrative rights within a specific topic-based group.
B. Choosing the Value
The "Value" represents the actual role or permission level.
- Standard Roles: Common values include admin or member.
- Custom Roles: If your network has defined custom roles (e.g., "Branding role," "Compass," or "Feature Previewer"), these will appear in the dropdown list for selection.
C. Defining the Expression
The "Expression" is the logic that triggers the role assignment. For example, as shown in the screenshots:
department == "Management" targets the Network Role admin.
This ensures that any user identified as part of the Management department in your HR system is automatically granted network administrator rights in Speakap.
3. Updating and reviewing rules
When you modify an existing rule, a modal appears (seen in the screenshot) to help you finalize the logic:
- Target Selection: Switch the scope (e.g., from Network to Business Unit).
- Value Selection: Update the specific permission level.
- Expression Editor: Add or refine the criteria that users must meet.
- Impact Preview: Once the expression is saved, the system identifies the number of users currently matching that rule (e.g., "4 users" in the management example), allowing you to verify the impact before applying the update.
4. Benefits of automated role mapping
- Security: Automatically revokes administrative access if an employee's job title or department changes in the HR system.
- Efficiency: Eliminates the need for Network Admins to manually promote local managers.
- Consistency: Ensures that every Store Manager or Department Head has the exact same set of tools across all locations.