The basic purpose of security is to limit access to a resource on a per user basis. Resources may either be operations, or data. For example, you may wish to restrict some users from editing records, and other from viewing only certain records.

When used to limit access to operations, security can help to ensure that the desired workflow chain is maintained. For example, by removing the option to edit all fields in the data record, users can be prevented from mistakenly entering the wrong information or altering previously entered information.

Security can also be used to help protect data, allowing only select groups of individuals to operate on particular records. This is useful if you wish to prevent a group of users from viewing records that are of no concern to them, for example customers or users working on different projects.

ProblemTracker allows you to set security for both operations and data using a User Group security model similar to that used by Microsoft Windows NT. You can create any number of user groups and assign access to operations and other privileges to each group. Individual users can then be assigned to groups. Being a member of a group means that you obtain all the rights and privileges assigned to the group. For example, to be able to access the Admin operations, you must be a member of a group(s) that has the Admin privilege assigned to it.

In addition, when you create a record, you can selectively make it visible to any group of which you are a member using the Record Visibility feature. All other groups will not be allowed access to the record.

Information on customizing user group privileges can be found in the Privileges Help Section. The Record Visibility feature is discussed in the General Preferences section.