How to define user authorizations in SAP Business One

High Level Permissions in SAP Business One: Licenses

All permissions in SAP B1 start at the license level. There are two basic types of licenses: Professional and Limited. Within the Limited category, there are three subtypes: Limited Financial, Limited Logistics, and Limited Sales/CRM.

When you purchase licenses, they are designated as one of these types. The Limited licenses are interchangeable between the three categories.

• Note: This article does not cover setting up user IDs and logins. Users must be created first before licenses or authorizations can be assigned.

The Professional license gives users access to everything in SAP Business One. The Limited licenses restrict access to a specific set of functions.

Users cannot exceed the restrictions of their assigned license, regardless of any additional permissions granted. Licenses define the highest level of permissions.

In SAP B1, licenses are assigned in Administration > License, where you can allocate licenses to specific users.

• Important: Licenses are assigned to named users. SAP B1 does not support concurrent user licenses.

User Authorizations in SAP Business One

Once licenses are assigned, users must be given Authorizations. These are the specific permissions that control what a user can access and do within SAP Business One.

Authorizations are managed in Administration > System Initialization > Authorizations > General Authorizations.

On the left-hand side of the Authorizations screen, all users set up in SAP B1 are listed. To the right of each user, you’ll see their assigned authorizations.

When assigning permissions to a user, the most direct way is to click on the username and then use the modules list and dropdowns to set authorizations.

Each authorization has a dropdown with one of the following options:

• Full Authorization in SAP Business One: Grants full access to the related function, screen, and menu.
• No Authorization: Denies access to the function.
• Read Only: Allows the user to view the screen but not enter or change data.

When a user tries to access a screen or function that they have No Authorization to, B1 will display an error message and the option to allow a user with Authorization to log in and allow access to the function. This temporary authorization is lost as soon as the user exits the screen or function.

In addition to the various authorizations listed, some users will also need to be assigned Maximum discount levels for sales, purchases and general discounts. Not all uses will be impacted by this setting but sales users, for instance, may need to have control of discounts. Generally, if a user needs these settings, it will become evident early in the testing process.

SEIDOR Tips for Managing User Authorizations in SAP Business One

User Authorizations can be a lot to maintain, so to make setting them up easier, you can copy user authorizations to one or many users, with the Copy Authorizations button.

Tip for new user setup: It can be helpful to create template users. These are users you create to set up permission, screen settings, other functions and test to make sure they perform as expected. Then you can copy their Authorizations to every similar user in B1. This template user only needs to be given a license when testing, then the license can be re-assigned to a real user.

Another helpful option is the set-up users in Groups. Then the groups can be assigned Authorizations. The Groups are displayed in the Authorizations screen next to the users. When a user is assigned to a Group, the Group’s authorization will override any user’s individual authorization.

Authorizations can be changed at any time but will not affect the user until they log out and back into B1.

Common Issues

Sometimes users will get an error that looks like an Authorization limitation. When this happens check the bottom of the screen, if it’s a license limitation a red bar will say this. If the problem is an Authorization issue the user will get an override option. In this case, a license limit cannot be overridden, but an Authorized user can override an Authorization limitation.

Multiple Companies in SAP Business One

When a system is using multiple companies, each company is in a separate database. So, all users and their authorizations are set up in each company. But it’s important to note that licenses are assigned to users, regardless of how many companies the user needs access to. When setting up users, give the same user in each company the same User ID and password. This way they will use the same license in each company.

Users, Authorizations and other settings can be copied between companies if needed, to help make new company set up easier.

Authorizations can take some time and careful planning to set up properly, but will serve your company well in managing user access to do their work properly and securely.

Configuring SAP Business One user authorizations takes planning and attention to detail, but once set up properly, it helps your company manage user access securely and effectively.

With the guidance of SEIDOR, the #1 SAP Business One partner worldwide, your business can optimize permissions, improve security, and ensure every user has the right access to perform their role efficiently.

👉 Ready to simplify user management in SAP Business One? Contact SEIDOR today
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