SmarTeam Workflow Object Security

SmarTeam “workflow security” and “workflow sharing” settings can provide powerful capabilities or cause serious headaches related to object-level security.  By preventing users outside of the workflow from accessing objects active in the workflow process, or by preventing objects from participating in more than one workflow at a time, these features can do a lot to enforce the usage of workflow and adherence to corporate processes. 

Workflow security and workflow sharing control how objects are accessed and controlled outside of the workflow where the settings are applied.  Enabling workflow security (the ‘Flow Object Security’ setting; default OFF), for instance, prevents any user from modifying an object unless it is done in the context of the workflow.  Disabling workflow sharing (the ‘Share Objects’ setting; default ON) prevents the object from being attached to another workflow process while still attached to a “flowing” workflow.  Be careful with these settings; more than one SmarTeam administrator has brought normal operations to a screeching halt by enforcing workflow security without explaining it to the organization. 

These settings are configurable on a per-workflow basis and can be found by viewing the properties of the flowchart within the Flow Chart Designer found in the SmarTeam Admin Console.  To view the flowchart properties, right click anywhere in the flowchart and click Properties… 

These settings are just a small subset of what can be configured for workflows within ENOVIA SmarTeam, but can have a great impact on users within your organization.  As always, thorough testing performed in a good test environment will go a long way towards preventing any mishaps.  See the SmarTeam Editor Administration Guide for additional detail on workflow settings, or contact us to discuss how you can effectively use these settings to model and enforce your business processes.

Tags: object-level security, security, security model, SmarTeam-Workflow