What are the best practices when configuring a custom role in ArcGIS Online?

Answer

A role defines the set of privileges assigned to a member. Privileges are assigned to members through a default role or a custom role. While the privileges of a default role cannot be modified, organization administrators can refine the default roles in the organization to a fine-grained set of privileges by creating custom roles. Custom roles can be assigned to existing members or when inviting new members.

However, in some instances, the custom role is unavailable in the drop-down list when assigning the new or existing member’s role. There are also instances where the administrator attempts to configure the privileges of a custom role by dragging the handle of the Privilege compatibility slider, but some previously enabled privileges display in light blue (incompatible), and the slider reverts to its previous setting after saving.

The following are some best practices when configuring a custom role for assigning new or existing members.

Ensure the member’s user type is compatible with the privileges enabled for the custom role

To assign a custom role to an existing member, ensure the member’s user type is compatible with the custom role’s privileges. The privileges enabled for the custom role must be compatible with the member’s assigned user type. For example, a custom role with editing privileges enabled cannot be assigned to a member with a Viewer user type. Refer to ArcGIS Online: Privileges for more information.

The image below shows the compatible custom role displayed in the drop-down list when assigning a role to an organization member.

Disable administrative privileges for custom roles to be assigned to new members

It is not possible to assign a default Administrator role or custom role with administrative privileges enabled to a new member during the invitation process. Disable the administrative privileges of the custom role to assign it to the new member during the invitation process, and enable the administrative privileges for the custom role after the member has joined the organization. Refer to ArcGIS Online: Configure member roles for more information.

The image below shows the compatible custom role displayed in the drop-down list when assigning a role to a new member during the invitation process.

Ensure the set privilege compatibility setting is compatible with the enabled privileges

The Privilege compatibility slider functions as a reference for default administrators and those with the appropriate privileges to customize the privileges of a custom role. When dragging the handle of the Privilege compatibility slider, the compatible user types are displayed under the slider and some privileges in the Role privileges section are disabled. For example, when the privilege compatibility is set to View and edit, the compatible user types are displayed, and the Sharing privileges in the General privileges settings and Administrative privileges settings are disabled.

To ensure the set privilege compatibility setting is compatible with the enabled privileges, perform the following steps when configuring the custom role:

• Configure the privilege compatibility setting first before enabling the privileges in the Role privileges section.
• Ensure previously enabled privileges that are incompatible with the setting are disabled.