The File Cabinet is the central location to store all those files your company needs to run efficiently. But just like any traditional file cabinet, we should keep certain drawers under lock and key. Learn with us how to restrict access to files in NetSuite.
About Restricting Files
There are two important things to understand about restricting files in the File Cabinet. First, we can lock only a folder. Secondly, we may make an exception to unlock specific files.
Lock the Folder, Not the File
All files are organized by folders in the NetSuite File Cabinet. One cannot actually lock just a specific file. If you would like to restrict a single file, you will need to create a folder for that file to inhabit. You can then restrict this new folder to only certain users. There are a couple important things to note, however, from the NetSuite documentation:
If a subfolder is created under a parent folder after the parent folder was restricted to a group, the subfolder automatically inherits the parent folder’s restriction. You can change the subfolder’s restriction.
If a parent folder’s restriction is changed after a subfolder was created, the subfolder does not automatically inherit the new restriction. You can manually apply the restriction to the subfolder.
Besides those caveats, restricting a folder’s access is relatively straightforward. Just follow these two easy steps:
Step 1: Create or Edit a Folder
The first step is to create a new folder or edit an existing one. You can select the “edit” option on a folder line or click the “New Folder” button to create a new folder.
Step 2: Select a Criteria By Which to Restrict Access
On the edit/create page for a folder, you will see several options for restricting access.
If you select more than one set of criteria to restrict access by, they will all combine to make a more specific filter. Also, notice the “Private” option. This can make the folder and its contents accessible to only you.
Put a File Outside the Lock
Although you cannot lock a specific file, you can unlock one. That may initially sound counter-intuitive, but it works well. Imagine for example that you keep a file in a folder that’s locked. If you want to give open access to that one file without unlocking the whole folder or creating a copy somewhere else, NetSuite has you covered. Here’s how to unlock only a specific file:
Step 1: Edit the File You Want to Restrict
Just like editing the folder, we can click the “edit” option to modify a file’s settings.
Step 2: Select the “Company-Wide Usage” Checkbox
To make this file accessible to everyone, select the “Company-Wide Usage” checkbox. This will allow all employees in your company to view this file. They will be able to view and “access” the parent folder, but only those files that are unlocked will be visible when they view that folder.
Conclusion
We hope you see that restricting access to files is relatively simple. Just like traditional locks and keys to file cabinets, NetSuite allows users to keep important information safe when needed.