Whether it's price lists by partner tier or territory-specific promotions and training content, having a partner portal means you need to think about which Users should have access to your content. Luckily, Channeltivity makes this easy.


Whenever you add content to Channeltivity, you can set up permissions that specify access. This allows you to segment your content so that users only see their content. Setting permissions is done the same way everywhere. This article explains how to do it.



The Basics: Setting Content Permissions throughout the Partner Portal


Whenever you add content to your partner portal, you will be prompted to set permissions. The good news is that the way to set permissions is consistent across all areas. So, once you've learned how to do it in one place, you've got it down for everywhere.  In this example, you can see the Permissions & Visibility section for adding a Hero Widget to the home page:


 

The four radio buttons give you control over which of the Users have access:

  • Everyone: All Users with permissions to the current module
  • Selected Groups: Only Users in the selected Groups
  • Smart Permissions: All Users that match the rules that you specify
  • No One: Only Admin Users and Internal Users with administrative permissions to the current module


Picking the Selected Groups radio option reveals your Groups below, which you can check to set access:



Picking the Smart Permissions radio option allows you to define rules for giving Users access. In the example screenshot below, all Users located in the Europe, Middle East or Africa Regions will have access. 


Important: Smart Permissions should only be used sparingly for one-off permissions. If you're going to use a particular set of Smart Permissions rules more often, we recommend using Smart Groups instead.



For what Types of Content can I set Permissions?


You can set permissions on individual pieces of content in the modules that have a content focus. Modules that deal with partner data (e.g. Deal Registration and MDF) instead use the User's Groups and Organization to determine access.


Here are the modules that allow setting content permissions:



Which Factors determine a User's Permissions in Channeltivity's Partner Portal?


Channeltivity's Partner Portal has a powerful and flexible permissions architecture that can accommodate almost any use case. As a refresher, here's how access and permissions work in Channeltivity:

  1. Every User is assigned to one or more Groups.
  2. Each Group has access to any number of Modules. (e.g. the Library module, Training & Certification module, Deal Registration module, etc.). View a complete list of the available Group Permissions.
  3. Within certain Modules, you can assign more granular permissions to individual pieces of Content.


For example: 

  1. Jane (a User) is assigned to the "EMEA Gold Partners" Group.
  2. The "EMEA Gold Partners" Group has access to the following modules:
    1. Co-Branded Collateral
    2. Deal Registration
    3. Library
  3. Within the Library module, the "EMEA Gold Partners" Group has permissions to a document called "EMEA Gold Price List", among other content. 
  4. So when Jane logs into Channeltivity, she can access the Library and then within the Library, the "EMEA Gold Price List" document.



Example A: Library Content


In this example, let's assume we have a Channeltivity partner portal with 37 Users, and we're uploading a file to the Library. The red circled areas in the image below show how many Users have access to the Library as a whole and the content we're uploading. As you select more Groups, the total number of Users with access to your content is updated as well. Both of these numbers exclude Users with administrative access to the current module. 



Here's a visual explanation of the permissions hierarchy: 

  • 37 Users in the partner portal, of which 
    • 28 have Library module access, of which
      • 20 are in the three Groups checked in the image.



Example B: Layered Permissions with the Icons Widget and linked Destinations


This example is a bit more complex and looks at some of the layered permissions you might encounter when using the Hero/Banner Widget, Icons Widget or when creating Articles or News Items. In addition to setting permissions for the Widget or content itself, these areas also give you the ability to set permissions for linkable items such as Buttons/Icons in the Widget and titles of Articles and News Items. 


On to the example! Let's say we're adding a new Icons Widget to the home page of our partner portal that's only for Gold Silver partners. Simple enough:



Here's a visual explanation of the permissions hierarchy:

  • 37 Users in the partner portal, of which 
    • 16 are in the three Groups checked in the image.


Next, we'll add an Icon that we'll link to the MDF Request page. Even though the MDF Module has its own permissions, the Icons Widget is smart and will automatically only show the Icon to Users that can view the page. This is reflected on the page when you're adding the Icon. Once we select "MDF Requests" as the Destination (first red circle), the permissions area shows how this affects the Icon's visibility (second red circle):



Here's a visual explanation of the permissions hierarchy:

  • 37 Users in the partner portal, of which 
    • 16 have access to the Icons Widget (because they are in the two Groups Silver and Gold partners), of which
      • 5 also have access to MDF Requests


You could set further permissions on individual Icons to make them appear only for only certain Groups, but the concept stays the same. Reflecting and explaining how destination permissions affect access is used throughout our partner portal software, so keep your eyes open and don't hesitate to ask for help if you have any questions.



Related Documentation: