Roles and Role Profiles in ERPNext
Roles and Role Profiles help organizations manage user access efficiently in ERPNext. A Role defines what a user can access and perform within the system, while a Role Profile acts as a template that groups multiple roles together for easier assignment.
Permissions for each role are managed through the Role Permissions Manager, allowing administrators to control access to documents, reports, modules, and business processes.
To access Roles, navigate to:
Home > Users and Permissions > Role
1. Understanding Roles
A Role is a collection of permissions assigned to a user.
For example:
- Sales User can access Quotations and Sales Orders.
- Accounts User can manage invoices and payments.
- HR User can access employee and payroll information.
ERPNext comes with many predefined roles that cover common business functions. Additional custom roles can also be created to meet specific organizational requirements.
Roles determine what documents, reports, and modules a user can access within ERPNext.
2. How to Create a New Role
Follow these steps to create a custom role:
- Open the Role list and click New.
- Enter a name for the role.
- Select whether the role should have Desk Access.
- Save the document.
A role with Desk Access can access ERPNext modules and company records. The actual level of access depends on the permissions configured for that role.
After creating the role, you can configure permissions through the Role Permissions Manager.
Additional Configuration Options
Roles can also be configured with:
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Domain Restrictions
- Custom Permission Rules
These settings help strengthen security and limit access based on business requirements.
3. Understanding Role Profiles
Role Profiles simplify user management by grouping multiple roles into a single reusable template.
Instead of assigning several roles manually to every new employee, administrators can create a Role Profile and assign it in one step.
For example, a Sales Supervisor may require:
- Employee
- Sales User
- Sales Manager
- Sales Master Manager
These roles can be combined into a single Role Profile and assigned whenever a Sales Supervisor joins the organization.
Role Profiles significantly reduce user onboarding time by allowing multiple roles to be assigned at once.
4. How to Create a Role Profile
To access Role Profiles, navigate to:
Home > Users and Permissions > Permissions > Role Profile
Follow these steps:
- Open the Role Profile list and click New.
- Enter a name for the profile.
- Select all roles that should be included.
- Save the Role Profile.
Once saved, the Role Profile can be assigned directly to users during onboarding.
5. Benefits of Using Role Profiles
Organizations with large teams benefit significantly from Role Profiles because they:
- Reduce repetitive role assignments.
- Ensure consistent permissions across departments.
- Improve user onboarding efficiency.
- Minimize configuration errors.
- Simplify permission management as teams grow.
For example:
- HR Team members can receive HR-related roles automatically.
- Sales Team members can receive all required CRM and Sales roles.
- Finance Team members can receive accounting and reporting roles.
TIP
Use Role Profiles whenever multiple employees require the same combination of roles. This helps maintain standardized access controls and reduces administrative effort.
Related Topics
- Role Permissions Manager
- User Management
- User Permissions
- Role Based Permissions
- Two-Factor Authentication
SUMMARY
Roles define user access and permissions across ERPNext, while Role Profiles group multiple roles into reusable templates. Together, they help organizations manage access efficiently, maintain security, and simplify user onboarding.
