Troubleshooting Permissions
Users Cannot See Any Data
If users are unable to view any data after permissions have been configured, verify the following before troubleshooting further:
- Ensure Permissions are enabled from Settings → Permissions.
- Verify that the user has been added to the appropriate Team.
- Confirm that the team has access to the required Data Source or Table.
- Check whether any configured Table Restrictions are filtering out all records.
- Test the same resource using an Insights Admin account to isolate permission-related issues.
Start troubleshooting from the highest level (permissions, team membership, and resource access) before investigating row-level filters.
Users See Incorrect Data
If users can access data but the results are not what you expect, review your table restrictions and filter expressions.
- Review all configured Table Restriction expressions.
- Verify that every column name matches the database schema exactly.
- Check for spelling mistakes or syntax errors in filter expressions.
- Validate the same conditions directly against the database using an SQL query.
Even a small typo in a column name or filter expression can prevent users from seeing the expected records.
Security Considerations
Insights permissions help secure access within the application, but they are not a replacement for database-level security. Understanding their scope is important when designing your access model.
What Permissions Do Not Protect
- Direct database access — Users with direct access to the database are not restricted by Insights permissions.
- External API access — Permissions do not apply if users can access backend APIs outside of Insights.
- Exported data — Once data has been exported to CSV or Excel, table restrictions are no longer enforced.
- Shared workbook content — Resource sharing follows workbook permissions and should be managed carefully.
What Permissions Protect
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- Queries executed within Insights.
- Charts and dashboards viewed through the Insights interface.
- Data exploration using the Query Builder and Workbook interface.
- Requests made through the Insights frontend.
Combine application roles, team permissions, and row-level table restrictions to implement a layered security model. This provides the most effective control over who can access data within Insights.
