Debugging Record Visibility in Salesforce

 

Debugging Record Visibility in Salesforce

Here's a comprehensive guide to debug why a record is not visible to a user:

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1. Check Object-Level Security (OLS)

Profile & Permission Sets

• Go to Setup → Profiles → find the user's profile → check if the object has at least "Read" access
• Check all Permission Sets assigned to the user for object access
• Use Setup → Permission Set Groups if applicable

Setup → Users → [User] → Permission Set Assignments
Setup → Profiles → [Profile] → Object Settings → [Object]

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2. Check Field-Level Security (FLS)

Even if the record is visible, key fields might be hidden:

• Setup → Profiles → [Profile] → Field-Level Security → [Object]
• Or use Setup → Object Manager → [Object] → Fields → [Field] → Set Field-Level Security

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3. Check Record-Level Access (Sharing)

This is the most common culprit. Use the "Why Can't I See This Record?" tool or manual checks:

A. Use the Record Access Checker (Best Tool)

Setup → Sharing Settings → [Object] → (or directly on the record)
Record Detail Page → Sharing Button → View All Users with Access

B. Check OWD (Org-Wide Defaults)

Setup → Sharing Settings → Org-Wide Defaults

• If OWD = Private → user needs explicit sharing
• If OWD = Public Read Only / Read Write → all users can see it

C. Role Hierarchy

• Does the user's role sit above the record owner's role?
• Setup → Roles → verify hierarchy

D. Sharing Rules

• Setup → Sharing Settings → [Object] → Sharing Rules
• Check if any rule grants access to the user's role/group/territory

E. Manual Sharing

• On the record → Sharing button → check if user or their group has access

F. Teams (Account/Opportunity/Case Teams)

• Is the user part of the record's team?

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4. Use the Salesforce Debug Tools

A. "Why Can't I See This Record?" Tool

Available in Lightning:

Setup → Users → [User] → Login → Navigate to Record → Check Access

B. Record Access API (SOQL)

sql

-- Check if user has access to a specific record
SELECT RecordId, HasReadAccess, HasEditAccess, HasDeleteAccess
FROM UserRecordAccess
WHERE UserId = '[UserId]'
AND RecordId = '[RecordId]'

C. SOQL for Sharing Table

sql

-- Example for Account sharing
SELECT Id, AccountId, UserOrGroupId, AccountAccessLevel, RowCause
FROM AccountShare
WHERE AccountId = '[RecordId]'

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5. Check List View / Report Filters

The record might exist but be filtered out:

• Is the List View scoped to "My Records" instead of "All Records"?
• Check list view filters and sharing settings
• In reports, check report type, filters, and row-level access

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6. Check Record Type Visibility

• Setup → Profiles → [Profile] → Record Types
• If the record's Record Type is not assigned to the user's profile, it may not be visible in certain views

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7. Territory Management (if enabled)

• Is the user assigned to the territory that owns the record?
• Setup → Territory Management → Territories → [Territory] → Assigned Users

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8. Communities / Experience Cloud (if applicable)

• Is the user an External/Community user? They have extra restrictions
• Check Sharing Sets and Share Groups for community users
• Verify the object is available in the community

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9. Check if Record is Active / Not Deleted

sql

-- Check if record exists and is not deleted
SELECT Id, Name, IsDeleted FROM Account WHERE Id = '[RecordId]' ALL ROWS

• Record might be in the Recycle Bin

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10. Apex Managed Sharing

If custom code controls sharing:

• Search for Database.Insert on [Object]Share records in Apex
• Check if a trigger or batch job is supposed to create sharing rows but failed

sql

-- Check custom sharing rows
SELECT Id, ParentId, UserOrGroupId, AccessLevel, RowCause
FROM [Object]__Share
WHERE ParentId = '[RecordId]'

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Quick Debug Checklist

Layer	What to Check
OLS	Profile/Permission Set → Object = Read
FLS	Profile/Permission Set → Fields visible
OWD	Private / Public?
Role Hierarchy	User role above owner?
Sharing Rules	Criteria/ownership-based rules
Manual Sharing	Sharing button on record
Record Type	Assigned to profile?
List View Filter	Scoped to "All" not "Mine"?
Deleted?	Query with ALL ROWS
Territory	User in correct territory?