SUMMARY
Use Groups to manage which users can access specific production lines, sensors, and data within Factbird. Groups are a legacy access management feature that continues to support existing implementations, while Factbird is transitioning to using the Organisational Structure as the primary method of managing user access.
WHAT THIS IS
Groups are a legacy access-control feature used to control which production resources users can view and interact with. Administrators assign users to Groups, and each Group determines which production lines, sensors, and related information are available to the users in it.
Historically, Groups have been the primary method of managing access across the platform. Existing customers may still use Groups as part of their current setup. See Organisational Structure for the newer access-management model used in newer implementations.
WHY IT MATTERS
Groups help ensure users only have access to the production information relevant to their responsibilities.
Using Groups allows organizations to:
- Restrict access to specific production lines.
- Manage permissions across departments or sites.
- Separate production data between teams.
- Control access during user onboarding and organizational changes.
WHEN YOU WOULD USE THIS
Use this when:
- Understanding how access is managed in an existing Factbird implementation that uses Groups.
- Reviewing or maintaining legacy Group configurations.
- Assigning a new user to the correct Group so they see the right production lines and sensors.
- Auditing which production lines and sensors a specific Group can access.
HOW IT WORKS
Administrators create Groups and assign users to them.
Each Group is associated with specific production resources, such as production lines or sensors. Users who belong to a Group can access the resources shared with that Group.
Groups work together with user roles:
- Groups determine which production data users can access.
- Roles determine what actions users can perform.
For example:
- An Operator may only have access to the production lines assigned to their Group.
- A Manager may have access to multiple production areas.
- A Super User can manage users, permissions, and Group assignments.
KEY TERMS / COMPONENTS
Group
- A legacy access-control mechanism used to determine which production resources a user can access.
Role
- A permission level that determines what actions a user can perform within Factbird.
COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS
- Groups do not determine what actions a user can perform. They determine which production data a user can access.
- Roles and Groups serve different purposes and work together to define a user's permissions.
- Groups are a legacy feature; newer implementations use the Organisational Structure instead — see Organisational Structure for that model.
RELATED ARTICLES