User roles control what each person can see and do in oboloo, module by module. Every user has one role: use the four default roles, or create your own on any Plus plan.
Before you start
Default roles
Role | What it can do |
Administrator | Everything, including Users, User Roles, Company Settings, Account Management and Automations. The only role that can open records restricted to their owners. It can't be edited. Can use oboloo AI. |
Superuser | Everything except Users, Company Settings, Account Management and Automations. Superusers can't open records restricted to their owners. Can use oboloo AI. |
Regular User | All modules, including oboloo AI. In Settings, only Custom Fields & Tabs, Import Data and API Authentication. |
Read-only | Read-only access to Home, eSourcing, Supplier Questionnaires, Sourcing Library, Contracts, Suppliers, Supplier Scorecards, Supplier Compliance and Savings. No access to Settings. Can't use oboloo AI. |
Create or edit a role
Open User Roles
Go to Settings > User Roles. The Roles List shows a card for each role, with the number of users who have it.
Click Add New Role or Edit Role
Click the Add New Role card to create a role, or Edit Role on an existing role's card. Roles with "Administrator" in their name have no Edit Role link.
Enter the role name
In Role Name, enter a clear name, for example Procurement Manager or Contract Viewer.
Tick the permissions
Under Role Permissions, tick the boxes on each module's row, or tick Select All. Each row only shows the permissions that apply to that module.
Permission | What it allows |
Read | View the module's records, except records restricted to their owners. |
Edit | Change existing records, except records restricted to their owners. |
Create | Add new records. |
Delete | Remove dropdown values, locations, departments and currencies. Only on the Configurations, Location Management, Department Management and Currency rows. |
Archive | Archive and unarchive records. |
Approve Records | Approve or reject records such as suppliers, contracts and savings. |
Approve Documents | Approve or reject documents uploaded to records. |
Export | Download the module's table as a CSV file. Available for Contract Management, Supplier Management, Supplier Compliance, Supplier Onboarding and Savings Management. |
Reorder Fields | Change the order of custom fields on records. Only on the Custom Fields & Tabs row. |
Deactivate | Shown on the User Management row. It doesn't currently change what the user can do. |
The AI Assist row under Module Access has a single Create tick. It lets the user use oboloo AI and connect Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot to oboloo. oboloo AI still only shows the records the user can open.
Click Submit
The role is saved and its card is updated. Roles can't be deleted.
Give a user a role
Open the user's record
Go to Settings > Users and click the user.
Choose the role
On the Account tab, choose the role in Role.
Click Save Changes
To give a role to someone new, choose it when you add the user.
What happens next
Changes apply at the next sign-in: users keep their old permissions until they log out and sign in again.
Record restrictions still apply: owners can restrict a record so that only owners can edit it, or only owners can view and edit it. Restrictions only ever reduce access. Only users with the Administrator role can open restricted records. See Record Access – Restricting Individual Records.
Checking someone's access: open their record in Settings > Users and go to the Access Rights tab.
Example roles
Example | Suggested set-up |
Procurement team member | Read, Create and Edit on eSourcing, Supplier Management and Savings Management, plus Export on Supplier Management and Savings Management. No Settings access. |
Contract approver | Read, Edit, Approve Records and Approve Documents on Contract Management. No Export. |
Finance or system administrator | Use the Administrator role. A Superuser can't manage Users, Company Settings, Account Management or Automations. |
Troubleshooting
An upgrade window opens when I add or edit a role
Custom roles need any Plus plan. Until you upgrade, use the four default roles.
There's no Edit Role link on a role
Roles with "Administrator" in their name can't be edited.
A user still has their old access after I changed their role
Permissions are loaded when a user signs in. Ask them to log out and sign in again.
A Superuser can't open a record
The record has been restricted to its owners. Only users with the Administrator role can open restricted records. Ask an owner to add the user as an owner or remove the restriction.
A user can't use oboloo AI
Their role doesn't have Create ticked on the AI Assist row. Edit the role, tick it, click Submit, and ask the user to log out and sign in again.
Related articles
If you need further assistance, please contact your internal platform administrator for support. Otherwise please reach out to oboloo's support team. If you are unable to view the above area in the oboloo platform, please check your user permissions and access rights.