Understand RBAC and privileges
ThoughtSpot Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) helps an administrator manage roles and privileges that are assigned to users and groups in ThoughtSpot. A role is a collection of privileges. A privilege allows users to perform certain actions while preventing them from performing other actions. RBAC enhances the granularity of permissions that determine the access and capabilities of users and admins.
Roles can be assigned to groups. A group can have one or more roles assigned to it. When multiple roles are assigned to a group, the privileges available to users within that group are a union of the privileges in each role assigned to the group.
RBAC is disabled by default. To enable this feature, contact ThoughtSpot Support.
| Once you enable RBAC it cannot be disabled. |
Roles and privileges
A role is a collection of privileges. The role and its assigned privileges list the actions that can be performed, such as Can administer ThoughtSpot or Can upload user data. Roles can be high-level, like Super Admin, or specific based on your organization’s structure and requirements. Roles are configured and then assigned to groups. For more information about groups, see Understand groups and privileges.
ThoughtSpot delivers some standard roles to help you transition to RBAC. You can also create custom roles with custom privileges based on your organizational needs. The following are the standard roles delivered with ThoughtSpot.
The following table shows existing ThoughtSpot group privileges and the new more granular RBAC roles introduced with ThoughtSpot 9.5.0.cl.
| ThoughtSpot privilege | ThoughtSpot RBAC roles |
|---|---|
Can administer ThoughtSpot |
Super Admin Can manage Users Can manage Groups Can manage Roles Can manage Orgs Can manage Authentication Can manage Application settings Can view System activities Can view Billing Information |
Previously, administrators were part of the administrator group. Members of this group could manage users, groups, and had view and edit access to all data. In some organizations these functions are broken out in a more granular way between different users. Roles allow you to assign the specific roles and privileges required without including those that are not needed. ThoughtSpot RBAC includes a Super Admin role that includes all of the privileges previously included in the Administrator group to help you migrate to RBAC. Users with this privilege can access all cluster data. This privilege should only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
RBAC roles
The following are descriptions of each of the RBAC roles.
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
Super Admin |
Can manage users and groups and has view and edit access to all data. Users with this privilege can access all cluster data. This privilege should only be granted in exceptional circumstances. |
Can manage Users |
Can create, view, update and delete users. This is an administrative privilege. |
Can manage Groups |
Can create, view, update and delete groups. This is an administrative privilege. |
Can manage Roles |
Can create, view, update and delete roles. This is an administrative privilege. |
Can manage Orgs |
Can create, view, update and delete Orgs in a multi-tenancy environment. This privilege is available only in Org enabled clusters. In an Org enabled cluster, this privilege is available only at the primary Org level and is not visible to any other Orgs. |
Can manage Authentication |
Can manage identity and access management. |
Can manage Application settings |
Can manage application settings. |
Can view System activities |
Can view all options under the System activities section. |
Can view Billing Information |
Can view all details under the Billing section. |
Migrating to RBAC
Existing ThoughtSpot customers can easily migrate to RBAC using the roles delivered with ThoughtSpot 9.5.0.cl. ThoughtSpot delivers roles corresponding to each privilege previously available as part of the existing groups and groups are retained. This allows you to assign those privileges individually to groups using roles.
Create, edit, or delete a role
ThoughtSpot has customizable RBAC management for assigning privileges to roles. Before adding users to groups, you can create custom roles if necessary and assign them to groups. Each role includes a set of privileges for its users.
Create a role
To create a role, follow these steps:
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Navigate to the Admin Console by selecting the Admin tab from the top navigation bar.
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Select Roles from the side navigation bar that appears.
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Select the Create role button on the right side of the screen.
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In the Create role modal, enter the details for the new role:
- Role name
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Enter a unique name for the role.
- Role description
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Optionally, enter a description.
- Privileges
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Check the privileges you want to grant to the role.
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Click Review selection to continue.
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Review your selections, and click Save to create the new role.
Edit a role
To edit a role, follow these steps:
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Navigate to the Admin Console by selecting the Admin tab from the top navigation bar.
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Select Roles from the side navigation bar that appears.
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Click on a role to edit the role.
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In the Edit role modal, make your desired changes.
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Click Review selection to continue.
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Review your changes, and click Save.
Delete a role
To delete a role, follow these steps:
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Navigate to the Admin Console by selecting the Admin tab from the top navigation bar.
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Select Roles from the side navigation bar that appears.
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Select the role you plan to delete by clicking the box next to the role name. If you don’t immediately see the name of the group, try searching for it.
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Select Delete.
Assign roles to groups
Once you have created roles, you can assign them to groups to manage privileges for your users. For more information about assigning roles to groups, see Understand groups and privileges Create, edit, or delete a group.
