To accomplish tasks within the scope of their work responsibilities, diocesan and parish staff users must be given access to the modules they work in and, within those modules, be granted specific permission to perform an action or access a feature or object. Permissions, which represent the actions that staff users can and cannot perform, must be safeguarded and granted appropriately on a "need to know" basis. Assigning and managing permissions for staff is one of the primary tasks in the Administration module. This article defines the types of staff users and outlines the permissions that can be granted to them.

Staff User Access Levels

A staff user's level of access determines their ability to perform certain actions and access specific features. ParishSOFT Family Suite has four access levels to accommodate diocesan and parish staff users:

• Diocesan Admin Access
• Diocesan Staff Access
• Organization Admin Access
• Parish Staff Access

Diocesan Admin Access

Diocesan Admin access is defined as the highest level of access to ParishSOFT Family Suite. A user with this access has full authority over the usage of ParishSOFT Family Suite by parish and diocesan staff. A Diocesan Admin user can perform many of the administrative functions that other users of the system cannot, such as modifying system configuration settings, changing organization details, and viewing administrative and financial reports.

For the system to recognize a staff user as having Diocesan Admin access, both of the following must be true:

• The individual has an active assignment to the diocese.

AND

• The individual has the Diocesan Admin checkbox selected on the in the Diocese Directory & Web Solutions tab in the staff record, as shown below:
  

When the Diocesan Admin checkbox is selected, the staff user can do the following:

• Access all features and functions in the ParishSOFT Family Suite Administration module.
  • By default, the tab for the Administration module is not visible to all users. Only users having Diocesan Admin and Organization Admin access can see the tab and access its features.
• View and modify system configuration settings and personal information in family records (for example, see and change information in the secure fields on the Secure Information tab in Family Directory).
• Access all functionality and special permissions listed on the Diocese Directory & Web Solutions tab (shown in the illustration above). Selecting the Diocesan Admin checkbox automatically selects all of the other checkboxes on the tab to grant associated permissions to the user:

Descriptions of these permissions are on the tab Diocese Directory Web Solutions Tab.

Diocesan Staff Access

To help manage the system, a user with Diocesan Admin access can add diocesan staff accounts and give users of those accounts limited access to functionality and areas of ParishSOFT Family Suite. A diocesan user with a limited access account is referred to as a "diocesan staff user." This type of user typically works in just one or two areas of the system, such as the Census application and/or Diocesan Development, and has specific responsibilities, such as merging duplicate family records or preparing administrative and financial reports.

The Diocesan Admin user controls access by selecting only those permissions that enable the diocesan staff user to perform tasks associated with his or her work responsibilities. These permissions are individually set on the Diocese Directory & Web Solutions tab. Descriptions of these permissions are on the tab Diocese Directory Web Solutions Tab.

For the system to recognize a user as a diocesan staff user, both of the following must be true:

• The individual has an active assignment to the diocese.

AND

• The individual has limited access governed by specific permissions set on the in the Diocese Directory & Web Solutions tab in the staff record.

To grant specific permissions to a diocesan staff user, the user with Diocesan Admin access simply selects each permission's checkbox. In the illustration below, the Has Secure Field Access checkbox is selected to grant the diocesan staff user access to the secure fields in Family Directory:

When granting permissions, be sure to click to put staff user's record in edit mode.

Organization Admin Access

Each parish organization has at least one individual who is designated as the parish or organization administrator. The individual in this role has full access and can take any and all actions available within each module in ParishSOFT Family Suite. Depending on the module, such actions can include adding, deleting, moving, importing, and modifying records and data.

For the system to recognize a user as having Organization Admin access, both of the following must be true:

• The individual has an active assignment to the parish organization

AND

• The individual has the Organization Admin checkbox selected on the ParishSOFT Modules tab in his or her staff record, as shown in the following illustration:
  

The Organization Admin checkbox, located on the ParishSOFT Modules tab, is a global or master checkbox. When the checkbox is selected (see the illustration above), the parish staff user has access to:

• All features and functions in the Administration module.
  • By default, the tab for the Administration module is not visible to all users. Only users having Diocesan Admin and Organization Admin access can see the tab and access its features.
• All features and special permissions listed on the ParishSOFT Modules tab.
  • For descriptions of the permissions on this tab, go to ParishSOFT_Modules.
  • Selecting the Organization Admin checkbox automatically selects all of the other checkboxes listed on the tab.

Parish Staff Access

To help manage the system, a user with Organization Admin access can add accounts for parish staff and give users of those accounts limited access to functionality within modules of ParishSOFT Family Suite. This type of user with a limited access is referred to as "parish staff user." The parish user typically works in one or two modules in the system and has specific responsibilities, such as merging duplicate family records or managing family records.

The Organization Admin user bears the responsibility for setting up accounts for parish staff and delegating permissions to enable parish staff to carry out their work responsibilities. To keep confidential data and records secure, the Organization Admin user also determines which permissions a parish staff user has within each module he or she is granted access to. The permissions control exactly what the parish staff user can see and do with the module's data and member records.  

For the system to recognize a user as a parish staff user, both of the following must be true:

• The individual has an active assignment to the parish organization

AND

• The individual has one or more checkboxes selected on the ParishSOFT Modules tab in their staff record.

To grant specific permissions to a parish staff user, the user with Organization Admin access simply selects each permission's checkbox on the ParishSOFT Modules tab. In the example below, the parish staff user has full access permissions to the Family Directory module but cannot delete member sacrament data:

Important: If you give a parish staff member View access to any module in ParishSOFT Family Suite, you must also select the ParishSOFT Access checkbox (see image above).

Diocese Directory & Web Solutions Tab

Select All/Clear All Buttons

The Select All button, located on the right, provides an alternative way to select all permissions on the Diocese Directory & Web Solutions tab. The Clear All button lets you simultaneously remove all selected permissions.

Types of Permissions

The following table lists and defines the specific permissions found on the Diocese Directory & Web Solutions tab. Selecting the Diocesan Admin checkbox allows you to simultaneously assign all permissions listed in this table. You can, however, restrict a staff user's permissions by just selecting the checkboxes for the permissions you want to grant.

Note: Each permission setting is independent and restricted in scope. Therefore, to give a staff member the permissions they require, you will likely need to select multiple checkboxes (refer to the information in the Permission Logic column).

For example, to delete a pledge or a batch, a staff member also needs to be able to view the fund (View permission). Therefore, in addition to granting Delete access, he or she must also be given View access (in other words, select View + Delete).

ParishSOFT Modules Tab

The ParishSOFT Modules tab lists the modules in ParishSOFT Family Suite. Within each module, checkbox controls let you grant or deny specific permissions. The checkbox has two states. Select it to grant the permission or clear it to deny the permission. Your decision to grant a permission should be based on two factors:

• Whether the staff member has a legitimate need (based on his or her work role and responsibilities) for the type of permission.
• Whether the staff member has the necessary knowledge and skill to use the permission without causing harm to the system.

Select All/Clear All Buttons

The Select All button, located on the right, provides an alternative way to select all permissions on the ParishSOFT Modules tab. The Clear All button lets you simultaneously remove all selected permissions.

Types of Permissions

The following table lists and defines the specific permissions within a module that a user with Diocesan Admin or Organization Admin access can grant to a parish staff user. Each setting is independent and restricted in scope. Therefore, to give a staff user all required permissions, you may need to select multiple checkboxes (refer to the information in the Permission Logic column). For example, to delete a pledge or a batch, a staff member also needs to be able to view the fund. Therefore, in addition to granting the user Delete permission, you must also give the user View permission (in other words, select View + Delete checkboxes).

To make selections, you must first put the tab in edit mode. To do this, click .

How the System Controls User Access

If a staff user does not have a particular permission granted, the application blocks access by disabling the associated button control or by hiding the element or area of the application. For example, if a user is not granted Delete access rights in a given module, the Delete button may be grayed out throughout the module to prevent the user from being able to use it to delete records or data.

In certain applications, users who lack a particular access right may even be prevented from viewing content on specific pages. For example, in the Offering module, only staff users with Organization Admin access rights can see the Fund Management page. Access to the page by users lacking this right is blocked because the Fund button, which provides access to the page, is hidden. Likewise, if a user lacks View permissions to a given module, the tab for the module is not visible.

Updated July 21, 2025 19:34