Salesforce Sales Cloud Consultant Test

What characteristic defines org-wide defaults in Salesforce?

1. They determine access based on user roles

2. They set the base visibility for records that users do not own

3. They allow users to share records with specific individuals

4. They override profile settings for specific records

The correct answer is: They set the base visibility for records that users do not own

Org-wide defaults in Salesforce are a key aspect of the platform's sharing model that establishes the base level of access and visibility for records that users do not own. This means that org-wide defaults dictate whether users can access certain records by default, before any other sharing settings or permissions are applied. For instance, if the org-wide default for a specific object is set to 'Public Read Only,' all users can view records of that object type, even if they do not own those records. Conversely, if it is set to 'Private,' only the owner and administrators can access those records. This foundational setting creates a baseline from which more granular sharing rules, role hierarchies, and individual permissions can build upon. The other choices refer to functionalities related to sharing and permissions but do not accurately capture the primary characteristic of org-wide defaults. The concept of determining access based on user roles is more closely associated with role hierarchy rather than org-wide defaults. Sharing records with specific individuals pertains to sharing rules or manual sharing, which augment the default setup. Lastly, overriding profile settings is not a function of org-wide defaults, since profiles dictate permissions and capabilities more broadly, while org-wide defaults focus specifically on visibility and access levels for records.