Row-level security (RLS) limits which records a user can query. For example, regional managers can use the same sales report while receiving different rows according to their assigned roles.

This guide explains Datafor's policy rules and how to verify the resulting access. For configuration steps and UI screenshots, see Data Security.

No matching policy does not mean no access. If a user is otherwise allowed to query a table but no enabled row policy matches that user and table, RLS adds no row restriction. Check policy coverage before granting access to sensitive data.

Choose the right control

Requirement	Control
Decide who can open or manage a report, model, or datasource	Access Control List (ACL)
Limit the records returned from a table or view	Row access (RLS)
Hide a table, view, or column	Table & column access (OLS)

A report filter that users can change is not a security boundary. RLS does not grant permission to open a report, and permission to open a report does not establish row restrictions.

RLS policies belong to a datasource connection. Each row policy targets one schema and one table or view, and applies to selected users, roles, or user types. A policy on one datasource does not protect a second connection to the same database. Review every datasource and object used by the analysis.

Understand the rules before adding policies

Within one policy: AND or OR

Return matching rows uses conditions built from fields, operators, and values. All (AND) requires every condition in the group to match; Any (OR) requires at least one. Groups can be nested.

For example, to require both a North-region record and a particular department, put both conditions in the same All (AND) group. Review Effective condition and use Validate expression before enabling the policy.

Across policies: OR, not AND

Enabled row policies matching the same user and physical table are combined with OR, including matches through different roles or user types. A user matching both a North policy and a South policy can see North or South rows.

Adding a restrictive policy does not narrow rows already allowed by another matching policy. Review all effective roles and policies, not only the policy being edited.

Full-row exceptions and unmatched users

A matching Return all rows policy removes RLS filtering for its selected table, even when other matching row policies are restrictive. It does not remove report filters, grant ACL access, or make objects hidden by OLS visible.

With no matching enabled row policy, RLS also leaves rows unrestricted. These are different situations: one is an explicit exception; the other can be a gap in coverage. Do not assume that creating a North policy prevents everyone outside North from seeing North data.

One policy for many users: system variables

A condition value can be a system variable that is bound to the signed-in user when the query runs. A policy on sales for the role Sales with the condition owner_login / equals / Current user name returns each sales user only their own records, and a condition region_code / in / Current user's roles matches rows whose region code equals one of the user's business role names. One policy covers the whole role, and new members are covered as soon as they receive the role.

The same combination rules apply: the resolved condition is ORed with other matching policies, and a matching Return all rows policy still removes the filter. Test access shows the condition resolved for a simulated user. See Use system variables in a condition for the available variables and their limits.

Drafts and administrator roles

• Save draft keeps a new policy inactive. Save & enable activates it. Disabled policies do not affect access; disabling a user's only matching row policy can therefore expose more rows.
• Built-in SuperUser and Administrator roles bypass Data Security, including RLS and OLS. Use ordinary users to validate restrictions. An administrative role is not a suitable substitute for a business role that needs full-row access but should still respect OLS.

Worked example: regional sales

Use a disposable datasource and ordinary test accounts. The following is an example fixture, not a built-in Datafor dataset. Create or identify a table named sales in your chosen schema with these records:

sale_id	region_code
1	NORTH
2	NORTH
3	SOUTH
4	WEST

Create the business roles North, South, and Executive, and assign them to the ordinary test users as shown in the expected-results table below. Give the test users ACL access to the same test report and its required resources. Enable Apply data security in the model settings. For this example, assume no other row policies, OLS exclusions, or report filters affect the table.

You need Full control on the datasource to manage policies. Open Datasource → Database sources → select the datasource → Actions → Data security → Row access. Create the following policies with New policy, selecting the same schema and sales table each time:

Policy name	Applies to: role	Access rule	Field / operator / value
North sales	North	Return matching rows	region_code / equals / NORTH
South sales	South	Return matching rows	region_code / equals / SOUTH
Executive sales	Executive	Return all rows	No condition

Enter condition values in the editor rather than pasting a SQL statement. Validate the matching-row expressions and use Save & enable for all three policies.

Expected results

Use these as acceptance criteria for the fixture. Role names below are business-role assignments unless explicitly marked as a built-in role; no other assignments match a policy in this example.

Test user	Relevant roles	Expected sale_id values	Reason
north_reader	North	1, 2	North condition
south_reader	South	3	South condition
regional_reader	North, South	1, 2, 3	Matching policies combine with OR
executive_reader	North, Executive	1, 2, 3, 4	Full-row exception wins over row filtering
unassigned_reader	No matching business role	1, 2, 3, 4	No matching row policy: a coverage gap
administrator_test	Built-in Administrator	1, 2, 3, 4	Administrator bypass

The last two results are warnings, not evidence of successful regional isolation. Do not give unassigned users access to the production analysis until their intended access is defined and verified.

In the disposable setup, also disable North sales and retest north_reader. With no other matching row policy, all four rows are unrestricted by RLS. Re-enable the policy and confirm the result returns to rows 1 and 2.

Validate the effective user, then the actual workflow

1. Open Test access, select a user as the Simulated subject, and choose the schema and sales table. Prefer a user test over a role-only test so all of that user's roles and user type are resolved.
2. Click Run test. Check Resolved subject, Row access, Effective condition, Field visibility, and Policies in effect against the expected results.
3. Use Preview data to inspect a sample. Preview returns up to 50 rows and is not a full sign-in impersonation; a sample alone cannot prove that unwanted rows are excluded.
4. Sign in as the corresponding ordinary user and run the actual report. Confirm both permitted and prohibited regions, including when report filters are cleared or changed.
5. Repeat after changes to memberships, policy state, model settings, or datasource selection.

Test access evaluates enabled policies only, not drafts or unsaved edits. An All rows result or a message that no enabled policy affects the table must be checked against the intended access; it is not confirmation that the table is protected.

Check identity and scope for other access paths

• Models and the AI Agent: Keep Apply data security enabled for governed models. Compare results using the same authenticated user, model, datasource, and enabled policies. A successful datasource policy test alone does not validate the model or Agent workflow. See Data Security and the AI Agent. When an object policy hides a table that the model joins through, the join is kept and a row policy on that table still restricts it, but the table's own fields are unavailable; see Hidden tables in a model join path.
• Share links: The Share Link guide describes access using the sharer's data permissions. Do not treat such a link as per-recipient RLS or assume an anonymous visitor has an individual role assignment. Verify the sharing mode and effective identity before distributing the link.
• Embedded applications, SSO, and APIs: Confirm which identity the request authenticates as, which roles it resolves to, and which datasource/query path it uses. A shared technical account is not an individual viewer. Test each integration with its actual credentials and requests; do not infer coverage from a report test or from a client-supplied region or tenant filter.

For detailed policy editing, OLS configuration, and troubleshooting, continue with Data Security.