Sharing privileges for a folder or file

In addition to the appropriate security role and BIRT iServer licensed options, a user must also have the required privileges to perform a specific action on a folder or file. For example, if a user has read privilege for a selected file, the user can view or print the file. The user who creates a file or folder is the owner of that item and has full privileges for that item. Only the administrator and owner have all privileges.

Privileges are set on existing files or folders by using the share file operation.

The administrator and owner can assign privileges to an individual user or to a security role. Roles simplify administering privileges by grouping privileges into sets. A user can belong to several security roles. Users that belong to the same role share the same privileges. For example, the All role includes all the users who access the Encyclopedia volume.

Folder privileges can apply to a single folder or to all the files and subfolders in that folder. To have access to a file, the user must also have access to the folder that contains the file.

Table 2-6 lists and describes all supported privileges, the symbol that represents the privilege, and the task that each privilege allows a user to perform.

Table 2-6  Privileges and allowed tasks for a folder or file 

Privilege	Symbol	Allowed Task
Delete	D	Delete the folder or file.
Execute	E	Run a document design or executable file. Only an administrator can set this privilege. The execute privilege does not apply to folders or document files.
Grant	G	Change privileges for a file or folder. An administrator has grant privileges on all files and folders by default.
Read	R	View and print an entire report. Privilege to view the contents of a folder. The file or folder must be visible.
Secure read	S	View and print only restricted parts of a document.
Visible	V	See a folder or a file in a list.
Write	W	Modify a file or the contents of a folder.

A new file or folder has share access enabled but does not assign any privileges to users or security roles. Shared files or folders enable the owner or administrator to grant access privileges to the new file or folder. A user cannot perform tasks on an item until the owner or administrator grants access and the required privileges to that user. A user must have the appropriate security role and BIRT iServer options assigned to them.

To prevent users from changing, viewing or sharing the file to other users, the file or folder owner or administrator sets the share permission to Do not share.

Table 2-7 lists privileges a user requires to perform typical tasks in either a folder or file.

Table 2-7  Tasks and required privileges 

Information Console task	Required privilege settings
Creating a new file or folder	Visible Write on the destination
Deleting a folder	Visible Delete Delete on all files in the deleted folder
Deleting a file	Visible Delete
Opening an Actuate search definition	Visible Read Read on the corresponding document file Read on the corresponding executable file
Printing a report	Secure read or Read
Reading the entire contents of a file	Visible Read
Reading restricted contents of a BIRT report	Visible Secure read
Replacing the latest report version	Visible Delete on the current report document version Execute on the report executable
Running a report executable	Visible Execute Delete on the existing report file if execution replaces the file
Setting privileges to access any item	Visible Grant
Viewing a cube (.cb4) file	Read Read on the associated cube profile (.dp4) file
Viewing a file or folder	Visible
Viewing properties	Visible

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