Only an administrator can create, modify, or delete channels. An administrator can view a list of current subscribers to any channel, although this list shows only those users who explicitly subscribe to the channel, not the users who have access through security role membership.

An administrator accesses all channels in the Encyclopedia volume through Management Console, and defines which security roles and users can access particular channels. For example, you can create a Sales channel that makes all sales documents available to marketing managers and finance staff. You create a security role, to which you assign the marketing and finance staff, then give read privilege on the Sales channel to that security role.

Security roles also represent other groups of users at the company, such as personnel and support. By not subscribing these roles to the Sales channel, the administrator limits the distribution of sales documents.

You can also create a channel accessible to everyone. You create a channel, then give read privilege on it to the system-defined All role. Select from the following privileges when assigning privileges on a channel to a user or security role:

You create a new channel by choosing Create Channel on Channels. Table 6‑1 describes the channel properties that you set on New Channel.