Manage Users with Groups in Catalyst

Overview

Groups are the foundation of user management in Catalyst. They allow administrators to bundle permissions and assign them to multiple users at once. This ensures that people in similar roles—like finance analysts, sales managers, or executives—receive consistent access without repetitive manual setup.

When combined with features like hierarchy security, groups also help you tightly control visibility into sensitive data. Properly organizing groups reduces errors, speeds up onboarding, and gives admins confidence that access is both secure and scalable.

If you prefer (or need) to manage access for a single person, see: Managing Users and Permissions in Catalyst.

Why Use Groups?

• Efficiency – Quickly assign permissions to multiple users at once.

• Consistency – Ensure all members of a role (e.g., Finance Team, Regional Managers) have the same access.

• Scalability – Easily onboard or offboard users by adding or removing them from a group.

Creating and Managing Groups

1. Navigate to Groups

Go to Administration > User Management > Group.

2. Create a New Group

Click Add User Group and fill out the form:

• Group Name – required field (e.g., North America Finance).

• Description – optional field for context.

Click Save.

3. Add Users

From the Available Users list on the left, select the users you want to include and move them to the Users list on the right.

• To remove a user, click the “X” or deselect the checkbox.

4. Set Navigation Permissions

Define which sections and subsections the group can access. For example:

• Sections – Planning, Analysis, Administration

• Subsections – Financial Planning, Forecasting, etc.

Choose an access level for each:

• Read – users can view the section/tile

• Edit – users can interact with and make changes

5. Set Hierarchy Permissions (Optional)

If you have enabled security for any hierarchies, you’ll see a Hierarchy Permissions tab during setup. Use it to configure access to hierarchies, such as mapping unassigned accounts or adding/editing structures.

⚠️ Important: Once security is enabled on a hierarchy, that data type is hidden from all users unless explicitly granted through group or user permissions.

• By default, no one sees the secured hierarchy until permissions are set.

• Client Admins always retain full access.

Learn more: How to restrict access to your hierarchies.

6. Review Permissions Summary

The Summary tab gives you a consolidated overview of the group’s permissions. Use this to confirm that access levels are set correctly before finalizing.

Best Practices

• Use descriptive group names so permissions are easy to understand.

• Organize by role or function (e.g., Data Uploaders, Administrators, Executives, Analysts, Sales, Cube Access, Dashboards, etc).

• Create multiple groups rather than overloading one.

  • For secured hierarchies, make separate groups for each hierarchy instead of mixing them.

  • For navigation permissions, err on the side of more groups—for example, keep Visualizations Access and Administrative Access in distinct groups. This approach makes management clearer, onboarding easier, and troubleshooting less error-prone.

• Review groups regularly to ensure permissions align with current business needs.

Need Help?

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By combining groups with individual permissions where appropriate, you can build a flexible yet controlled user access model in Catalyst. Groups streamline setup, reduce repetitive work, and ensure security remains consistent across your organization. Taking the time to structure them well upfront will pay off in smoother administration and clearer permissions management down the line.