# Groups

Group fields, permission levels per record type, and the default groups every organization starts with.

Source: https://support.toolingmetrics.com/en/admin/reference/groups/
Updated: 2026-10-29

A **Group** is a named set of permission levels applied to one or more users. A user can belong to more than one Group; see [Permissions](#permissions) below for how permissions combine across a user's Groups.

## Fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| **Name** | Group label (e.g., *Engineers*, *Storekeepers*, *Purchasing Team*). Maximum 64 characters. |
| **Description** | Optional description of the group's role or responsibility. Maximum 128 characters. |

## Permissions

Each group has a permission level assigned per record type. The group form lists every record type under its module heading, each with its own level menu. The levels are:

| Level | What users in this group can do with that record type |
|---|---|
| **Admin** | See all records, create records, and edit or delete any record. |
| **Manager** | See all records, create records, and edit or delete the records they created. |
| **User** | See, create, edit, and delete only the records they created. |
| **No permission** | The record type is hidden from the sidebar and its records can't be opened. |

A user can belong to more than one group. For each record type, Tooling Metrics combines the levels from all of the user's groups, and the user gets every ability any of them gives — permissions add up, they never subtract. In practice the highest level wins (Admin > Manager > User > No permission).

## Record types

The group form lists these record types under six module headings. A module appears in a user's sidebar when at least one of its record types has a level. **Administration is not one of them** — see [Admin Center access](#admin-center-access) below.

| Module heading | Record types |
|---|---|
| **Production** | Machines, Tools, Tool Transfers |
| **Inventory** | Items, Pick Lists, Return Lists, Transfers, Adjustments, Scrap Lists, Moves History, Serialized Items, Stock Rules |
| **Purchase** | Vendors, Purchase Orders, Purchase Receipts, Purchase Restocks, Return Picks, Purchase Returns, Service Picks |
| **Engineering** | Parts, Jobs, Projects |
| **Library** | Products, Materials, Tool Assemblies |
| **Reports** | Dashboards |

## Admin Center access

Access to the Admin Center (Users, Groups, Sequences, Currencies, organization settings) is not a record type on the group form — it is not shown on the group edit form at all. It is granted by membership in one of the two default groups below, or bypassed entirely for the organization owner.

## Default groups

Every organization is created with two default groups, and they cannot be deleted or edited:

| Group | Permission level | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| **`<org-name>-admins`** (`org_admin`) | Admin on every record type, plus Admin Center access | Organization administrators. |
| **`<org-name>-users`** (`org_user`) | User on every record type | Standard members. Every newly invited user is placed here automatically. |

Custom groups sit between these two extremes — for example, a *Purchasing Manager* group with Manager only on the Purchase record types. A user keeps their `org_user` (or `org_admin`) membership even after being added to custom groups; custom-group permissions layer on top per the union rule above.

## Deleting a group

A group cannot be deleted while it still has members — the delete action fails with "Group can't be deleted while it has members." Remove all members first.