Roles and permissions in user management (step 1)
Roles and permissions in user management (step 2)
Roles and permissions on the platform

The three user roles explained: basic user, advanced user and administrator. Plus organisation-level permissions.

In brief The platform has three roles (basic user, advanced user, administrator) that determine what someone can do at environment level. These are platform roles, separate from any role a member may have within a specific organisation. In addition, there are permissions per organisation and a separate relationship manager role for external collaboration.

Each user in an environment has exactly one platform role. Note: platform roles are separate from the role a user may have within a specific organisation. See Permissions at organisation level for the difference.

The three user roles

Each user in an environment has exactly one of these roles:

Basic user

The default role for users who are added after the environment already exists. The first user of an environment is always administrator. Every subsequent user added via an invitation automatically receives the basic user role; the administrator can change this afterwards.

A basic user can view documents, create invoices and send them for the organisations they are a member of. This is sufficient for most employees who work with invoices on a daily basis.

A basic user cannot: invite other users, create or delete organisations, assign roles, or establish partner relationships with other companies.

Advanced user

The advanced user has all the permissions of a basic user, plus the ability to establish partner relationships with other environments. This is relevant for organisations that collaborate with clients, suppliers or accountants via the platform.

Administrator

The administrator has full control over the environment. In addition to all permissions of the advanced user, an administrator can:

  • Invite new users and remove existing users
  • Create and manage organisations
  • Assign roles to other users
  • Grant the relationship manager role
  • Change subscription and settings

When a new environment is created, the first user automatically becomes administrator. Each subsequent user added via an invitation receives the basic user role by default; the administrator can change this afterwards.

Permissions at organisation level

In addition to the environment role, each user also has permissions at the level of individual organisations. There are two levels:

LevelPermissionsMemberView, create and send documents for this organisationAdministratorAll member permissions, plus: add and remove members from the organisation

A user with the "Basic user" role at environment level can still be "Administrator" of a specific organisation; the two levels work independently.

Access to documents requires membership of the relevant organisation. That membership must be granted separately by the organisation administrator. Without organisation membership, the organisation typically does not appear under My organisations (it may still be visible under All organisations in the environment) and cannot be used as Supplier on a sales invoice. Environment membership alone is therefore not enough to invoice or view documents.

The relationship manager role

The relationship manager role is a supplementary role that is assigned separately by an administrator. A relationship manager can collaborate with other companies and environments via the partnership model.

This role is needed when you want to:

  • Share documents with external parties
  • Collaborate with accountants or intermediaries
  • Access organisations in a linked partner environment

The relationship manager role is assigned via user management by the administrator.

Other roles

In addition to the three standard roles and the relationship manager role, there are two specialist roles in the system:

  • Developer: this role is assigned to users who work with the API or build technical integrations. The exact permissions depend on the configuration.
  • Anonymous proxy: a system role used for automated processes and API communication. This role is not manually assigned to end users.

Both roles are visible in user management but are in practice only used in specific integration scenarios.

Changing a role

Only an administrator can change roles. You cannot change your own role; you need another administrator for that. Go to My environment > Users, select the user and adjust the role. The change takes effect immediately; the user does not need to log in again.

Practical scenarios

Small company with one employee: you are the administrator yourself and do not need to configure anything further. You automatically have access to everything.

Company with multiple employees: make yourself administrator and invite colleagues as basic users. Per organisation, grant them the permissions they need.

Accountant with multiple clients: make yourself administrator with the relationship manager role. This lets you establish partner relationships with client environments and manage their invoices.

Holding with multiple subsidiaries: all organisations in one environment. Per subsidiary you assign the right employees as member or organisation administrator.

Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an administrator and an organisation administrator?

An administrator manages the entire workspace: inviting users, creating organisations, changing subscriptions. An organisation administrator can only add or remove members from that specific organisation. The two levels work independently: you can be an organisation administrator without being an environment administrator.

Can I make a user a member of multiple organisations?

Yes, a user can be a member of one or more organisations within the same environment. Only organisations of which someone is a member appear under My organisations and can be used as Supplier on a sales invoice. An organisation may still be visible under All organisations without membership, but without membership there is no document access and no selection as supplier. An administrator or organisation administrator can add members.

Can I set permissions per invoice or per debtor?

No, permissions are set at organisation level. Every member of an organisation can view all incoming and outgoing invoices of that organisation. There is no distinction possible between accounts receivable and accounts payable on the platform.

I get an error when opening Sales invoices, what is the cause?

Usually organisation membership is missing: you are a member of the environment but not of the specific organisation. Does it work in one environment but not another (for example, it works in production but not in pilot)? Pilot and production are separate environments with their own user and organisation memberships; permissions from one environment do not automatically apply in the other. The administrator of the relevant environment adds you as a member of the organisation, after which logging in again or refreshing resolves the issue.


Want to invite a colleague or adjust roles? You can manage this in My environment on platform.econnect.eu.

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