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Fleet Example (Permissions + Fleet Copies)

This example shows how to set up dashboard permissions so that:

  • Service users can edit and view dashboards
  • Customer users can only view the customer dashboard
  • dashboards are linked to Fleets, so they are copied to subcompanies where fleet devices exist
  • copied dashboards preserve permissions as much as possible (within company/subcompany scope rules)

This is often interesting for machine builders

What you will learn

How folder and dashboard permissions interact with:

  • user roles (Capture → Grafana role mapping)
  • user groups (shareable across subcompanies)
  • Fleet dashboard copies
Why this pattern is common for machine builders

This setup is especially useful for OEMs and machine builders running a servitization model (often called Equipment-as-a-Service or Product-as-a-Service):
service teams need broad visibility and edit rights, while customers typically get limited, read-only dashboards for their own assets.

Assumption

This example assumes you already understand:

  • basic folder/dashboard permission concepts
  • how Fleets copy dashboards to subcompanies If not, read Dashboards → Manage (Rights Management) first.

Step 1: Company structure​

VinteccVirtualCompany is a fictional parent company with subcompanies such as VirtualGhent and VirtualHannover, which have their own subcompanies.

Companies list with VinteccVirtualCompany, its subcompanies VirtualGhent and VirtualHannover and their customers

Step 2: Users, roles, and groups​

Roles​

VinteccVirtualCompany defines two roles:

  • Service
    Only for users in VinteccVirtualCompany (service users). Includes manage permissions.

    Edit role panel for the Service role with view and edit permissions on most modules

  • Customer
    Shared with subcompanies (customer users). Typically restricted to view-only modules.

    Edit role panel for the Customer role with view-only permissions on every module

Shareable groups​

VinteccVirtualCompany defines two groups:

  • ServiceUsers — service team
  • CustomerUsers — customer users
Shareable groups

Groups must be shareable to be usable in dashboard permissions across subcompanies.
If a group is not shareable, it cannot be applied consistently to dashboards copied into subcompanies.

Groups list with ServiceUsers and CustomerUsers marked as shareable

Users​

Five users exist across the company hierarchy:

UserCompanyRoleGroups
VirtualAdminVinteccVirtualCompanyInstanceAdminServiceUsers
VirtualServiceUserVinteccVirtualCompanyServiceServiceUsers
CustomerWintercircusVirtualCustomer_WintercircusCustomerCustomerUsers
CustomerUpOffizVirtualCustomer_UpOffizCustomerCustomerUsers
CustomerHannoverVirtualCustomer_NewTownHallCustomerCustomerUsers

Users list with the five example users and their company, role, groups and status

Why roles and groups?

Roles provide baseline app/module access.
Groups provide targeted dashboard permissions (view/edit at folder/dashboard level).

Step 3: Devices (Edge Gateways)​

All devices (Edge Gateways) are located in the customer companies.

Edge Gateways list showing each device with its customer company and its Machine_Type1 or Machine_Type2 fleet

Step 4: Dashboards and permissions​

Two dashboards exist:

  • ServiceDashboard — intended for service users
  • CustomerDashboard — intended for customer users

Both dashboards are located in the Release folder.

Folder permissions: Release​

Goal: ServiceUsers can edit everything in Release.

Action:

  • Grant Edit permission to ServiceUsers on the Release folder.

Important additional step:

  • Remove default Grafana role permissions from the folder.

Why remove default Grafana role permissions? Default role permissions can unintentionally grant access to broader audiences than intended. If Viewer/Editor role permissions remain in place, any user with:

  • Dashboards module access and
  • any path that grants folder visibility may gain access to more dashboards than you planned.
Recommended practice for “group-based only” access

If you want access to be controlled strictly via groups (ServiceUsers/CustomerUsers), clear the default Grafana role permissions on the folder and define access explicitly.

Edit Permissions panel for the Release folder granting ServiceUsers Edit, with no Grafana role permissions

Dashboard permissions: ServiceDashboard​

No extra permissions are added. Result:

  • ServiceUsers can edit/view through folder permissions.
  • Customers will not gain access (unless explicitly granted elsewhere).

Dashboard permissions: CustomerDashboard​

Add an extra permission:

  • Grant View permission to CustomerUsers on CustomerDashboard.

Result:

  • ServiceUsers can still view/edit through folder permissions.
  • CustomerUsers can view CustomerDashboard only.

Edit Permissions panel for CustomerDashboard with ServiceUsers on Edit and CustomerUsers on View

Folder vs dashboard permissions

Use folder permissions for the default rule.
Use dashboard permissions for exceptions (like “customers can only view one dashboard in this folder”).

Step 5: Fleet management​

Two fleets exist:

  • Machine_Type1 — fleet for devices of type 1
  • Machine_Type2 — fleet for devices of type 2

Both dashboards are added to the fleets, and all devices are added to the correct fleet.

This ensures:

  • dashboards are copied into subcompanies where fleet devices exist
  • permission intent is carried forward where possible

Machine_Type1 fleet with the Add dashboards to fleet panel, ServiceDashboard and CustomerDashboard selected

What gets copied

Dashboards and folders linked to a Fleet are copied to subcompanies that contain at least one device from that Fleet. Copies inherit permissions from the original as much as possible, subject to scope and shareability rules.

Step 6: Results​

Service user view (in customer company scope)​

Dashboard page from VirtualCustomer_Wintercircus as VirtualServiceUser:

  • Full access to the Release folder dashboards (based on ServiceUsers permissions)

Dashboards page for VirtualServiceUser in VirtualCustomer_Wintercircus listing ServiceDashboard and CustomerDashboard

Customer user view (in customer company scope)​

Dashboard page from VirtualCustomer_Wintercircus as CustomerWintercircus:

  • Access to CustomerDashboard (View)
  • No access to service-only dashboards

Dashboards page for CustomerWintercircus in VirtualCustomer_Wintercircus listing only CustomerDashboard

Troubleshooting checklist (common issues)​

Customers can see too much

Likely causes:

  • default Grafana role permissions were not removed from the folder
  • a broad group was granted folder-level access
  • the customer user has more Capture module rights than intended
Fleet copies lost permissions

Likely causes:

  • groups were not marked shareable
  • user/group does not exist in the target subcompany scope
  • permissions rely on identities that cannot be resolved across the hierarchy

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