SharePoint Permissions: Breaking Inheritance, or Not? How to Decide and Implement in SharePoint & Power Automate

Managing permissions in SharePoint is a critical aspect of ensuring data security and proper access control. At the heart of SharePoint's permission model lies the concept of inheritance, where permissions set at a higher level (like a site) propagate down to lower levels (like libraries, folders, and items). This hierarchical structure simplifies permission management but can become complex when unique access requirements arise.

Breaking inheritance allows for customized permissions on specific elements, providing flexibility but also introducing potential challenges. Deciding when to maintain or break inheritance is pivotal, as it impacts both security and administrative overhead. Common scenarios necessitating unique permissions include handling sensitive documents, collaborating with external partners, or complying with regulatory requirements.

This article delves into the intricacies of SharePoint permission inheritance, offering guidance on when and how to break it effectively, both manually within SharePoint and programmatically using Power Automate.

Understanding SharePoint Permission Inheritance

In SharePoint, permission inheritance ensures that permissions assigned to a parent object (like a site) are automatically applied to its child objects (such as libraries, folders, and items). This default behavior streamlines permission management, ensuring consistency across the platform.

Permissions can be granted directly to users or, more efficiently, through SharePoint groups. Utilizing groups simplifies administration, as changes to group membership automatically reflect across all associated permissions. Maintaining inheritance leverages this efficiency, reducing the complexity of managing individual permissions.

However, overusing unique permissions by frequently breaking inheritance can lead to a convoluted permission structure, making it challenging to audit and manage access effectively. It's essential to balance the need for specific access controls with the benefits of a streamlined, inherited permission model.

When (and Why) to Break Inheritance

Breaking permission inheritance becomes necessary when specific access requirements cannot be met through the default inherited permissions. Scenarios warranting unique permissions include:

• Confidential Projects: Restricting access to sensitive project documents to a select group.
• External Collaboration: Granting partners or clients access to specific folders without exposing the entire site.
• Compliance Requirements: Ensuring certain documents are only accessible to authorized personnel to meet regulatory standards.

While breaking inheritance provides the needed flexibility, it's crucial to avoid common pitfalls:

• Overcomplicating Permissions: Excessive unique permissions can make management and auditing difficult.
• Neglecting Documentation: Failing to document unique permissions can lead to confusion and security risks.
• Ignoring Maintenance: Without regular reviews, outdated permissions may persist, granting unintended access.

Break inheritance judiciously, ensuring each instance is justified, documented, and regularly reviewed.

How to Break (or Restore) Permission Inheritance in SharePoint

Breaking Inheritance

1. Navigate to the Desired Object Go to the site, library, folder, or item where you want to modify permissions.
2. Access Permissions Settings Click the gear icon and choose "Site permissions" or go to the library/folder settings.
3. Stop Inheriting Permissions On the permissions page, click “Stop Inheriting Permissions.” Confirm the action when prompted.
4. Customize Permissions After breaking inheritance, you can add or remove users and groups and assign them the appropriate permission levels.

Restoring Inheritance

1. Navigate to the Permissions Page Go to the object’s permission settings.
2. Re-inherit Permissions Click “Delete unique permissions” to restore permissions from the parent object. Confirm when prompted.

Best Practices

• Assign permissions to SharePoint groups instead of individuals.
• Keep documentation for each permission modification.
• Regularly audit custom permissions to ensure relevance and security.

Power Automate: Automating SharePoint Permissions

Power Automate offers a streamlined way to manage SharePoint permissions dynamically, particularly useful for automating scenarios such as document submissions, task assignments, or project workflows.

Breaking Inheritance with Power Automate

1. Trigger the Flow Use a trigger like "When an item is created" or "When an item is modified."
2. Break Inheritance Add a “Send an HTTP request to SharePoint” action with the following configuration:

POST /_api/web/lists/getByTitle('YourListName')/items(ItemID)/breakroleinheritance(copyRoleAssignments=false, clearSubscopes=true) 

Assigning Permissions Dynamically

1. Retrieve the Principal ID Use another HTTP request to retrieve the user or group's principalid.
2. Grant Permissions Use a second HTTP request to assign a role:

POST /_api/web/lists/getByTitle('YourListName')/items(ItemID)/roleassignments/addroleassignment(principalid=UserOrGroupID, roleDefId=RoleLevelID) 

Things to Keep in Mind

• Use error handling to manage potential failures in user lookups or permission assignments.
• Avoid hardcoding IDs—use dynamic content where possible.
• Monitor flows for errors, especially when working across site collections or external users.

Best Practices and Governance Tips

• Limit Use of Unique Permissions: Avoid excessive inheritance breaking; it creates complexity.
• Favor Groups Over Individual Assignments: This makes updates easier and audits more manageable.
• Establish Documentation Standards: Keep a central record of where inheritance is broken and why.
• Automate Only When It Adds Value: Power Automate is powerful but should be used thoughtfully to prevent chaos.
• Train Site Owners and Users: Empower your teams to manage permissions responsibly.

Summary and Strategic Takeaways

Effective SharePoint permission management hinges on knowing when to rely on inheritance and when to introduce exceptions. While breaking inheritance can offer the precision needed for sensitive content, it must be done with care and oversight. Power Automate further enhances your control by allowing dynamic, scalable permission changes as part of automated business processes.

With careful governance, strong documentation, and selective automation, you can maintain both flexibility and security across your SharePoint environment.

Source: SharePoint Permissions: Breaking Inheritance, or Not? How to Decide and Implement in SharePoint & Power Automate