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How to Manage User Departments

How to Manage User Departments Overview

Administrators

Departments in SETWorks control how data is organized and filtered for each staff member — determining which records they see in their workflow and how activity is grouped in reporting. Assigning the right departments to each user ensures staff only work with the data relevant to their role and location, reducing noise and supporting accurate, department-level reporting. This task walks through how to add or remove departments for an individual user from the User Maintenance settings.

Before You Start

You must have administrator access to the Settings area to manage user departments. Departments must already be configured in SETWorks before they can be assigned to users. To set up or modify departments, see Department Maintenance.

Steps
  1. Navigate to User Maintenance in Settings.
    1. Click the Settings gear icon (⚙) in the bottom-left corner of the navigation menu. Then select the User Maintenance tab at the top of the Settings page.
  2. Locate the user you want to update.
    1. Use the Search field at the top of the user list to find the user by name, or scroll through the paginated list. The table displays each user's First Name, Last Name, Full Name, Status, Default Organization, Default Department, and Email.
  3. Open the Edit Departments dialog.
    1. Click the Actions button on the row for the user you want to update. From the dropdown menu, select Edit Departments.
  4. Add or remove departments for the user.
    1. The Edit Departments dialog shows two panels: All Departments on the left (departments not yet assigned to the user) and User Departments on the right (departments currently assigned). Drag a row from one panel to the other to move it — drag from All Departments to User Departments to assign, or drag in the reverse direction to remove. Use the checkboxes to select multiple rows before dragging.
  5. Save your changes.
    1. Click Save to apply the department assignments. Click Cancel to close the dialog without making changes.
                      Frequently Asked Questions

                      What's the difference between "Default Department" (shown in the user list) and "User Departments" (in the Edit Departments dialog)?
                      The Default Department is the department automatically applied when the user logs in or creates new records. User Departments is the full list of departments the user has access to. A user can be associated with multiple departments but only have one default at a time.

                      Can a user be assigned to all departments?
                      Yes — you can move every department from All Departments into User Departments. This is common for administrators or supervisors who need visibility across the entire organization.

                      Does removing a department affect records the user has already created?
                      Removing a department from a user restricts their future access to records in that department but does not delete or alter existing records they created under it.

                      Can I assign departments in bulk for multiple users at once?
                      Yes – please review Managing Department Users

                      What happens if a user has no departments assigned?
                      Every user must have at least one department assigned.