Changing User License Types

Please note: This content is intended for Practifi System Administrators and is technical in nature. The steps described in this article may not be able to be completed without System Administrator permissions.

Overview

Practifi operates within Salesforce, utilizing two distinct license types that determine user capabilities and access levels within your organization. Understanding these license types helps you manage your team effectively while maintaining appropriate access controls for your client data and operations.

Salesforce License: This license type provides full platform access and is required for System Administrator users. It enables complete configuration capabilities, advanced automation, and comprehensive data management. Any user in your organization can be assigned a Salesforce license, regardless of their role.

Salesforce Platform License: This license type provides standard user access to Practifi's wealth management functionality, including client management, activity tracking, and reporting. It is designed for team members who need to work within Practifi but do not require system configuration capabilities.

When you need to designate a new System Administrator in your organization, you may need to transfer a Salesforce license from one user to another. This process involves temporarily deactivating the user who currently holds the license, removing and reassigning the license, and then reactivating the original user with a Salesforce Platform license. This article guides you through each step of the license transfer process.

• Deactivating the User Profile
• Removing User License
• Transferring the User License
• Reactivating the User 

Deactivating the User Profile

Before transferring a license, you must deactivate the user who currently holds the Salesforce license you want to reassign. This step makes the license available for transfer while ensuring proper security protocols are maintained throughout the transition.

Important: Communicate with the user before beginning this process. They will temporarily lose access to Practifi during the license transfer, which may impact their ability to manage client relationships, track activities, or access critical information. Plan the transfer during a time that minimizes disruption to their workflow and client service responsibilities.

To deactivate a user, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Salesforce Setup page by clicking the gear icon in the upper right corner of the page and selecting Setup.

   

2. Under Administration in the left menu, select Users.

3. In the Users drop-down, select Users.

   

4. Locate and select the Full Name of the user you are deactivating to access their user profile.

5. Select the Edit hyperlink located next to the user's name.

   

6. Once in edit mode, deselect the Active check box. A pop-up message opens, alerting you that deactivating users removes them from all delegated groups and sharing privileges. To proceed with the deactivation of the user, select OK.

   

7. Save the user profile.
8. Optional: On the User Deactivation page that populates, select the checkboxes next to the options if you want the user removed from these teams.
9. Select Save to finalize the deactivation of the user profile.
10. Scroll down on the user profile to permission groups and permission sets assignments and capture a screenshot or note down the permissions assigned. After removing their license in the next step, these permissions will be removed automatically and will need to be reassigned later in the process.

Tip: Documenting the user's current permissions ensures you can restore their access accurately when reactivating their profile. This maintains consistent data access controls, which is particularly important when managing sensitive client information in a wealth management environment.

Removing the User License

Now that the user's profile is deactivated, you can remove the user license to make it available for reassignment. This step releases the Salesforce license from the inactive user profile, allowing you to allocate it to another team member who needs System Administrator capabilities.

To remove the user license from their profile, follow these steps:

1. In Salesforce Setup, navigate to the User list under Administration > Users and use the View dropdown to change the view from "Active Users" to "All Users."

   

2. Select the Full Name of the user that was just marked inactive.
3. Scroll to the Managed Packages section located near the bottom of the user profile and locate the Practifi package in this section.

4. Select Remove in the Action column beside the Practifi name.

   

5. A pop-up message opens, asking you to confirm the license removal. To proceed, click OK.

The license is now removed from the user profile and available for reassignment to another user within your Practifi instance.

Transferring the User License

With the Salesforce license type now available, you can transfer it to the user you want to designate as a System Administrator in Practifi. This assignment grants them the elevated permissions needed to configure your organization’s settings, manage user access, and maintain your firm’s operational framework within Practifi.

To transfer the license, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the User list under Administration > Users and select the Full Name of the user you would like to transfer the Salesforce license type to.
2. Select Edit at the top of their user profile.

3. Select the User License field to open the drop-down menu and select Salesforce.

   

4. Change the Profile to System Administrator.
5. Click Save to finalize this profile and license change.
6. Assign System Administrator permissions to the user to adjust their access level to your organization.

Your new System Administrator now has the access needed to manage user permissions, configure workflows, maintain data integrity, and oversee the technical aspects of your Practifi environment.

Reactivating the User

Now that the Salesforce license type has been transferred, you need to reactivate the user you deactivated previously. This step restores their access to Practifi with a Salesforce Platform license, allowing them to resume their work with clients, activities, and data while maintaining appropriate access controls for their role.

To reactivate the user, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the User list under Administration > Users and select the Full Name of the user you would like to reactivate.
2. Locate and select the Full Name of the user you are reactivating to enter their user profile.
3. Select the Edit button located at the top of the user profile.
4. Once in edit mode, change the User License drop-down to Salesforce Platform and adjust the Profile field to Practifi User - Salesforce Platform.
5. Select the Active check box.
6. Save the user profile.
7. Re-add their user permission groups and any additional permissions if necessary to allow them to access your Practifi organization properly.
8. Alert the user that they are now able to re-access Practifi as their account is active again.

Please note: When swapping licenses between users, they will not need to reset their Practifi passwords. Changing the license type for both users will clear their permission sets and permission set groups. These will need to be reapplied to ensure that both users can properly access the system.