---
title: Functional Area Permissions
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "03/01/2017"
ms.prod: sql
ms.prod_service: "mds"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: master-data-services
ms.topic: conceptual
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "functional area permissions [Master Data Services], about functional area permissions"
  - "functional area permissions [Master Data Services]"
  - "permissions [Master Data Services], functional areas"
ms.assetid: a80b87b3-b904-4cda-8582-0761c2617c57
author: lrtoyou1223
ms.author: lle
---
# Functional Area Permissions (Master Data Services)

[!INCLUDE[appliesto-ss-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-md-winonly](../includes/appliesto-ss-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-md-winonly.md)]

  You can assign permission to each of the functional areas of the [!INCLUDE[ssMDSmdm](../includes/ssmdsmdm-md.md)] user interface (UI). The following are the functional areas:  
  
-   **Explorer**  
  
-   **Version Management**  
  
-   **Integration Management**  
  
-   **System Administration**  
  
-   **User and Group Permissions**  
  
-   **Super user**  
  
 When you assign permission to a functional area, you are making an area of the UI visible to the user or group.  
  
 Within the **Explorer** functional area, additional permissions assigned to model objects and hierarchy members determine which data a user can access. Within all other functional areas, a user must be a model administrator to view a model and act on it. For more information, see [Administrators (Master Data Services)](../master-data-services/administrators-master-data-services.md).  
  
> [!IMPORTANT]  
>  A user with Super User permissions effectively has Admin permission on all models and has all other functional permissions.  
  
 A user or group must have permission to at least one functional area and one model on the **Models** tab in order to access [!INCLUDE[ssMDSmdm](../includes/ssmdsmdm-md.md)].  
  
## See Also  
 [Assign Functional Area Permissions (Master Data Services)](../master-data-services/assign-functional-area-permissions-master-data-services.md)   
 [Model Object Permissions (Master Data Services)](../master-data-services/model-object-permissions-master-data-services.md)   
 [Hierarchy Member Permissions (Master Data Services)](../master-data-services/hierarchy-member-permissions-master-data-services.md)   
 [How Permissions Are Determined (Master Data Services)](../master-data-services/how-permissions-are-determined-master-data-services.md)