A cluster is a group of hierarchies. Attaching a cluster (or hierarchy) to an assessment decides which schedulers can schedule it. Use this article to understand clusters and how they interact with scheduling.
Hierarchies versus clusters
- A hierarchy is roughly a group of users.
- A cluster is a group of groups: several hierarchies grouped together for scheduling purposes.
Clusters exist purely to let one assessment be schedulable by users across multiple separate hierarchies, without duplicating the assessment or restructuring the tree.
Clusters and hierarchies control who can schedule an assessment. They do not control who can edit the assessment or the items in it. Editing is governed by sharing and the collection and assessment roles. Being able to schedule an assessment does not grant edit access to it.
Attach clusters or hierarchies to an assessment
When creating an assessment, set Available for scheduling to in Step 1. Pick the clusters or hierarchies whose schedulers should be allowed to schedule this assessment.
Behaviour:
- Anyone whose role allows scheduling, and who sits in one of the listed clusters or hierarchies, can schedule the assessment.
- On hover, the picker shows the hierarchies inside each cluster.
- Users only see the hierarchies they are entitled to see.
- Select who can schedule? on the assessment to see the resolved list of users.
Hierarchy inheritance applies
A user added to a hierarchy is automatically included in its parent hierarchies. If an assessment is attached to a higher-level hierarchy or to a cluster that contains it, that user can also schedule that assessment. Plan the tree with this in mind so users do not gain scheduling access to assessments unintentionally.
When to use a cluster versus a hierarchy
- Use a hierarchy when the schedulers all belong to one branch of the tree.
- Use a cluster when schedulers across several branches should share the same scheduling access. Without a cluster you would have to attach each hierarchy individually, which is brittle to maintain.
Manage clusters
Clusters are managed under Admin > Hierarchies > Clusters (or the equivalent on your tenant). Add a cluster, then add the hierarchies that belong to it. Clusters can be edited at any time, but for large customer rollouts Cirrus consultants are usually involved.