Feature Request: Role-based controls for import duplicate handling
Summary:
Introduce role-based permissions that control which duplicate-handling options are available during data import, specifically restricting access to the “Replace all” behavior. This ensures only authorized roles can perform destructive or high-impact duplicate operations while others are limited to safer options.
Problem Statement:
Currently, any user with access to importing can select aggressive duplicate-handling options such as “Replace all” when importing data. This creates risk when less-privileged or less-experienced users perform imports, since a single action can unintentionally overwrite a large amount of existing data. Teams that want tighter governance over imports have no way to restrict these high-impact options by role, leading to potential data loss, inconsistency, and the need for time-consuming recovery or cleanup.
Proposed Solution:
Introduce configurable, role-level permissions that define which duplicate-handling options are available during import (e.g., “Create new only,” “Update existing,” “Skip duplicates,” “Replace all”).
Allow administrators to enable or disable each duplicate-handling option per role or permission group.
When a user starts an import, only the duplicate-handling options permitted for their role should be visible and selectable; restricted options (such as “Replace all”) should be hidden or disabled.
Log which duplicate-handling option was selected, along with the user and timestamp, for auditability.
Optionally provide a default, safer duplicate-handling setting per role to minimize configuration errors and enforce best practices.
Benefits:
Reduces the risk of accidental data overwrites by limiting high-impact import actions to trusted roles.
Improves data integrity and governance around bulk import operations.
Gives administrators fine-grained control over how different user groups can interact with existing data.
Decreases time spent on data recovery and cleanup after problematic imports.
Builds user confidence in the import process by enforcing safer defaults and clearer controls.