App and System Settings in Permission Sets

App Settings

Apps are sets of tabs that users can change by selecting the drop-down menu in the header. All underlying objects, components, data, and configurations remain the same, regardless of the selected app. In selecting an app, users navigate in a set of tabs that allows them to efficiently use the underlying functionality for app-specific tasks. For example, let's say you do most of your work in the sales app, which includes tabs like Accounts and Opportunities. To track a new marketing campaign, rather than adding the Campaigns tab to the sales app, you select Marketing from the app drop-down to view your campaigns and campaign members.

The Apps section of the permission sets overview page contains settings that are directly associated with the business processes the apps enable. For example, customer service agents might need to manage cases, so the “Manage Cases” permission is in the Call Center section of the App Permissions page. Some app settings aren't related to app permissions. For example, to enable the Time-Off Manager app from the AppExchange, users need access to the appropriate Apex classes and Visualforce pages, as well as the object and field permissions that allow them to create new time-off requests.

System Settings

Some system functions apply to an organization and not to any single app. For example, “View Setup and Configuration” allows users to view setup and administrative settings pages. Other system functions apply to all apps. For example, the “Run Reports” and “Manage Dashboards” permissions allow managers to create and manage reports in all apps. In some cases, such as with “Modify All Data,” a permission applies to all apps, but also includes non-app functions, like the ability to download the Data Loader.