> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.skillsdb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Organization Settings
> Configure your organization's grading scale, search permissions, training library attributes, org structure hierarchy, documents, and other platform-wide settings in SkillsDB.
**Quick Summary:** The Settings area gives administrators full control over the structural foundations of SkillsDB — including how skills are graded, who can search for what, how training resources are categorized, how your organizational hierarchy is defined, and other platform-wide behaviors.
# Overview
The Settings area is the administrative backbone of SkillsDB. Administrators define the organizational rules and structures that underpin every other feature in the platform — from how proficiency is measured to which users can find each other in search.
Settings is accessible from **Company > Settings** in the left sidebar. The page is organized into two types of configuration:
* **Toggle settings** control on/off behaviors like hiding manager grades, enabling skill flags, and enabling system emails. These are covered in [Page Settings](/configurations/page-settings).
* **Structural settings** link to dedicated sub-pages where you build and manage structured data — like your grading scale, organizational hierarchy, search permissions, and training library metadata.
This article covers the structural configuration areas accessible from the Settings page: **Grading Scale**, **Search Permissions**, **Training Library**, **Org Structure**, **Documents**, **Skill Assignment Dates**, and **Saved Defaults & Saved Pages**.
**Note:** All settings in this area are organization-wide and apply to every user in your SkillsDB instance. Only administrators can access and modify settings.
***
## Prerequisites
Before you begin, you need:
* **Permission level:** Administrator role
* **Access:** Navigate to **Company > Settings** in the left sidebar
***
## Configuring the Grading Scale
The grading scale defines the proficiency levels used throughout SkillsDB — in self-assessments, manager assessments, skills matrices, and gap analysis. Every skill assessment in your organization uses the grades you define here.
Navigate to **Company > Settings**, then select **Grading Scale** to open the Grading Scale Settings page.
### Understanding grade structure
The grading scale table has four columns:
| Column | Details |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Grade** | A numeric value (0–10). Grade 0 is a special "not yet assessed" grade. |
| **Description** | Contains two parts: a short description (the primary label, maximum 100 characters) and an optional extra description (additional details or examples for the grade level). |
| **Status** | Shows whether the grade is currently in use. See the grade status reference below. |
| **Actions** | Delete button for unused grades. Grade 0 has an active/inactive toggle instead. |
**Important:** Once any grade has been used in an assessment, that grade's number is permanently locked and cannot be edited or deleted. You can always update the descriptions of a grade at any time, even after the grade has been used.
### Adding a new grade
Navigate to **Company > Settings**, then select **Grading Scale**.
Select **+ Add new Grade**. A confirmation modal appears showing the next available grade number (for example, "Are you sure to add new grade level 6?").
Enter a **Short Description** (required, maximum 100 characters). Optionally enter an **Extra Description** to provide additional details or examples for this grade level.
Select **Confirm** to save the new grade.
The new grade immediately appears in the grading scale table and becomes available for use in assessments throughout SkillsDB.
### Editing an existing grade
Click directly on any description field in the table to start editing — an edit icon appears on hover. Press **Enter** or click outside the field to save. Press **Escape** to cancel.
Descriptions are always editable, even for grades that are in use. Grade numbers that are in use cannot be changed.
### Deleting a grade
Grades can only be deleted if they have never been used in an assessment. To delete a grade, select the delete icon in the **Actions** column for that row.
Grade 0 cannot be deleted. It can only be deactivated (see below).
### Deactivating grade 0
Grade 0 is the system's default "not yet assessed" state. It cannot be deleted, but it can be deactivated to hide it from assessments and grading views.
Toggle the switch in the **Actions** column for Grade 0 to deactivate or reactivate it. When grade 0 is deactivated, it is not shown as a selectable option in assessments.
### Grade status reference
| Status | Indicator | Meaning |
| ---------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Not in Use | Green dot | Grade exists but has never been used in an assessment. Fully editable and deletable. |
| In Use | Orange dot | Grade has been used in at least one assessment. Grade number is locked; descriptions remain editable. |
| Inactive | Gray dot | Grade 0 only. Deactivated and hidden from assessment options. |
**Tip:** Set up your complete grading scale before launching assessments. Once grades are used, their numbers are locked. Most organizations use a 1–5 scale, though SkillsDB supports up to grade 10.
***
## Configuring Search Permissions
Search Permissions control which user roles can search for people within SkillsDB and what information they can filter by. These settings let you balance visibility and privacy across your organization.
Navigate to **Company > Settings**, then select **Search Permission** to open the Search Permissions page.
### Understanding roles and access levels
Search permissions are configured across four columns representing security groups:
| Role | Description |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Admin** | Full access — all settings are locked and cannot be changed |
| **Full Access** | Always has full people search access — cannot be restricted |
| **Manager** | Configurable; typically has chain of command visibility |
| **Employee** | Configurable; typically limited or no people search access |
### Permission types
The permissions table contains the following rows:
| Permission type | Description |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enable Search** | Master toggle that enables or disables overall search access for each role. Shown as a checkbox. |
| **People Search Access** | Controls the scope of people search results. Options vary by role. |
| **Minimum to Appear in Results** | When People Search Access is set to **Above Grade**, specifies the minimum proficiency grade a person must have to appear in search results. |
| **Skill Grades Filter** | Filter people search results by skill proficiency grade. |
| **Search Based on Careers** | Filter by career or role assignment. |
| **Career Level Filter** | Filter by career level within specific careers. |
| **Skill Flags Filter** | Filter by skill flags (Expert, Mentor, Focus, Interest). |
| **Survey Response Filter** | Filter by survey responses. Only available if the Surveys feature is enabled. |
| **Searched Based on Certifications** | Filter by certification status. |
| **Search Within User Documents** | Search within uploaded user documents. |
Each filter can be set to **No Access**, **Full Access**, or **Chain of Command** for each role. The Admin column is always locked at Full Access.
### People Search Access levels
| Access level | What the user can find |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **No Access** | Cannot search for people; search defaults to training content |
| **Full Access** | Can search for and view all people in the organization |
| **Chain of Command** | Can only see their direct reports and upward management chain (Manager role only) |
| **Above Grade** | Can only find people who meet or exceed a specified proficiency grade |
**Important:** When the Manager role's People Search Access is set to **Chain of Command**, all filter options for that role are automatically limited to **No Access** or **Chain of Command**. Filters cannot be set to **Full Access** for a manager who only has chain of command people search access.
### Saving and discarding changes
When you modify any search permission value, **Save Changes** and **Discard Changes** buttons appear at the top of the page.
* Select **Save Changes** to persist all changes you have made to the permissions table.
* Select **Discard Changes** to revert all unsaved modifications back to their last saved state.
### Access level definitions
A reference section at the bottom of the page explains each access level:
* **No Access:** Feature is hidden/disabled for this access type
* **Full Access:** Users can see all people matching the search criteria
* **Chain of Command:** Users can only see people in their reporting hierarchy that match the search criteria
* **Above Grade:** People search will only return users above the specified grade level when searching based on skills
***
## Configuring Training Library Settings
Training Library Settings lets administrators define the metadata attributes that categorize and describe training resources in your library. Consistent metadata makes it easier for employees to find relevant training and for administrators to organize and filter the library.
Navigate to **Company > Settings**, then select **Training Library** to open the Training Library Settings page.
There are five attribute types you can configure, each managed through its own drawer:
| Attribute type | Purpose | Example values |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Training Categories** | Group training by content type | Course, Video, Article |
| **Training Providers** | Identify the source or vendor | LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Internal |
| **Training Formats** | Describe how training is delivered | Online, In-Person, Hybrid |
| **Target Audiences** | Specify who the training is for | All Employees, Managers, New Hires |
| **Course Levels** | Indicate difficulty | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
### Managing a training attribute
The workflow is the same for all five attribute types:
Navigate to **Company > Settings > Training Library**. Select **Manage** on the attribute type you want to configure.
In the drawer that opens, you can:
* **Add** a new item by selecting **+ Add Type**, entering a name, and selecting **Save**
* **Edit** an existing item by clicking on it
* **Delete** an item that is no longer needed
* **Reorder** items by dragging them to a new position
Select **Save** to persist changes, then **Close** to return to the Training Library Settings page.
**Tip:** Set up training library attributes before adding resources to the library. Attribute values set here appear as selectable options when administrators create or edit training resources.
***
## Managing Org Structure
The Org Structure settings let you define and maintain the organizational hierarchy used across SkillsDB. These values populate fields on employee profiles, drive search and filtering, and enable targeted settings scoping.
Navigate to **Company > Settings**, then select **Org Structure** to open the Org Structure management page.
### Available org structure attributes
SkillsDB supports eleven organizational attribute types, each managed on its own tab:
| Attribute | Typical use |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Business Unit** | Top-level organizational division (e.g., North America Operations) |
| **Division** | Sub-division within a business unit (e.g., Engineering) |
| **Country** | Geographic country (e.g., United States) |
| **Region** | Geographic region within a country (e.g., West Coast) |
| **State** | State or province (e.g., California) |
| **City** | City location (e.g., San Francisco) |
| **Site** | Physical office or work site (e.g., HQ Campus) |
| **Department** | Functional department (e.g., Product, Finance, HR) |
| **Team** | Team within a department (e.g., Platform Team) |
| **Shift** | Work shift pattern (e.g., Day Shift, Night Shift) |
| **Title** | Job title (e.g., Senior Engineer, Product Manager) |
Each tab shows a count of total and active items, a search bar for filtering, and an **Add** button.
### Adding a new org structure item
On the Org Structure page, select the tab for the attribute type you want to manage.
Select the **Add** button (for example, **+ Add Business Unit**). In the modal, enter the item **Name** (required). Confirm the **Active** checkbox is checked if the item should be immediately available.
Select **Save**. The new item appears in the list and is immediately available for assignment to employee profiles.
### Editing an org structure item
Select the edit (pencil) icon on the item's row. Update the **Name** or **Active** status as needed, then select **Save**.
### Deactivating an org structure item
Deactivating an item hides it from selection on new employee profiles while preserving its historical associations on existing records.
Select the edit icon for the item, then uncheck the **Active** checkbox. If the item is currently assigned to employees or other records, a warning dialog appears showing where the item is in use. Review the usage details, then confirm deactivation or cancel.
**Important:** Deactivating an org structure item does not remove it from existing employee profiles — historical assignments are preserved. The item is simply no longer available as a selectable option for new assignments.
**Tip:** Build out your full org structure before running your initial People import. Org structure values in the import file are matched against existing items, and consistent naming prevents duplicates.
***
## Additional Settings
The Settings page includes several other configuration options beyond the four structural areas above.
### Documents
Configure how files and documents are stored and searched in SkillsDB. Select **Configure document types** on the Settings page to manage document type categories.
### Skill Assignment Dates
Configure whether users see the date of assignment for each skill in their assessment. Select **Configure Date Assigned In Assessments** on the Settings page to manage this behavior.
### Saved Defaults & Saved Pages
Manage saved page defaults and saved pages across the system. Administrators can set default page states for all users and create saved pages that appear as sub-pages under their parent page in navigation. Navigate to **Company > Settings**, then select **Manage saved defaults and saved pages** to open the Saved Defaults management page.
***
# Common Questions
**Settings** (this article) covers the organizational configuration areas: grading scale, search permissions, training library attributes, org structure, documents, and other structural settings. These define the data and rules SkillsDB operates on.
**Page Settings** covers feature toggles and page visibility controls — such as whether library sections are shown, whether skill flags are enabled, and whether system emails are sent. See [Page Settings](/configurations/page-settings) for details.
You can always add new grades and update grade descriptions. However, grade numbers that have been used in at least one assessment are permanently locked — their numeric value cannot be changed, and they cannot be deleted. Plan your grading scale thoroughly before assessments begin. Most organizations use a 1–5 scale, though SkillsDB supports up to grade 10.
Deactivating an org structure item preserves all existing assignments. Employees whose profiles reference the deactivated item are not affected — the item continues to appear on their profile. The deactivated item is simply removed from dropdown menus so it cannot be selected for new assignments.
Yes. Each filter permission (skill grades, certifications, career levels, etc.) is configured independently per role. You can grant employees full access to the careers filter while restricting managers to chain of command visibility, or any other combination that matches your organization's privacy policy.
Yes, partially. If a manager's **People Search Access** is set to **Full Access**, you can independently restrict individual filters (such as setting the Skill Grades Filter to No Access). However, if People Search Access is set to **Chain of Command**, filters cannot be set above **Chain of Command** level — they are automatically capped.
Adding new attributes has no effect on existing resources. Deleting an attribute that is currently used on training resources is not recommended and may affect filtering — review current usage before removing any attribute. You can also drag items to reorder how they appear in dropdown menus.
Admin permissions are locked because administrators always have full visibility across SkillsDB. The Full Access role's People Search Access is also locked at full access because the Full Access role is specifically designed for users who need unrestricted people search capability.
***
# Related Articles
Configure feature toggles, library visibility, and page-level controls
Set up skill flags and configure trainer designations
Create and manage people-specific flags
Configure organization-wide labels for filtering and tagging
Bulk-import employees using org structure fields defined here
***
# Need Help?
If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to your organization's SkillsDB administrator or contact [SkillsDB Support](https://www.skillsdb.com/support).