Introduction
A properly configured access control is indispensable for partner platforms: it protects merchants' trade secrets, preserves the integrity of tracking and builds trust with affiliates. Affilentra combines self-hosted affiliate software with merchant programs and partners. This guide shows concretely how to configure roles, rights and audit logs in Affilentra so responsibilities are clearly separated, risks minimized, and operational processes remain efficient.
Role model: Who belongs where?
Affilentra works with separate roles for three core actors. Define these roles first in your instance before assigning permissions:
- Software Operator (System Admin): Responsible for installation, backups, updates, system configuration and infrastructure. No commercial interventions in merchant data without explicit consent.
- Merchant: Manages products, conditions, creatives, tracking parameters and the validation of conversions for their own programs.
- Affiliate Partner (Publisher): Uses personal tracking links, views their own performance data and past payouts, downloads creatives.
Basic principles for permissions
Follow these rules when creating rights:
- Principle of least privilege: Each user receives only the minimal rights necessary to perform their tasks.
- Segregation of duties: Tasks with inherent conflict potential – e.g. commission approval and payout – must not be assigned to the same role.
- Tenant isolation: Merchants may only view and edit their own product data, reports and partner lists.
- Transparency and traceability: All critical actions are logged (audit logs) and reviewed regularly.
Concrete permission sets: Recommendations
Use these building blocks as a starting point. Adapt them to your organization size and compliance requirements.
Software Operator (minimally recommended)
- Read/change system configuration
- Perform backup & restore
- Plugin/update management
- User management (system accounts only, do not delete/change merchant-specific content)
- Audit log access (read permission)
Merchant (recommended set)
- Create and edit own programs/products
- Upload and manage creatives
- Conversion validation for own conversions
- View reporting for own programs
- Manage partnerships (invitations, approvals)
- View billing data; assign commission approvals separately
Affiliate‑Partner (lean)
- View own‑stats
- Generate and manage tracking links
- Download creatives
- View payout history
- No access to merchant‑sensitive configurations or other partner data
How to set up roles and permissions in Affilentra (step‑by‑step)
- Preparation: Define in a short matrix which actions each role may perform. Assign responsible persons for role/permission reviews.
- Create roles: Create the three basic roles in Affilentra. Use distinct names (e.g. System‑Admin, Merchant‑Admin, Partner).
- Assign permissions: Assign the recommended permission groups. Use available granular rights for reports, conversions, creatives and billing.
- Create test accounts: Create test users for each role. Test with realistic scenarios (e.g. product creation, link generation, manual conversion validation) whether permissions work correctly.
- Configure approval workflows: Define approval steps for critical actions (e.g. changing commission rates, manual payout). Separate approval from execution.
- 2FA & password rules: Enable two‑factor authentication for all admin and merchant accounts; enforce password complexity and session timeouts.
- Documentation: Record the role‑permission matrix and change requests in your internal operations manual.
Audit logs: What to record and how to review?
Audit logs are your central evidence for compliance and troubleshooting. In Affilentra you should at minimum log the following actions:
- Login/logout, failed logins
- Changes to roles/permissions
- Manual validation or cancellation of conversions
- Creation/editing/deletion of products and creatives
- Payout requests and approvals
Practical review processes:
- Weekly quick check: Unusual login times, locked accounts.
- Monthly review: Changes to permissions, list of approved manual conversions and payouts.
- Quarterly audit: Full log export and review by an independent person or external auditor.
Edge scenarios and security measures
Prepare rules for exceptional cases:
- Emergency access: Define a procedure for temporary privilege escalations (time‑limited, documented and audited).
- Compromised account: Immediately block access, rotate API‑keys, invalidate affected sessions and create a log extract.
- External service providers: Create separate service accounts with only the required API rights; do not use personal admin accounts.
Practical example: Merchant change and data isolation
When a merchant switches platforms or appoints a new merchant admin, perform the following steps to ensure data isolation and traceability:
- Revoke old admin rights immediately, document the reason for the change.
- Export relevant audit logs for the merchant for the last 90 days.
- Set up new merchant admin accounts with 2FA and verify permissions based on the matrix.
- Inform all affected partners about potential changes to creatives or tracking parameters.
Why self‑hosted with Affilentra helps
Affilentra is available as a self‑hosted solution (PRO & NETWORK Edition) with a perpetual license. This allows customers to control access management, data retention and compliance themselves, without revenue sharing with the software provider. The platform brings together tracking, conversion validation, commission calculation and payout along clearly separated roles — ideal when you need strict separation of operator and merchant responsibilities.
Conclusion and next steps
Implement roles and audit processes step by step: first create the matrix, then create roles, test, and finally establish monitoring. Regular review and clear emergency procedures secure operations and build trust.
Call to action: Choose your entry now and review the options for your platform instance: Einstieg wählen.
If required, we can create a checklist for the initial implementation in Affilentra for you or provide an audit template.
Next step
Try Affilentra yourself
A unified platform that transparently brings together product provisioning, tracking, conversion validation, commission calculation and payout along clearly separated roles; option for self‑hosted installation with a perpetual license without revenue sharing; merchants retain control over products, terms and creatives; partners receive personal tracking links and a traceable payout history.