bcquality/microsoft/knowledge/security/inherent-permissions-minimal-grant.md
Jesper Schulz-Wedde a9f3c50863 Regenerate microsoft/knowledge from upstream BCApps instructions
The previous LLM-generated knowledge files contained factual
hallucinations. The most visible was the claim that `FindFirst` /
`FindLast` "forces a full-table scan" on an unfiltered record - it does
not; those APIs return a single row via the current key.

Other inaccuracies the audit found and fixed:

* `FindSet(true)` was described as "taking a LockTable". The correct
  upstream phrasing is that `FindSet(true)` sets
  `ReadIsolation::UpdLock` on the read. UpdLock and LockTable are
  related but distinct mechanisms.
* The list of production-scale tables had been invented beyond the
  upstream source (e.g. "Detailed Cust. Ledg. Entry") without a
  citation. The regenerated list matches the ten tables upstream lists
  with their P95 row counts.
* `SetLoadFields` guidance had been augmented with an extra mechanism
  claim ("the database resolves the filter using the index without
  hydrating the value") not present in upstream.

Approach: full regeneration of `microsoft/knowledge/` from the six
upstream BCApps Code Review instruction files, with Microsoft Learn /
the AL language reference as a secondary source. Every claim in every
regenerated file is anchored to a verbatim upstream quote (or a Learn
URL); the audit trail lives in artifacts/trace-<domain>.json on the
session workspace.

The PR #11 transaction/error-handling cluster is preserved verbatim:

* performance/understand-implicit-transaction-boundary.md
* performance/codeunit-run-as-atomic-sub-operation.{md,good.al,bad.al}
* performance/codeunit-run-requires-prior-commit-inside-transaction.{md,good.al,bad.al}
* performance/use-tryfunction-for-error-catching-not-rollback.{md,good.al,bad.al}
* performance/avoid-commit-inside-loops.{md,good.al,bad.al}
* security/commitbehavior-attribute-scopes-explicit-commits.{md,good.al,bad.al}
* testing/transactionmodel-attribute-governs-test-transactions.{md,good.al,bad.al}

These articles already cite Microsoft Learn and were carefully
cross-referenced; the regeneration skips their topics rather than
duplicating them.

File counts after regeneration:

  performance   35 .md  (5 preserved + 30 new)
  privacy       17 .md
  security      18 .md  (1 preserved + 17 new)
  style         33 .md
  testing        1 .md  (preserved)
  ui            19 .md
  upgrade       18 .md

Total 141 atomic knowledge files, each strictly one rule. All pass
.github/scripts/validate_frontmatter.py with 0 errors and 0 warnings.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-05-21 09:53:09 +02:00

1.7 KiB

bc-version domain keywords technologies countries application-area
all
security
inherentpermissions
inherententitlements
attribute
least-privilege
procedure
al
w1
all

Grant the minimum InherentPermissions a procedure needs

Description

[InherentPermissions(PermissionObjectType::..., ...)] and [InherentEntitlements(Entitlement::...)] are method-level attributes that let a procedure perform an operation on the listed object even when the caller's permission set does not allow it. They effectively elevate the caller for the duration of the procedure. The grant therefore needs to be as narrow as the procedure's actual work — both in object scope (the specific table) and in operation ('r' versus 'RIMD'). Overly broad inherent permissions silently expand the attack surface of every codeunit that calls the procedure.

Best Practice

Match the inherent permission to the procedure's body: a procedure that only reads Customer.Name declares [InherentPermissions(PermissionObjectType::TableData, Database::Customer, 'r')], not 'RIMD'. Pick the inherent entitlement that matches the lowest tier the procedure should run under — do not require Premium for a procedure that performs an Essential-tier check. See sample: inherent-permissions-minimal-grant.good.al.

Anti Pattern

Declaring [InherentPermissions(..., 'RIMD')] on a read-only procedure (GetCustomerName), or [InherentEntitlements(Entitlement::"Dynamics 365 Business Central Premium")] on a procedure that performs a simple existence check. Reviewers should compare the attribute's permission letters against what the procedure body actually does and flag any grant broader than the operations performed. See sample: inherent-permissions-minimal-grant.bad.al.