Salesforce Admin Certification Practice Test 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Pass Your Exam with Confidence!

Record-level access in Salesforce determines the ability of users to view, edit, or delete individual records based on specific criteria. Role hierarchies play a critical role in this access model by establishing a structure that defines how records can be shared across different levels of users in the organization.

When a user is placed within a hierarchy, they inherently gain access to the records owned by users beneath them in the hierarchy. For example, if a manager has a subordinate, that manager will have access to the records owned by that subordinate, facilitating transparency and oversight. This access is crucial for ensuring that appropriate levels of access align with job functions and responsibilities.

On the other hand, profiles define the baseline of object-level and field-level access but do not govern individual record ownership. Permission sets are used to grant additional permissions on top of those provided by profiles, thus also not serving as a primary mechanism for record-level access. Page layouts primarily influence the user interface and dictate how records are displayed in Salesforce but do not affect the underlying permissions related to record access.

Thus, the role hierarchy distinctly articulates how record-level access is structured and implemented within Salesforce, making it the correct answer to the question.