Adopted Authority Basics

Learning Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain what adopted authority is and why it must be used responsibly.

Simple Explanation

Every authority check covered so far in this batch has asked "does this user have authority?" Adopted authority changes that question, for a specific program, to "does the program's owner have authority?" instead. A program created with USRPRF(*OWNER) runs using its owner's authority, not the calling user's own authority, for as long as that program is active:

CRTBNDRPG PGM(MYLIB/CUSTINQR) SRCFILE(MYLIB/QRPGLESRC) USRPRF(*OWNER)

If CUSTINQR is owned by a user profile with *CHANGE authority to CUSTMAST, any user who runs CUSTINQR can read and update CUSTMAST through that program, even if their own user profile has no direct authority to CUSTMAST at all.

Why It Matters

Adopted authority is genuinely useful: it lets a carefully-written program provide controlled access to data a user should not be able to touch directly, similar in spirit to the external stored procedure pattern covered in the Advanced SQL lessons, exposing a specific, controlled capability without granting broad direct access. But this power cuts both ways: if the program itself has a bug or an unintended capability, that bug now runs with the owner's authority, not the calling user's, potentially allowing far more than the user should ever be able to do. This is exactly why adopted authority must be used carefully and deliberately, never as a casual way to avoid granting direct authority.

Practical Example

Recall CUSTINQR from the Object Authority in Depth lesson earlier in this batch. Instead of granting every user direct *CHANGE authority to CUSTMAST, a shop might instead grant users only *USE authority to run CUSTINQR, which adopts its owner's *CHANGE authority to CUSTMAST while it runs. Users get exactly the controlled ability the program provides, checking and updating customer records through CUSTINQR's own logic, without ever being granted broad, direct authority to modify CUSTMAST any other way.

This is a simplified, illustrative example rather than a specific real implementation, but it reflects exactly why adopted authority is used in practice.

Common Confusions

"Does adopted authority mean the calling user's own authority no longer matters at all?" While the adopting program is active, the owner's authority is what is checked for that program's own operations. The calling user's own authority still matters for anything outside that specific program's adopted scope.

"Is adopted authority risky by nature, or only risky if misused?" It is a powerful, legitimate tool, not inherently dangerous, but it concentrates risk: any flaw in an adopting program's logic can now be exploited with the owner's authority rather than the caller's own. This is exactly why adopting programs deserve extra care in their own correctness.

"Should every program that needs elevated access use adopted authority?" Not automatically. It is one legitimate option among others, including granting authority through an authorization list, covered earlier in this batch. Adopted authority is most appropriate when a specific, well-understood program needs to provide controlled access to something users should not be able to reach directly.

Quick Recap

• Adopted authority lets a program run using its owner's authority instead of the calling user's own authority, for as long as that program is active.
• It enables controlled, indirect access to data a user cannot reach directly, similar in spirit to exposing a controlled capability through an external stored procedure.
• Because a flaw in an adopting program's logic runs with the owner's authority, adopting programs deserve extra scrutiny and care.
• Adopted authority is one legitimate option among several for providing controlled access, not a default choice for every case.

Try Asking the AI Tutor

Use the AI Tutor to ask follow-up questions about this lesson. For example, try asking:

• "What kind of program would be a reasonable candidate for adopted authority, versus one that should not use it?"
• "Why does a bug in an adopting program matter more than a bug in a program that only uses the calling user's own authority?"