The permission to read or write information in Creo Elements/Direct Manager Server is stored in the database. Each database object (for example, each class or an element) has an Access Control List (ACL) associated with it, either directly or indirectly. The ACL specifies permissions (or allowed operations) for the object. Creo Elements/Direct Manager Server checks each operation against the object's ACL before the operation is performed. By using ACLs to limit access to database objects, you increase security.

An ACL consists of user or group names, permissions granted to the user or group, and (optionally) the work states for which the user or group has permissions.