In Salesforce, Profiles and Roles are fundamental components that manage user access and permissions, each serving distinct purposes:

Profiles:

- Function: Profiles determine what users can do within Salesforce. They define permissions such as Create, Read, Edit, and Delete (CRED) for objects, fields, and other elements.

- Scope: Profiles control access at the object and field levels, specifying which objects and fields a user can interact with and what actions they can perform.

- Hierarchy: Profiles are not hierarchical; all users with the same profile have the same permissions.

- Examples: Profiles include roles like 'System Administrator', 'Sales User', or 'Marketing User'.

Roles:

- Function: Roles define what data users can see in Salesforce. They control record-level access, determining which records a user can view or edit.

- Scope: Roles manage visibility of records based on the role hierarchy, allowing users in higher roles to access records owned by users in lower roles.

- Hierarchy: Roles are hierarchical; users in higher roles can access records owned by users in lower roles, facilitating data visibility across the organization.

- Examples: Roles include positions like 'VP of Sales', 'Sales Manager', or 'Sales Representative'.

Key Differences:

- Purpose: Profiles control what users can do (permissions), while Roles control what users can see (data visibility).

- Scope: Profiles manage object and field-level permissions; Roles manage record-level access.

- Hierarchy: Profiles are not hierarchical; Roles are hierarchical, affecting data visibility based on the role structure.

Understanding the distinction between Profiles and Roles is crucial for effectively managing user access and data visibility in Salesforce.

For a visual explanation, you might find the following video helpful: