Licensing Model Overview
Risksheet licenses count all registered users on the Polarion server, regardless of whether those users hold a Polarion ALM license. A server with 203 registered accounts requires a Risksheet license for 203 server users, even if only 50 of those accounts have active Polarion licenses. This is the most common source of licensing confusion.
Three-Tier Usage Model
Risksheet defines three usage levels, each requiring a different combination of Polarion license type and Risksheet permissions. Polarion’s standard permissions and authorization rules always apply on top of these tiers.
| Usage level | What the user does | Polarion license required | Risksheet access required |
|---|
| Viewer / Reviewer | Opens the Risksheet document, reads the interactive risk table, navigates upstream and downstream links, adds review comments | Any Polarion license, including REVIEWER | Read-only access (not in nextedy_risksheet_users group, OR REVIEWER license) |
| Author | Edits existing risk items, fills in severity/occurrence/detection ratings, creates new rows, links upstream and downstream items, runs formulas | ALM, Requirements, or QA license = full edit access. PRO license = modify existing lines only (cannot create new rows) | Member of the nextedy_risksheet_users group |
| Administrator | Configures the sheet configuration, manages templates, sets up nextedy.risksheet.* properties, assigns users to groups | Polarion license with administrative permissions (typically ALM) | Polarion admin permissions on the target project or globally |
A Polarion PRO license holder added to the nextedy_risksheet_users group can modify existing Risksheet lines only — they cannot create new rows. To author new risk items (failure modes, hazards, threats), the user must hold an ALM, Requirements, or QA license. REVIEWER license holders are always read-only in Risksheet, regardless of group membership.
Connect License for System-Wide Access
Nextedy provides a single Connect license that grants system-wide Risksheet access to all server users without requiring named-user assignment. Connect is intended for environments where every Polarion user needs at least read access to risk analysis content. Editing capability still depends on the user’s Polarion license type per the table above (PRO holders can modify existing rows, REVIEWER holders remain read-only).
Key Licensing Concepts
| Concept | Definition |
|---|
| Server users | Total count of all registered user accounts on the Polarion server. This is the number Risksheet uses to validate the license. |
| Polarion license holders | Users who hold an active Polarion ALM license (REVIEWER, PRO, ALM, Requirements, QA, Enterprise, etc.). The license type determines what those users can do inside Risksheet (see the three-tier table above). The license count is irrelevant to Risksheet’s own user-count validation. |
| Named / Active users | Users explicitly added to the nextedy_risksheet_users group. These users can edit Risksheet data, subject to their Polarion license type. The number of named users must not exceed the licensed named user count. |
| Read-only users | All server users who are not in the nextedy_risksheet_users group, plus REVIEWER license holders even when in the group. These users can view Risksheet data but cannot edit. |
| SMB discount | A pricing tier that requires the Polarion server to have 50 or fewer total registered server users. |
License Types
Named User License
A named user license grants editing access to a specific number of users. The license specifies:
- Server user limit — maximum total registered users on the Polarion server
- Named user limit — maximum number of users in the
nextedy_risksheet_users group who can edit
Users not in the active user group receive read-only access. Users in the group are subject to their Polarion license type (ALM/Requirements/QA = full author access, PRO = modify existing rows only, REVIEWER = read-only). The license is validated against the total server user count, not the named user count alone.
Connect (System-Wide) License
A Connect license grants Risksheet access to all server users on the Polarion server without requiring per-user assignment to the nextedy_risksheet_users group. Each user’s editing capability is determined by their Polarion license type per the three-tier model.
Evaluation / Trial License
Evaluation licenses provide Risksheet functionality for a limited time period. Key characteristics:
- Editing access for users during the evaluation period, subject to their Polarion license type
- No named user group configuration required
- Evaluation licenses do not enable Powersheet integration features
Specific evaluation license duration and renewal policies should be confirmed with Nextedy sales or the license management page in your Polarion instance.
Production License
Production licenses are permanent (non-expiring) licenses tied to a server user count. They enable all Risksheet features including Powersheet integration when a valid Powersheet production license is also present.
Active User Assignment
User Group Configuration
Active (editing) users are managed through a dedicated Polarion user group:
| Group Name | Product | Purpose |
|---|
nextedy_risksheet_users | Risksheet | Users who can edit Risksheet data (subject to Polarion license type) |
nextedy_powersheet_users | Powersheet | Users who can edit Powersheet data (required when Powersheet is installed alongside Risksheet) |
“You have read-only access only. (Reviewer License)”
A user in the nextedy_risksheet_users group with a Polarion PRO license can still edit existing rows but cannot create new ones — Risksheet enforces this restriction at the row-creation level.
Access Control Matrix
| Polarion license | In nextedy_risksheet_users group? | Risksheet license valid? | Access Level |
|---|
| ALM / Requirements / QA | Yes | Yes | Full author access (create + modify) |
| PRO | Yes | Yes | Modify existing rows only (no creation) |
| REVIEWER | Yes | Yes | Read-only |
| Any | No | Yes | Read-only |
| Any | Yes | No (expired / exceeded) | Read-only |
| Any | No | No | Read-only |
| Not registered on the Polarion server | N/A | N/A | No access (Polarion login required) |
Powersheet Integration Licensing
Risksheet automatically detects if Powersheet is installed and checks its license status. The interaction between the two products affects available features:
| Risksheet License | Powersheet License | Behavior |
|---|
| Valid production | Valid production | Risksheet operates with enhanced metadata configuration, unlocking additional features |
| Valid production | Evaluation/trial | Risksheet operates in standard mode; Powersheet enhancements not enabled |
| Valid production | Not installed | Risksheet operates in standard mode |
| Valid production | Expired | Risksheet operates in standard mode; Powersheet features automatically disabled |
License changes are detected automatically. When a Powersheet license status changes (activated, expired, or upgraded from evaluation to production), Risksheet features adjust accordingly. The configuration manager maintains separate license tracking for Risksheet and Powersheet, tracking server users and configured named users for both products independently.
User Group Alignment After Upgrades
When Powersheet is installed alongside Risksheet (particularly after upgrading to v25.11.0 or later), named users must be present in the nextedy_powersheet_users group for license alignment to work correctly. If only the nextedy_risksheet_users group exists, the license page may show 0 named users.
License Validation Parameters
The license validation system tracks the following metrics:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
| Server users | Total registered users on the Polarion server |
| Configured named users | Number of users in the nextedy_risksheet_users (or nextedy_powersheet_users) group |
| Configured concurrent users | See application for concurrent user licensing details |
| License expiration | Date when the license becomes invalid (evaluation licenses only) |
| Product version | Risksheet version string including build metadata |
License Page Information
The Risksheet license page (accessible through Administration > Nextedy Risksheet > Setup) displays:
- Current license type and expiration date (if applicable)
- Total server user count
- Number of configured named users from the user group
- License validity status
- Risksheet version information
- Powersheet license status (if installed)
Common Licensing Scenarios
Scenario: More Server Users Than Licensed
A Risksheet license for 100 server users is installed on a Polarion server with 150 registered accounts. Result: the license validation fails, and all users receive read-only access regardless of user group membership or Polarion license type.
Resolution: Either clean up inactive server user accounts to bring the count below the licensed limit, or upgrade the license to cover the actual server user count.
Scenario: PRO User Cannot Create New Rows
A user in the nextedy_risksheet_users group can edit existing risk items but the Add row action is unavailable.
Cause: The user holds a Polarion PRO license. PRO restricts Risksheet editing to existing rows only.
Resolution: Assign the user an ALM, Requirements, or QA Polarion license if row creation is required.
Scenario: Named Users Cannot Edit At All
Seven users are in the nextedy_risksheet_users group but cannot save any changes. The license page shows the correct named user count.
Possible causes:
- The total server user count exceeds the licensed Risksheet limit
- The users hold REVIEWER Polarion licenses (always read-only)
- The document is in a historical revision (forces read-only)
- Polarion project permissions restrict editing for those users
- A Polarion service restart is needed after group changes
Scenario: Post-Upgrade License Shows Zero Named Users
After upgrading Risksheet to v26.1.0 with Powersheet also installed, the license page shows 0 named users despite users being in the nextedy_risksheet_users group.
Resolution: Create a nextedy_powersheet_users group and add all users from nextedy_risksheet_users to it. The license alignment requires both groups when both products are installed.
See Also
