Effective policy management in Drata is essential for maintaining audit readiness and smooth compliance workflows. This article outlines common issues customers encounter when creating, editing, publishing, and using policies for compliance.
Policy Creation: “Create” Option Is Missing
Symptoms: You have admin-level access, but the Create option does not appear in the Policy Center.
Cause: An external policy management integration (such as Confluence) is connected to your Drata account. When an external policy manager is enabled, policy creation within Drata is disabled to prevent duplication and version conflicts.
Resolution
Temporarily disconnect the external policy manager.
Refresh or re-open the Policy Center in Drata.
Confirm that the Create option is now available.
Policy Editing: Guest Administrator Cannot Edit Policies
Symptoms: A Guest Administrator cannot edit a policy, even after access has been granted.
Common Causes: Guest Administrator permissions can take up to one hour to fully apply.
Resolution: Allow up to one hour after assigning Guest Administrator access for permissions to take effect.
Policy Publishing: “Publish” Option Is Missing
Symptoms: A policy has been approved, but you do not see the option to publish it.
Cause: Only the Policy Owner can publish a policy. If you are not the owner, publishing actions are restricted.
Resolution
Identify the current policy owner.
Request that ownership be transferred to your account, if needed.
Once ownership is updated, publish the policy.
Policy Compliance: Policies Do Not Satisfy Controls on Their Own
Publishing a policy does not automatically satisfy audit controls. Policies define expectations, but auditors require evidence that those processes are actively followed.
What’s Required:
A relevant policy (for example, a System Access Control Policy).
Supporting process evidence, such as:
Access request and approval records
Onboarding and offboarding checklists
Tickets, logs, or activity records
How to Satisfy Control Requirements:
Link the relevant policy to the appropriate control.
Upload supporting evidence that demonstrates the policy is being followed in practice.
Summary
Most policy-related issues in Drata stem from permissions, ownership, integrations, or the distinction between documentation and operational evidence. By understanding how policies interact with controls, approval workflows, and audit tests, you can resolve issues quickly and maintain consistent audit readiness.
If issues persist or you encounter edge cases, consult the Drata Help Center or contact Drata Support for assistance.