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Run an Access Review (New Experience)

Access Reviews help you review and validate user access across connected applications.

Updated this week

💡 Still using the classic Drata experience? Refer to Access Reviews for the original UI.

Drata centralizes application permissions so you can confirm appropriate access, identify risks, and generate audit-ready evidence for annual access control reviews.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Navigate to Access Reviews

Go to Governance → Access Reviews.

The Access Reviews page includes three tabs:

  1. Applications

    • Shows the latest synced access data from connected applications.

    • Data refreshes nightly

    • Applications can be manually added if needed

  2. Active Review

    • Shows the currently active review period.

    • Tracks review progress across applications

    • Only one review period can be active at a time

  3. Completed Reviews

    • Shows previously completed review periods.

    • Includes downloadable evidence packages

    • Displays reviewer and completion details

Step 2: Create a Review Period

Only one review period can be active at a time.

  1. Go to Governance → Access Reviews.

  2. Select Create review.

  3. Choose a start and end date.

    • Drata does not take a snapshot of access data during the review period. Instead, access is shown as it exists on the day you perform the review.

    • For example, if you set your review period from April 1 to June 30 but complete the review on July 5, you’ll see access data as it exists on July 5.

  4. Choose which applications to include in the review period.

  5. Assign a reviewer to each application. Reviewers must have the Access Reviewer or Admin role.

Step 3: Review Access for an Application

Once a review period is active, reviewers validate access one application at a time.

To open the Active Review:

  1. Go to Governance → Access Reviews

  2. Select the Active Review tab

  3. Choose an application in scope

Inside the application view, you can:

  • View the assigned reviewer

  • Upload or view all users with access

  • Track review progress across accounts

  • Identify warnings and potential risks

Step 4: Complete an Application Review

When all accounts in the application have been reviewed:

  1. Open the application from the Active Review period

  2. Select Complete review

  3. (Optional) Upload additional evidence

  4. Select Submit

When the review period is completed, Drata combines all application evidence into a single ZIP file, with a separate folder for each reviewed application. This file is automatically attached to DCF-11: Annual Access Control Review and saved into evidences. The evidence renewal date is set to one year from the completion date by default.

For accounts using workspaces, evidence is generated only for the Primary workspace. You may need to manually copy the evidence to other workspaces if required.


Reopen a Completed Review

Admins can reopen a completed review period if updates are needed. To do this, go to Governance → Access Reviews, open the Completed Reviews tab, and select Re-open review.

Reopening makes the review active again and allows edits to application reviews. This option is only available when no other review is currently active, since only one review period can be active at a time.

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