User attributes are used in two ways:
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User Attributes are a configurable feature which is typically supported by custom code. How fields that are set up as user attributes are used is totally dependent upon the custom code. A typical use case may be to control which issues a user may read and update, by using field values within the issue to identify the user's eligibility to view and update the issue. Issues which do not have the appropriate values that correspond with the user's attributes will be totally invisible to the user, both for updating and reporting
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The field values that are set may be applied as filters on reports, using the value * User's Profile Value * that will appear in the list of values for a field, if and when the attribute is set within this screen. This allows reports to take on the values as filters for any user, without the need to set the filter values manually.
Setting up user attributes requires the following steps: