What is multi-tenancy?
Multi-tenancy allows you to set up separate, full-fledged Sana instances for different organizations, enabling them to operate independently within the platform.
How does it work?
Separate instances: Create distinct Sana instances for each organization.
Easy switching: Switch between these instances using a drop-down menu at the top of the sidebar.
Course distribution: Create courses in the main (parent) instance and distribute them to other organizations (child instances) via the publish modal in the editor.
Where can you find these features?
Org switch: Located in the drop-down at the top of the sidebar.
Course distribution: Found in the publish modal that opens when you click the Publish button in the course editor.
Why did we build it?
This feature provides more options for organizing learning and development (L&D) agendas by allowing complete separation of branding, users, and content. It is particularly beneficial for:
External use cases: They often require separate branding and content.
Enterprise customers: Large organizations that need separate branding and administration for different parts of the organization.
💡Note: Please talk to your Sana representative to discuss whether multi-tenancy is the right solution for your use case. Multi-tenancy is a powerful feature, but it also limits the level of collaboration possible between users.
How to Start Using Multi-Tenancy
To start using multi-tenancy, contact your Sana representative to set it up.
Once the setup is complete, users need to be invited (if not via user provisioning) to the child instances in the same way they are invited to parent instance—whether via email or via link. Read more about it here. Multi-tenancy only works if user accounts with the same email address are active in both the parent and child instances.
Once added to the child instances, users can easily switch between instances within the platform.
Current Limitations to Note
Content distribution is currently limited to self-paced courses. We are working on expanding this to include all other types of Sana content.
Card content can only be edited from the parent instance, not from child instances.
Content management tasks unrelated to card content—such as assignments, tags, skills, and exercises—must be handled within the child instance.
Distributed content cannot be placed in teamspaces of child instances.
FAQs
What is the primary advantage of multi-tenancy in Sana?
The main use case is ensuring a clear separation between different user groups (e.g., internal vs. external users) while allowing content sharing from the parent instance to child instances without manual imports.
Do changes made to a course in the parent instance apply to the distributed course in the child instance?
Yes, changes made to a course in the parent instance will apply to the course in the child instance, but you must publish any changes for them to take effect.
Is content automatically published? What is the visibility setting?
When publishing content in the parent instance, you will be prompted to choose whether to publish it in the child instance as well. The visibility settings in the child instance will mirror those in the parent instance. To publish the course in the child instance, the visibility must be set to at least 'Visible in Manage'.
Can live sessions be shared between the parent instance and child instance?
Currently, live sessions created within a child instance remain exclusive to that instance. However, plans are in place to enable live session synchronization between instances in the future.
Are responses in Sana interactive cards shared between instances?
No, responses in interactive cards within a distributed course are not shared between instances. Each instance operates independently, ensuring that learner responses and interactions remain isolated to their respective instance.
What happens to programs and skills when transitioning to multi-tenancy?
Programs need to be set up again within the new child instance, and skills must also be reconfigured. This allows organizations to keep internal and external skills separate if needed.
How does multi-tenancy impact reporting and analytics?
Insights are separated per instance, meaning users can only see data related to their instance.
Do users need to be invited to both the parent and child instances in multi-tenancy if SSO in enabled?
No, users do not need to be invited separately if Single Sign-On (SSO) is enabled. Once SSO is set up, users can access the child instance based on their existing credentials without additional email invitations.
Can different permission settings be applied to users for each instance?
Yes, administrators can configure settings so that some users have broader access to create content, while others have more restricted permissions.
Can custom roles be configured per tenant in multi-tenancy?
Yes, multi-tenancy clusters consist of separate Sana instances, allowing roles to be configured separately for each tenant.
Users are configured through Active Directory. How does multi-tenancy in Sana reflect in Active Directory?
You need to set up the integration for each tenant and filter users accordingly.
Is there a maximum number of tenancies for multi-tenancy instances?
The current limit is 10 tenancies.