Manage GCP Dataplex Asset IAM Policies

The gcp:dataplex/assetIamPolicy:AssetIamPolicy resource, part of the Pulumi GCP provider, manages IAM policies for Dataplex assets, controlling who can access and operate on data lake resources. This guide focuses on three approaches: authoritative policy replacement (AssetIamPolicy), role-level member binding (AssetIamBinding), and incremental member addition (AssetIamMember).

These resources reference existing Dataplex assets by their hierarchical identifiers (project, location, lake, zone, asset name). The examples are intentionally small. Combine them with your own Dataplex infrastructure and organizational IAM policies.

Replace the entire IAM policy for an asset

When you need complete control over asset access, you can set the entire IAM policy at once, replacing any existing permissions.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const admin = gcp.organizations.getIAMPolicy({
    bindings: [{
        role: "roles/viewer",
        members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
    }],
});
const policy = new gcp.dataplex.AssetIamPolicy("policy", {
    project: example.project,
    location: example.location,
    lake: example.lake,
    dataplexZone: example.dataplexZone,
    asset: example.name,
    policyData: admin.then(admin => admin.policyData),
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

admin = gcp.organizations.get_iam_policy(bindings=[{
    "role": "roles/viewer",
    "members": ["user:jane@example.com"],
}])
policy = gcp.dataplex.AssetIamPolicy("policy",
    project=example["project"],
    location=example["location"],
    lake=example["lake"],
    dataplex_zone=example["dataplexZone"],
    asset=example["name"],
    policy_data=admin.policy_data)

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/dataplex"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/organizations"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		admin, err := organizations.LookupIAMPolicy(ctx, &organizations.LookupIAMPolicyArgs{
			Bindings: []organizations.GetIAMPolicyBinding{
				{
					Role: "roles/viewer",
					Members: []string{
						"user:jane@example.com",
					},
				},
			},
		}, nil)
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		_, err = dataplex.NewAssetIamPolicy(ctx, "policy", &dataplex.AssetIamPolicyArgs{
			Project:      pulumi.Any(example.Project),
			Location:     pulumi.Any(example.Location),
			Lake:         pulumi.Any(example.Lake),
			DataplexZone: pulumi.Any(example.DataplexZone),
			Asset:        pulumi.Any(example.Name),
			PolicyData:   pulumi.String(admin.PolicyData),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var admin = Gcp.Organizations.GetIAMPolicy.Invoke(new()
    {
        Bindings = new[]
        {
            new Gcp.Organizations.Inputs.GetIAMPolicyBindingInputArgs
            {
                Role = "roles/viewer",
                Members = new[]
                {
                    "user:jane@example.com",
                },
            },
        },
    });

    var policy = new Gcp.DataPlex.AssetIamPolicy("policy", new()
    {
        Project = example.Project,
        Location = example.Location,
        Lake = example.Lake,
        DataplexZone = example.DataplexZone,
        Asset = example.Name,
        PolicyData = admin.Apply(getIAMPolicyResult => getIAMPolicyResult.PolicyData),
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.organizations.OrganizationsFunctions;
import com.pulumi.gcp.organizations.inputs.GetIAMPolicyArgs;
import com.pulumi.gcp.dataplex.AssetIamPolicy;
import com.pulumi.gcp.dataplex.AssetIamPolicyArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        final var admin = OrganizationsFunctions.getIAMPolicy(GetIAMPolicyArgs.builder()
            .bindings(GetIAMPolicyBindingArgs.builder()
                .role("roles/viewer")
                .members("user:jane@example.com")
                .build())
            .build());

        var policy = new AssetIamPolicy("policy", AssetIamPolicyArgs.builder()
            .project(example.project())
            .location(example.location())
            .lake(example.lake())
            .dataplexZone(example.dataplexZone())
            .asset(example.name())
            .policyData(admin.policyData())
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  policy:
    type: gcp:dataplex:AssetIamPolicy
    properties:
      project: ${example.project}
      location: ${example.location}
      lake: ${example.lake}
      dataplexZone: ${example.dataplexZone}
      asset: ${example.name}
      policyData: ${admin.policyData}
variables:
  admin:
    fn::invoke:
      function: gcp:organizations:getIAMPolicy
      arguments:
        bindings:
          - role: roles/viewer
            members:
              - user:jane@example.com

AssetIamPolicy is authoritative: it replaces the entire IAM policy for the asset. The policyData property accepts output from getIAMPolicy, which defines bindings between roles and members. This approach cannot be used alongside AssetIamBinding or AssetIamMember, as they would conflict over policy ownership.

Grant a role to multiple members at once

Teams often need to grant the same role to several users without affecting other roles already assigned to the asset.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const binding = new gcp.dataplex.AssetIamBinding("binding", {
    project: example.project,
    location: example.location,
    lake: example.lake,
    dataplexZone: example.dataplexZone,
    asset: example.name,
    role: "roles/viewer",
    members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

binding = gcp.dataplex.AssetIamBinding("binding",
    project=example["project"],
    location=example["location"],
    lake=example["lake"],
    dataplex_zone=example["dataplexZone"],
    asset=example["name"],
    role="roles/viewer",
    members=["user:jane@example.com"])

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/dataplex"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := dataplex.NewAssetIamBinding(ctx, "binding", &dataplex.AssetIamBindingArgs{
			Project:      pulumi.Any(example.Project),
			Location:     pulumi.Any(example.Location),
			Lake:         pulumi.Any(example.Lake),
			DataplexZone: pulumi.Any(example.DataplexZone),
			Asset:        pulumi.Any(example.Name),
			Role:         pulumi.String("roles/viewer"),
			Members: pulumi.StringArray{
				pulumi.String("user:jane@example.com"),
			},
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var binding = new Gcp.DataPlex.AssetIamBinding("binding", new()
    {
        Project = example.Project,
        Location = example.Location,
        Lake = example.Lake,
        DataplexZone = example.DataplexZone,
        Asset = example.Name,
        Role = "roles/viewer",
        Members = new[]
        {
            "user:jane@example.com",
        },
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.dataplex.AssetIamBinding;
import com.pulumi.gcp.dataplex.AssetIamBindingArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var binding = new AssetIamBinding("binding", AssetIamBindingArgs.builder()
            .project(example.project())
            .location(example.location())
            .lake(example.lake())
            .dataplexZone(example.dataplexZone())
            .asset(example.name())
            .role("roles/viewer")
            .members("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  binding:
    type: gcp:dataplex:AssetIamBinding
    properties:
      project: ${example.project}
      location: ${example.location}
      lake: ${example.lake}
      dataplexZone: ${example.dataplexZone}
      asset: ${example.name}
      role: roles/viewer
      members:
        - user:jane@example.com

AssetIamBinding is authoritative for a single role: it sets the complete member list for that role while preserving other roles. The members property accepts an array of identities (users, service accounts, groups). You can use multiple AssetIamBinding resources for different roles, or combine them with AssetIamMember resources as long as they don’t target the same role.

Add a single member to a role incrementally

When you need to grant access to one additional user without modifying existing members, incremental addition avoids conflicts with other IAM configurations.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const member = new gcp.dataplex.AssetIamMember("member", {
    project: example.project,
    location: example.location,
    lake: example.lake,
    dataplexZone: example.dataplexZone,
    asset: example.name,
    role: "roles/viewer",
    member: "user:jane@example.com",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

member = gcp.dataplex.AssetIamMember("member",
    project=example["project"],
    location=example["location"],
    lake=example["lake"],
    dataplex_zone=example["dataplexZone"],
    asset=example["name"],
    role="roles/viewer",
    member="user:jane@example.com")

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/dataplex"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := dataplex.NewAssetIamMember(ctx, "member", &dataplex.AssetIamMemberArgs{
			Project:      pulumi.Any(example.Project),
			Location:     pulumi.Any(example.Location),
			Lake:         pulumi.Any(example.Lake),
			DataplexZone: pulumi.Any(example.DataplexZone),
			Asset:        pulumi.Any(example.Name),
			Role:         pulumi.String("roles/viewer"),
			Member:       pulumi.String("user:jane@example.com"),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var member = new Gcp.DataPlex.AssetIamMember("member", new()
    {
        Project = example.Project,
        Location = example.Location,
        Lake = example.Lake,
        DataplexZone = example.DataplexZone,
        Asset = example.Name,
        Role = "roles/viewer",
        Member = "user:jane@example.com",
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.dataplex.AssetIamMember;
import com.pulumi.gcp.dataplex.AssetIamMemberArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var member = new AssetIamMember("member", AssetIamMemberArgs.builder()
            .project(example.project())
            .location(example.location())
            .lake(example.lake())
            .dataplexZone(example.dataplexZone())
            .asset(example.name())
            .role("roles/viewer")
            .member("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  member:
    type: gcp:dataplex:AssetIamMember
    properties:
      project: ${example.project}
      location: ${example.location}
      lake: ${example.lake}
      dataplexZone: ${example.dataplexZone}
      asset: ${example.name}
      role: roles/viewer
      member: user:jane@example.com

AssetIamMember is non-authoritative: it adds one member to a role without affecting other members for that role or other roles on the asset. The member property accepts a single identity. This resource works well when multiple teams manage access independently, as each can add members without coordinating policy updates.

Beyond these examples

These snippets focus on specific IAM management approaches: authoritative policy replacement, role-level binding management, and incremental member addition. They’re intentionally minimal rather than full access control configurations.

The examples reference pre-existing infrastructure such as Dataplex assets (identified by project, location, lake, zone, and asset name). They focus on configuring IAM policies rather than provisioning the underlying data lake resources.

To keep things focused, common IAM patterns are omitted, including:

Conditional IAM bindings (condition blocks)
Custom role definitions
Policy conflict resolution strategies
Audit logging configuration

These omissions are intentional: the goal is to illustrate how each IAM resource type is wired, not provide drop-in access control modules. See the Dataplex AssetIamPolicy resource reference for all available configuration options.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Resource Selection & Conflicts

Which IAM resources can I use together?

AssetIamPolicy cannot be used with AssetIamBinding or AssetIamMember as they will conflict. However, AssetIamBinding and AssetIamMember can be used together if they don’t grant the same role.

What's the difference between AssetIamPolicy, AssetIamBinding, and AssetIamMember?

AssetIamPolicy is authoritative and replaces the entire policy. AssetIamBinding is authoritative for a specific role, preserving other roles. AssetIamMember is non-authoritative, adding a single member to a role while preserving other members.

When should I use AssetIamPolicy vs AssetIamBinding?

Use AssetIamPolicy when you need full control over the entire IAM policy. Use AssetIamBinding when you want to manage a specific role while preserving other roles in the policy.

Configuration & Setup

How do I generate the policyData parameter?

Use the gcp.organizations.getIAMPolicy data source to generate policyData. Pass the resulting policyData output to the AssetIamPolicy resource.

What parameters are required to create an IAM policy?

All resources require asset, dataplexZone, lake, location, and project to identify the parent resource. AssetIamPolicy also requires policyData, while AssetIamBinding and AssetIamMember require role and member information.

Can I change the asset or location after creating an IAM policy?

No, asset, dataplexZone, lake, location, and project are all immutable and cannot be changed after creation.

Import & Advanced Usage

How do I import IAM resources?

For AssetIamPolicy, use the resource identifier. For AssetIamBinding, add the role (space-delimited). For AssetIamMember, add both role and member identity (space-delimited). The resource identifier can use four formats, from full path to just the asset name.

What format do custom roles require when importing?

Custom roles must use the full name format: [projects/my-project|organizations/my-org]/roles/my-custom-role.

Using a different cloud?

Explore security guides for other cloud providers:

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