Customization Level
Every workflow object, in addition to having a protection level, also records a customization level equal to your access level when you modify the object and save it to a database or file. For example, if a workflow object is customizable (protection level is 1000), and you customize it at an access level of 100, you now mark the object as having a customization level of 100. The customization level indicates that the object can only be further modified by someone operating at an access level equal to or higher than the customization level. So in this example, you can only customize the object further if your access level is 100 or higher. If you are operating at an access level lower than an object's customization level, you will see a small lock on that workflow object's icon, indicating that the object can be used but not modified.
This ensures that a customizable object that has been customized never gets overwritten during a seed data upgrade because the upgrade always occurs with the Workflow Definitions Loader operating at an access level below the customized object's customization level.
See Also
To Set the Access Level for an Object
