Symptoms

User cannot execute SMO based on root site on sub site if the user has no permissions to the root site.
 

Diagnoses

The SmartObject Management page merely exposes the chosen SMO to K2 designers and doesn?t touch actual rights and permissions needed to access sharepoint / LOB system used.

With this said. You expose a smartobject that is on the Root site to the sub site, thus when the user with no access to root tries to access that smartobject they get an access denied because they don?t have permissions to access the LOB / SharePoint resource.

LOB/SharePoint rights and access must be ensured. The user accessing on the sub site will need access to the root site if he is to execute the SMO that is on the root.
 

Resolution

Grant rights to Root site