Access 2007 users and groups

[Guest]

I'm developing my first Access 2007 application. I've developed many
applications in earlier versions of Access. I'm embarassed to ask an Access
101 question:

How do I secure an Access 2007 database? I want users to log in. I want to
limit the ability of users to access some objects.

How do I do this?

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

User Level Security options do not exist if you use the new ACCDB file
format; but opening a MDB file with Access 2007 or creating a new database
in the MDB file format (set the default format under the Popular page of the
Access Options dialog) you'll see a group called Administer on the right
side of the Database Tools Ribbon.

 

[Guest]

Cool! So if I want to secure my database, I create it in a now obsolete
format?

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

I think you'll find that the mdb format is far from obsolete. Microsoft
created the new format so that it could use several filetypes (multi-value
and attachment) that Jet couldn't previously handle and of which there is
little use to any serious developer who doesn't need compatibility with
SharePoint. I have never used the new format apart from beta testing it to
make sure it was compatible with upgrades. The overwhelming number of people
I know have never used it either.

That doesn't rule out security in the new format, since there are other
security methods which can work. You can code your own security, by using
Windows authentication to enforce the logon, and creating tables with
matching names, groups, and permission levels. In some ways that's better
since someone can copy the Access security files and still get the data,
while using Windows security, they are blocked from Active Directory files
unless they are the system admin.

Using the code below to get the username also provides access to much finer
granularity, even down to use of individual controls.

Have a look at the code that may help:

http://www.mvps.org/access/api/api0008.htm
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access
http://www.accessmvp.com

 

[Rick Brandt]

Cool! So if I want to secure my database, I create it in a now
obsolete format?

I think dropping user level security for the new file format was just Microsoft
finally acknowledging that ULS was never secure anyway so why continue the
pretense?