Lothar Geyer said:
Hi TC,
This is OK for me - if he has to know a username/password I defined in
my workgroup file.
Yes. If the database has been properly secured, he must know a valid
username/password before he can access the database. And, having accessed
the database, he will only have the level of access that you defined for
that username/password.
May be I misunderstood your previous post:
-- copied from previous post --
Access >never< opens the database >first<, and then determine what workgroup
file to use with it. That is, the database file >does not< tell Access which
workgroup file to use with it.
-- end copy --
Correct. >First< Access decides what workgroup file it will use. >Second<,
it opens the database. >Third<, it determines whether the opened workgroup
file, is or is not the workgroup file which was used to create that
database - see more info on that, below. This is the sequence of events,
even when you double-click the database file directly in windows explorer.
So there is a relationship between a database and a workgroup file - the
one I created when securing the database.
Yes and no!
- Yes, in this sense:
The members of the Admins group >of that specific workgroup file<, have
special priviliges in the database. The members of the Admins group of
other< workgroup files, do not necessarily have those priviliges. So,
Access >can recognize< whether the current workgroup file, is or is not the
workgroup file which was used to create that database. Let's call that fact,
'X'.
- No, in this sense:
Access does not use fact 'X' to automatically use the "correct" workgroup
file when it opens a database. This is probably because, there are various
cases where you do not ewant to use that workgroup file - you want to use
some other workgroup file - not the one that was used to create the
database.
If this workgroup file is not present the database is not accessible. OK?
No, that's not true as a general statement. For example, you could secure a
database against a workgroup file W1, in such a way that the database >could
be< opened using a different workgroup file W2 - but when opened with W2,
the users' access was more tightly controlled than when the database was
opened with W1.
You might 3want to do that, for the following reason. If a user could
determine the username/password of a member of the Admins group of W1, he
would have full permissions to all objects in the database. But if he
determines the username/password of a member of the Admins group of W2, he
would >not< have those permissions. This is what people mean when they say:
"When you distribute a secured database, you should not distribute the
workgroup file which was used to create that database."
It is all a matter of what users & groups you define in each workgroup file,
& what permissions you give to those users & groups. It is not at all
simple, as you can see!
So back to my initial question:
How is it possible that a secured database can be opened at a customer
site doulbeclicking der .mdb file in the explorer?
As I said before:
- that user has a copy of the appropriate workgroup file & has selected it
as the default workgroup file using the workgroup adminuistrator program or
similar built-in option in later versions of Access, or
- the person who secured the database has deliberately deigned the
permissions so that user of >other< workgroup files can open the database &
perform selected functions; (I probably did not include this one before), or
- the database was not properly secured to begin with.
Lothar, I'll be busy for the next 2 days & will have little if any time on
the net. I hope the information above, will help you work your problem out!
Perhaps someone else will jump in with more help.
Cheers,
TC
