Workgroup MS Access 2003 Windows XP

[Guest]

Our company computers were recently upgraded to Windows XP with Microsoft
Office 2003. We have 3 different Access Databases (in different directories
on our network) which all require the user to be part of a "Workgroup". It
appears that Access 2003 includes some added security features that prevent
the user from accessing a database unless you join the workgroup
corresponding to the database. This works fine, unless you need to join
multiple workgroups. For example, to log into database “x†you must join the
“x†workgroup, and then to log into database “y†you must join the “yâ€
workgroup each time you attempt to open it. So far, we have figured out how
to join one workgroup, but not many at the same time. We would greatly
appreciate it if anybody had advice regarding this issue.

 

[Joan Wild]

Our company computers were recently upgraded to Windows XP with Microsoft
Office 2003. We have 3 different Access Databases (in different
directories
on our network) which all require the user to be part of a "Workgroup". It
appears that Access 2003 includes some added security features that
prevent
the user from accessing a database unless you join the workgroup
corresponding to the database. This works fine, unless you need to join
multiple workgroups. For example, to log into database "x" you must join
the
"x" workgroup, and then to log into database "y" you must join the "y"
workgroup each time you attempt to open it. So far, we have figured out
how
to join one workgroup, but not many at the same time. We would greatly
appreciate it if anybody had advice regarding this issue.

I am surprised you didn't have to do this before the upgrade. You need to
leave users joined to the standard system.mdw. Then create three desktop
shortcuts for the three secure mdbs. The target would look like
"path to msaccess.exe" "path to mdb" /wrkgrp "path to secure mdw"

Perhaps the users had desktop shortcuts before the upgrade?

 

[TC]

You must /always/ be joined to a workgroup before Access will even let
you open a database. Nothing has changed in that regard since Access 2.

If you double-click a database file, Access will use the default
workgroup file for that PC; or whatever other workgroup file you have
made the default, by using the workgroup administrator program or
function.

The better approach, as Joan described, is to open your database using
a shortcut with the /wrkgrp switch. Then, Access uses the specified
workgroup file for that specific open only.

A user (eg. Fred Smith) can be defined in several workgroup files. But
when you start Access, it is only using /one/ workgroup file, selected
as described above. There is no way for it to use several workgroup
files simultaneously (except in certain respects which are not what you
had in mind).

HTH,
TC