Need Help With Security

[Eric G]

I am a total Access noob, with a lot of VBA experience. I need help securing
a database.

I am developing a simple database with two forms: 'Welcome' and
'User_Input'. The 'Welcome' form verifies the user's identity by calling up
their Windows login ID and full name, and comparing the results to a
pre-existing list of people authorized to access the database (stored in a
table). The second form (triggered by a "Go" button on the first form) pulls
up a single specific record tied to that user's login information, which the
user is allowed to edit to their heart's content.

I need to limit access to the database to only those in the "authorized"
list. For those who are authorized, I need to limit their activity to ONLY
adding and editing a single, specific record (linked to their employee ID) in
the database. They should not have access to any of the
tables/forms/queries/macros/etc unless required to edit that one record. The
form used to edit the record ('User_Input' is not linked to a table - it is
stand alone, and when the use presses the "Save" button, that user's record
is updated using the information from the form.

Is there a simple way to accomplish this level of security without requiring
individual user passwords? I have a password on the supporting VBA, but not
on the database.

Thanks in advance,

Eric

 

[tina]

you can take away the built-in menus and toolbars, hide the database
window - see Tools | Startup for those options - set the database
AllowBypass property to False (give yourself a "hidden" way to set it back
to True, so you don't lock yourself out of your design master db), and
convert the .mdb to a .mde (see Tools | Database Utilities for that one).
the database should be split into a backend (BE) db, holding only tables - i
usually password protect the BE - and a frontend (FE) db holding all other
objects, with links to the BE tables.

so the backend data is protected from direct access by the password. the FE
forms, reports and VBA modules are protected by the .mde format, and the
macros, queries, and table links are protected by the hidden database window
and AllowBypass disabled. to disable AllowBypass, see
http://www.mvps.org/access/modules/mdl0011.htm.

also, you might want to pick up a copy of Garry Robinson's Real World
Microsoft Access Database protection and Security.

hth

 

[Eric G]

Thanks, tina! I'll give your suggestions a try. Looks like a perfect
solution for my needs.

Eric

 

[tina]

well, not perfect, and not un-breakable. i don't think there's any Access
security that is un-breakable, but you can make it impossible for folks who
don't know anything about Access, or about programming, and pretty hard for
folks who only think they know a lot about Access and/or programming.