Secure Excel Connection to an SQL database - How to distribute licensed propietary excel files?

[actjfc]

Excel friends,

I have been asked to develop and an excel workbook to be distributed among “N” licensed “big customers”. These customers may distribute the workbook to other “n” “sub-licensed customers”. The “n” sub-customers would not really concerned about copyright issues, so some of them may decide illegally re-distribute the workbook to others. Here it comes my challenge: In the past I saw a workbook that has developed some similar distribution structure and has a special security that disable at opening any workbooks distributed over the legal “n” copies that have been already “activated” in the SQL database by any of the legal “N” big customers registered in the database. The connection can read and write data in the database.

I remember this was neatly done with an SQL or MS Access database hosted in a website/server, and the PC had to be connected internet for the workbook to work. The VBA code was protected with a special unbreakable “VBA project is unviewable” feature.

I was wondering if somebody can point out the right resources to see some examples of these techniques or associated software required to develop such as secure workbook, any comments or ideas are welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Ron Coderre]

You might be refering to this post:
http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?474204-quot-Project-is-Unviewable-quot-Excel-add-in

 

[actjfc]

Thank you! Ron the post you indicated is related just to the "unviewable" part of my post. I think that did not explain my issue very well. I am more concerned to the first paragraph of my post. Where it says: "Here it comes my challenge" How can I do that? Any ideas? Thanks!