Setting up Network Permissions, Please

[miffe]

Greetings,

I have an Access .MDB file on a computer called 'Server', it has no user-permissions or anything so anyone on the network could access it. How can I establish specific usernames/passwords for it? Say I wanted the user 'Admin' on PC 'Server' to have admin permissions, and the user 'Man1' on PC 'Client' to have restricted vieweing / SELECT permissions for certain tables?

Thanks a lot,
Miffe

 

[VicRauch]

You could use Access security, which I have found over the years to not be an easy way to go at all. What I have done is created my own security file, used user names and passwords in it, along with the users security level for this database. The first form the user would see is the form you create to allow them to put in their user name and password. From then on, within your menu structure/system, when there is a table that you want to restrict, just don't let that person use the form that is built over that table.

If you don't want to build forms for the users to use, then you will need to use Access security.

I WOULD HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU USE FORMS FOR ALL USER INPUT INTO YOUR DATABASE.

HTH,

 

[SydneyGeek]

I'll second what Vic said.

By having a main menu with buttons or listboxes that open forms, you can show / hide items in the menu to give users access to the bits of the database that they are allowed to see.
You can also have the main form grab the users's Windows login, and set permissions based on that. In this way, users don't have to log in at all. They have the permissions granted to to logged-in user, and in many cases this works just fine.

If you don't use forms, you have a lot more trouble controlling your users and the quality of data input / maintenance.

You can use the network folder to restrict which users can even open the database -- do a search on Windows folder permissions to see how to set it up. Your IT guys should be able to do this for you, if you have an IT section. In a large workplace, this is an additional level of security.

Denis

 

[chicagodiceman]

By doing a search I came across this post and wanted to extend the question just a bit.

I've already built forms which are very specific to users levels of access. When ready for my users, I'll split the database into front-end/back-end per some other suggestions. Now, do I want to create different switchboards for different user levels? I'm fortunate that there are really only 4 different levels of user with one being the administrators. What are your thoughts on this part of the user permissions question?

Thank you in advance.

 

[VicRauch]

If you already have forms that are specific to users levels of access, it sounds like you have a four separate forms to do one thing, based on the access level of the user. If this is true, then 4 separate switchboards, one for each access level of the user would be the easiest way to go.
But if the forms are just written so they can handle any level of access with just one form, then one switchboard would be the way to go. Actually, this would be the overall best way to go in that you would only have one form to do one task, rather than four forms for just one task.

 

[chicagodiceman]

Vic,

Thanks for the response. Actually, when I say "forms which are very specific to user level" I mean that there are some things that the end-user will not be doing that the manager of the project will be. Most of the reports, assigning physician visits to the end-user, etc. The end-user on the other hand has a form which allows them to only see visits assigned to them via query and then enter that visit data using a multi-page form.

Based on your answer, I think I'll end up with 3 switchboards with one common to the manager of the project and the staff that work directly for her. Those features the staff doesn't need to get to can be disabled.

Thanks again.

 

[SydneyGeek]

You can only have one Switchboard, and I don't know how to make the entries conditional, but here is a method this I use quite a lot.

Denis

 

[chicagodiceman]

Thank you Denis. This helps on many levels. I didn't think of getting the username directly as you do with Me.txtUser = Environ("username")

This will really make setting permissions much easier.