Suggestion on deploying and securing an Access appl

[NewAccessUser]

I'm relatively new the writing Access appl. Just finished a small appl and
ready to be deployed. Read about security and still not sure what is the
best way to secure and deploy this appl. Read about security from Help and
also heard about splitting the mdb file. Not sure how it works. Need
suggestion/advise for expert out there what is the easy and secure method to
secure this mdb file and deploy it.

Here is what I need:
1 - Secure the app s.t. no one can look at and make any changes to all
tables, forms, macros, etc except for running the forms and access the tabe
records thru the form.
2 - Need to know how to prevent people from copy the mdb file and install it
on another computer to look at the data and tables

Also, please let me know if I need to install Access on the intended PC to
run this ? It will be great if I don't because I don't have another licenses
of Access for another computer. If I can create an executable (.exe or .com)
to run it will be great but don't know how to do it.


Regards

 

[Chris Mills]

There's a bunch of issues (and answers) to this. Take your pick!

best way to secure and deploy this appl.

Some say (rightly) that Access CANT be secured, but you said "best way" and
that certainly can be done.

1) You need to implement Access User-level security. See
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=207793
2) mde to "secure" the code (though this can be broken)
3) To secure "a deployed app", you need some mechanism to limit it's use or
PC's it can be run on. Commercial add-ins which come to mind are sikandersoft,
or www.sagekey.com. Otherwise you can write your own.

You really can't "prevent people from copy the mdb file and install it on
another computer to look at the data and tables". You just can't. You can add
some complications to slow them down, like:
www.access.qbuilt.com/html/security.html#PreventImportFrSecDB

You need to install Access Runtime, for which you need Office Developer or
equivalent, to run on any PC. See also sagekey for installers. You can't
create an executable in Access, it is simply not laid out that way (database
is not separate from program even when split).

"Splitting" the database is advisable. But this is for performance/reliability
and has nothing at all to do with "security".

You might like to consider buying a book or something, because it's not
possible to answer the myriad of issues you raise by just asking "how do I
deploy a secure app!".

what is the easy... and secure... method

wish I knew!

Chris

 

[jacksonmacd]

Split your database into a frontend component (forms, queries,
reports, etc) and a backend component (tables only). The backend
belongs on a shared folder on your network server, while each
workstation should have its own copy of the frontend.

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/splitapp/index.htm

Once you have split the database, you will want a method to
automatically distribute any modifications to the various
workstations. Many people use:

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/autofe.htm


Access user security is not to be taken lightly, so read very
carefully and thoroughly, practice on a COPY of your database, and
don't skip any steps in the process.

Here are a number of links about security:

http://home.bendbroadband.com/conradsystems/accessjunkie/resources.html#Security


Once the database is split and secured, that's about the best you can
do with Access. Access's security system is sufficient to keep out
"interested snoops", but can be defeated by determined and
knowledgeable people.