Security With User Groups. (Understanding work groups)

[ConfusedA]

I am on a networked computer and I am building a program that is going to be placed into my local network. I have to create password protection through the workgroup information in access.

I do not fully understand how workgroup information is used, when I check the current data on any of the networked computers they each have their own different Name (based on the current login format) and workgroup: location of the system file in access... I don't want to change anything that could affect items other than for this one database.

Could someone explain to me how this works, and where I would save the workgroup administrator information so that it would work across the server.

Thanks.
ConfusedA

 

[saip15]

Search ^ is your best friend! It also helps you learn more about the subject. Plenty of threads with articles, etc. on this topic.

 

[Kryst51]

Search ^ is your best friend! It also helps you learn more about the subject. Plenty of threads with articles, etc. on this topic.

I agree, try a couple of your terms in the search bar on this site, and if you still can't find any useful information I am sure doing a google search would produce some more places to look. And there is always the snail way of purchasing books (You can find them cheap at used bookstores, which is what I've done for a lot of info, and they make good references). You are more likely to get a more meaningful response to a post if you ask a more specific question. It doesn't have to be superspecific, but it should show that you have tried researching and learning on your own. Good luck.

 

[ConfusedA]

Yes, it's a very useful tool. I should have probably specified my question on here more clearly too.

What I need to know is: will my creation of a workgroup administrator have any affect on access itself and/or anything else associated with my network? (I know that people must pick up my workgroup for the security to work, but can they also leave it?)

 

[saip15]

I'll start you off, here is a great guide to security/splitting.

 

[Kryst51]

Also, again I don't know how to do this, but reading threads, I have heard a lot of people talk about splitting their database into front ends and backends, and only giving people connections to the front ends (Which would only have what you would want them to see, and would be linked to the backend) and might be an easier way to solve your problem. And if you search for database splitting, that might give you some good ideas too!

 

[boblarson]

Yes, it's a very useful tool. I should have probably specified my question on here more clearly too.

What I need to know is: will my creation of a workgroup administrator have any affect on access itself and/or anything else associated with my network? (I know that people must pick up my workgroup for the security to work, but can they also leave it?)

A few points of definition for you ...

1. You don't create a workgroup administrator. You can JOIN a workgroup USING the workgroup administrator.

2. If you use the security wizard (and it is much better in versions beyond Access 97 than it used to be), you can pretty much just follow its lead, but do it on a COPY of your database so that if you honk things up you will not be completely lost).

3. If you set it up right, users use the shortcut you/or the wizard build and then their permissions are set. If they don't use the shortcut, if things were set up right, they should not be able to access anything not available to the normal user. The user "Admin" is the default in the normal system.mdw file, so if you remove access to the Admin user by removing them from the Admins group then normal users using the system.mdw file should not be able to access anything in your database as an admin.

But again, I would make a copy or two of your database and practice adding security to it, so you don't find yourself in big problems.

 

[ConfusedA]

Thanks a lot all of you! You've given me a lot to think about for security purposes. Unfortunately I've hit the end of my day, but I will be researching this in more detail again tomorrow, so I'd expect more questions.
Thanks again!

 

[ConfusedA]

Hey all, I've been reading up on security and yet theres still something that's not right. I can't figure out how to get my database to only open for users in the set workgroup. If they aren't within the workgroup they are able to open it on the server without getting prompted for a password, this defeats the purpose of creating security at all...anyone able to point me in the right direction on this?

 

[ConfusedA]

Oh nevermind, I figured it out. The information confused me til I opened the Wizard.

 

[saip15]

Here's a better shortcut tool.