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Like many
databases Microsoft Access allows you to create users and groups. It
also allows you to control access to the objects in your database.
Once you start to deploy your database to several users you may want
to consider implementing security. Here's a short step-by-step guide.
We will be using the User Level Security Wizard in Access which will
backup your exisiting database and create a new, secured one. Along
the way the Wizard will create or modify a Workgroup
Information File with your user security settings. Access
permissions to the various database objects will be kept with the
actual database itself.
Backup
your original Workgroup Information File (WIF).
Step 1: Make a
copy of the system.mdw file found in the Microsoft Office folder
tree. Call the copy something like systems.mdw-original. The
system.mdw file contains all the user security settings. When you
modify the settings from the out-of-the box defaults Access may
modify this file. If, like me, you can be a little fumble fingered,
you will be thankful you have this copy.
Step 2. Check
you have this copy. If there are problems you can get locked out of
your own database!
Step 3. Double
check you have the file. You may need it to restore security back to
the default.
Launch
the User Level Security Wizard.
Step 4. Open
the database.
Step 5. Under Tools
| Security
launch the User
Level Security Wizard.
I am not a real big fan of using the wizards as a crutch but in this
case that's what we want.
We will cover
the other choices in later articles.
Step 6. You
will be aked if you want to create a new Workgroup
Information File (WIF).
Remember the system.mdw file? If we select no here, than that file
will be overwritten. Pick yes to create a new file, just as the
Wizard suggests. Click next.
Step 7. The
Wizard asks how you want to identify the WIF and where you want to
put it. For simplicity you can use the name of the database for the
WID and the new WIF file itself (although with extension .mdw, of
course). Put the file in the same folder as the database. One more
question - the Wizard asks if you want to make this you default WIF.
If you answer yes to this question you haven't been paying attention!
Pick create a shortcut as the Wizard suggests and click next.
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Step 8. The
Wizard asks what object you want to secure. By default it secures
everything. Accept this default and click next.
Set up the groups.
Step 9. Access
has two built in groups - admins and users. This screen asks if you
would like some pre-defined groups setup. You will probably define
some groups later youself, but go ahead and select here those groups
that match your needs. Why not save yourself a little work? Check the
ones you want and click next.
Step 10. The
wizard asks what you want to do about the users built in group. By
default they can't do anything and this is probably what you want
since all users are automatically a member of users. You don't want
those two new users picking up a default read permisssion to read the
salary table! So, generally you would accept the Wizard's suggestion
not to assign permissions to users and click next.
Set up the users.
Step 11. The
Wizard now ask what users you want to setup. You will probably add
most of the users later after security is up and running but you may
want to define a few now. You should at least create an account or
two for people who will be administering the database. Once finished
adding users here click next.
Step 12.
Assign each user to one or more groups. They can belong to more than
one group and their effective permissions will be the sum of the
individual permissions. Or do it the other way around and select the
group and assign the users that should belong to it. Then click next.
Create
secured database.
Step 13. Prior
to creating the secured database the Wizard asks for the name of the
unsecured backup it will create. Use the default provided or make up
your won name. Then click finish. That's it! Access will create an
unsecured backup and a new secured database. It will also create a
summary report which you should print and file. |
