Access, access issue!

[nXPLOSi]

Hi Guys,

Im currently building a small system for my employer on Access. I've basicly done it now, just need to add "User Levels" of some sort, depending on the windows username. Im a little stumped on the best way to do it, I just want certain people to be able to see certain bits of the system that apply to them, but not the entire system.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Thanks

[mark_uol]

Hi nEXPLOSI,
Your post caught my attention as I have previously wrestled with security in MS Access. The means to achieve your end is to go to Menu  Tools  Security  User and group accounts and use the dialog box to create user groups for each level of security that you want to implement.

The next stage is to assign each database object to one of these groups using Menu  Tools  Security  User and group permissions. You get the usual windows permissions such as administer, read write, read only etc. To do this you will need to be an administrator. Under normal circumstances this will also make you the owner of the database objects. Watch out for this as if you log on using another account to create an object then you may not have the permissions to alter this object of assign it to another user. Also be very careful not to lock yourself out of the database whilst performing these actions. It is an easy mistake to revoke your own permissions. If this happens you may not be able to correct the mistake. All of this information is kept in the system database.

A System Database is a small file that Access will hide by default in a hidden directory such as the one shown below.

C:\Documents and Settings\Mark Noble\ApplicationData\Microsoft\Access\System.mdw

To view it you must enable view hidden files in the folder directory of the control panel
This file is the first thing that the application will consult on start up and holds security information such as passwords and work group membership. If this file is destroyed then the DB will open up as though the present user is the administrator. Whenever alterations are made to the security of the main DB they are recorded in this file.
It is a good idea to create a new work group information file Menu  Tools  Security  Workgroup administrator, to remove any default settings and place it in a safe location. If you replicate all of the networked replicas must point to the same file. As for any roaming copies, the administrator must overwrite the default copies of the workgroup file on any laptops every time that the security settings or work group memberships are altered on the main file. This could be necessary for replication but also altering one data types such as auto number to make it globally unique. It is a good idea to make a copy of the original before replication.
I see that my arrows have become squares, but I’m sure that you get my meaning
Regards Mark