Hi,

I have built an application that is driven by an access database. This is
then deplaoy onto about 80 clients through an installation package that also
proved a local copy of an emtyp database to start working with.  This have
worked flawless.

Now I have added som information in this database that needs password
protection. I have set a password in access but now I cannot connect to it.
I get an error saying somethign about a Workgroup Information file

I tried reading
http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;305542&spid=2509&sid=307
...and understood about 0% on the contents.

Help! I need to use a password and also be 100% sure this still is
deployable, what is all this talk about mdw files and how to I prevent any
problems for local installations of my application?

Best Regards/
Lars Netzel

Lars Netzel wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteThere's two 'security' systems for Access DBs. The complex one with
workgroups and a system database is the one that that article is
talking about. The simple one - where you just set a password in Tools
talking about. To answer your question,
<http://www.connectionstrings.com> says:

# Access

    *  OLE DB, OleDbConnection (.NET)


          o  Standard security:
            "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data
Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;User Id=admin;Password=;"


          o  Workgroup (system database):
            "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data
Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;Jet OLEDB:System Database=system.mdw;"


          o  With password:
            "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data
Source=\somepath\mydb.mdb;Jet OLEDB:Database Password=MyDbPassword;"

mdb is obsolete; why do you still use it?

I'm not so sure that's correct. Although I tend to use SQL Express for
small deployments quite a bit now mdb files still have their place IMHO.
What's great about them is that they're truly file based. So I can just
email and exe and an mdb file to an end user, they can save them on a
file server and they're off! No need to have someone who knows what
they're doing at the other end to install SQL Server.

Providing they have Office 2000 or greater they don't need to have
Access installed (maybe they don't even need that with .NET?). Unless
you know of a way whereby you

Sure, mdb files don't allow for fully fledged stored procedures for
example and have many other shortcomings when compared to a server
powered DB but I would say it's misleading to say it's obsolete.

[Caveat: unless I'm wrong and an MDF file can be accessed without a
server instance running?]

aaron.ke***@gmail.com wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

Did Microsoft make and announcement about mdb being obsolete that I missed?
Show quoteHide quote

Dennis

it sounds to me like you missed the '90s and the 21st century.

MDB has been obsolete for many years now.

Anyone using MDB for anything should be fired on the spot.

-Aaron

Funny, I seem to be succeeding very well with a very large company (only made
a  profit of 36 billion Plus last year) and we use access a lot!  Maybe you
missed the boat as do most people who have your state of mind!
Show quoteHide quote

most people with my state of mind

sh*t kid; i did mdb for years.

i still use ACCESS every day.

I use ACCESS DATA PROJECTS because i love Access forms and reports--
they blow the socks off of this .NET garbage; it's just easier to get
sh*t done in access than anywhere else.

but for STORING MY DATA?
writing queries?

SQL Server all the way man.

Once you get more than a million records; start using Analysis
Services.

You might find the below link a little easier to understand:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=/support/access/content/secfaq.asp

If you're using mdw files you should use a connection string along the
lines of like
With myConnection
  .Provider = "Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0"
  .Properties("Jet OLEDB:System database") = "c:\db\myWG.mdw"
  .Open "Data Source="c:\db\myDB.mdb" & ";" _
        & "User Id=myusername" & ";" _
        & "Password=mypassword" & ";"

etc. (This is from some VB6 code.)

Using workgroup files (mdw) is surprisingly easy... once you get the
concept behind it that is. Just follow "1.  What are the steps to help
protect a database?"

In particular, note that you have to remove rights from the built in
Admin account and Admins' group.

Lars Netzel wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

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