I'd like to distribute an Access application to some clients but so far I 
have not found a reasonable good way to prevent others from importing my 
tables into their databases. Securing will not solve the problem, neither 
will hiding or creating a password protected backend db with all the 
tables (when the link is imported into another db access imports the 
password information as well). 

So how the heck can I prevent these people from importing my tables?

Help. Desperately. Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!

Thanks in advance
Henning

Henning,

Look at the network security policies - use a NT logon script to map a
fixed drive to the users PC at logon, then setup local machine policies
to hide this drive in My Computer.  I am pretty sure some Network Admin
types in the business can advise you exactly how to do this - I have
seen it done in Novell and it worked really well so NT should be able to
do it.

Secure your DB front end by hiding everything in the Startup options and
getting the code to disable the shift key at Startup - I don=92t have 
this
but someone on the forum will have it.

This should keep things pretty secure - depending on how paranoid you
are get the management to issue a memo declaring anyone found importing
data from the DB backend will be disciplined...... 

Good luck

Paul


-----Original Message-----
From: Henning Nassler [mailto:henning@m...]
Sent: 25 March 2002 12:35
To: Access
Subject: [access] How can I prevent import from a secured run-time
database?

I'd like to distribute an Access application to some clients but so far
I
have not found a reasonable good way to prevent others from importing my

tables into their databases. Securing will not solve the problem,
neither
will hiding or creating a password protected backend db with all the
tables (when the link is imported into another db access imports the
password information as well).

So how the heck can I prevent these people from importing my tables?

Help. Desperately. Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!

Thanks in advance
Henning

Thanks for your reply Paul.

Problem is that I want to distribute the db to people where I have 
absolutely no influence on the local system (some of them I don't even 
know) so I cannot do anything on OS side. 
And to prevent users from accessing the the db-window by using the Start-
up/disable F2-combination helps locking them out but does not prevent them 
from accessing my data with an import from a second db. That's why I am so 
desperate ;-)

Still, thank you again for your input 

Henning

> Thanks for your reply Paul.

> Problem is that I want to distribute the db to people where I have 
a> bsolutely no influence on the local system (some of them I don't even 
k> now) so I cannot do anything on OS side. 
A> nd to prevent users from accessing the the db-window by using the Start-
u> p/disable F2-combination helps locking them out but does not prevent 
them 
f> rom accessing my data with an import from a second db. That's why I am 
so 
d> esperate ;-)

> Still, thank you again for your input 

> Henning

Well. To be honest you can't really do much to stop someone who knows what 
they are doing getting at your database structure. Have you thought about 
doing things like using constants instead of field values from smaller 
tables for a start, and maybe using vba functions in your queries. Lock 
the VBA project up. This won't necessarily hide all of your database from 
the user, but the important bit - the functionality used in your code 
should be essential to keeping the database working. I did this, and it 
was impossible for anyone within the company to intelligently interpret 
the database. There is one thing I have to say to you - I am upgrading 
databases to SQL Server at the mo, and trying to interpret how someone 
else's code works is a nightmare. Putting a few misnomers here and there 
should throw most people off the scent. In fact if you do enough with 
code, having the tables will be useless to someone who knows what they are 
doing. What about basing tables default values on custom expressions. 
Zak Willis

Thank you Zak,

Misnoming Tables and Fields is probably the best approach to maintain a 
certain level of security and I'll use this to prevent some snooping 
(please don't let me forget to document what I am doing ;-)

It is just a little disappointing that there is no way to secure databases 
against importing from outside (how about a ".AllowExport=False")?

Thanks for your help
Henning

Henning,

<< It is just a little disappointing that there is no way to secure 
databases against importing from outside >>

The last time I password protected a database (dB1) in Access XP, I tried 
to import a table from it into another database (dB2) and I was asked for 
dB1's password.  I wouldn't have been able to import the table without 
dB1's password.  So it does exist.  Which version of Access are you using?

Greg