Programming & Security

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST

When you create a new Workgroup Information File, as part of the Microsoft Access Security implementation, it is important that the following two steps you follow immediately after creating the new Workgroup Information File (.mdw) file on priority basis:

Create a new Administrator UserID (say myAdmin or whatever name you like) for you and join yourself as a member of the Admins Group Account.

Remove the default Admin User Account from the Admins Group. If this is not done then your database is not secured and anybody can open and use it when MS-Office Software is re-installed.

From now on you must use the new UserID myAdmin to login as Administrator of the Databases that uses this new common Workgroup Information File.

One more thing, the databases that you create after login with the new User Name myAdmin, this User Account will be the Owner of those Databases and other Objects within it.

Remember the Owner of the Database has full authority on all Objects including Administrative Authority (like a member of the Admins Group) to assign permissions to Database Objects and to transfer Ownership of Objects to other Users as well. When the ownership of a particular Object is given to an ordinary User, he has full authority on that object to Run, Modify or Delete that object.

You must implement Object-wise access rights to User Groups before you install your Project for public use. This is done manually from Tools - ->Security - ->User and Group Permissions…

This procedure also has a first priority step, like the above two steps I have mentioned about the Workgroup Information File. That is to remove All Permissions of all Objects for the Users Group Account. Without this step whatever permission settings you assign to the Objects (Forms, Report and so on) will have no effect and Users will have full authority for Design Changes or whatever they want to do with them.

This is done manually and takes some time to go through all groups of Objects to remove all permissions of Users Group Account. Since, this step is required for all new Projects I thought it is better to automate it and here it is for you to try it out. This program is written purely on my own experience with the VBA based procedures and you may use it at your own risk

Copy and paste the following Program into a Standard Module and save it.


Public Function DefaultUsersGrp(ByVal DatabasePathName As String) As Boolean
'----------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Author : a.p.r. pillai
'Date     : March-2010
'Purpose: Remove All Permissions from Users Group Security Account
'All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
'----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dim wsp As Workspace, db As Database, ctr As Container
Dim GroupName As String, doc As Document
Dim L4 As String

Const DB_FULLNO = &H60000
Const OBJS_FULLNO = &H2FE01

'Remove All Permissions on Containers & documents
'for USERS Group

On Error GoTo DefaultUsersGrp_Err

Set wsp = DBEngine.Workspaces(0)
Set db = wsp.OpenDatabase(DatabasePathName)

wsp.Groups.Refresh

GroupName = "Users"

Set ctr = db.Containers("Databases")
Set doc = ctr.Documents("MSysDb")
doc.UserName = GroupName
doc.Permissions = DB_FULLNO

Set ctr = db.Containers("Tables")
GoSub SetPermission

Set ctr = db.Containers("Forms")
GoSub SetPermission

Set ctr = db.Containers("Reports")
GoSub SetPermission

Set ctr = db.Containers("Scripts")
GoSub SetPermission

Set ctr = db.Containers("Modules")
GoSub SetPermission

DefaultUsers_Grp = False

DefaultUsers_Grp_Exit:
   Set db = Nothing
   Set wsp = Nothing
Exit Function

SetPermission:
For Each doc In ctr.Documents
    doc.UserName = GroupName
    If ctr.Name = "Tables" Then
        L4 = Left$(docName, 4)
        If L4 = "MSys" Or L4 = "~sq_" Then
          GoTo nextloopxxx
        End If
    End If
    doc.Permissions = OBJS_FULLNO
nextloopxxx:
Next
Return

DefaultUsersGrp_Err:
MsgBox Err & ": " & Err.Description
DefaultUsersGrp = True
Resume DefaultUsersGrp_Exit
End Function

Remember this Program is run for an external Database that you would like to remove All Permissions of all Objects for the Users Group Account.

Before you run this Program, open the Database that you are targeting and check the current permission settings of all Objects for the Users Group Account. Try the program on a copy of the original Database you are targeting.

Open the Database with the above Code, if you have closed it.

Press Alt+F11 to display the VBA Editing Window and press Ctrl+G to display the Debug Window.

Type the following and press Enter Key:

DefaultUsersGrp "C:\My Documents\myTest.mdb"

Replace the database Pathname in quotes with your own database name.

Command Button

Event Procedure

Open your Test Database and check the current status of the permissions settings of Users Group Account. The check marks from all the permission options you will find disappeared.