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  Welcome To The Access Unlimited Newsletter - Edition 46
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Access Unlimited is an email newsletter that provides free tips, help and information for skilled Microsoft Access users and related software disciplines.

Produced by Garry Robinson (known below as "Ed") from Sydney, Australia. In this edition, 

Digital Signatures
Protect A Database Folder Using Windows XP
Database Maintenance - Decompile And Compile
Access Filters
Garry’s Ms Access Protection And Security Book
Good Reading
Sample Of Digital Ink from a Tablet

DIGITAL SIGNATURES

In the April edition of the Smart Access magazine, Rick Dobson provides an in-depth review of what you need to do to purchase and implement a Digital Signature on a Access 2003 database. Given that a digital signature is going to cost you 200 dollars a year or more to maintain, its good to see first hand what you are in for. Please visit the page before the end of April as it will be removed from the Web site after that date.
http://www.pinpub.com/html/main.isx?sub=29

PROTECT A DATABASE FOLDER USING WINDOWS XP

One important message from my book on Access security is that you really need to incorporate Windows folder security to ensure a higher level of protection for your database. In the following article that l wrote for Smart Access, you can find out how to use Windows XP to ensure that only those users that belong to a specific Windows user group will have access to a database. This is a must for any database where you do not want all the people that belong to a Windows domain to use your database. It will also make it very-very hard for people on other networks to open your database.

http://www.vb123.com/Toolbox/04_docs/accessdb_op_security.htm

If you own my book, this article will supplement the detailed Windows 2000 notes that are in chapter 12. The article though does not cover the important additional section in the book that show you how to stop legitimate users of the database from copying the database file to another folder. 

DATABASE MAINTENANCE - DECOMPILE AND COMPILE

During the month, the Access workbench has been beefed up to now include very easy options to decompile and compile a database without opening it. As you would expect from the Workbench, these useful maintenance options only become available once everyone (including yourself) closes the database.
http://www.vb123.com/workbench/

To find out more about why you might want to decompile a database, visit
http://www.databasecreations.com/DatabasePerformanceTips.pdf

http://doc.advisor.com/doc/12824

Find out why you might compile a database and many other performance tips.
http://www.fmsinc.com/tpapers/faster/

ACCESS FILTERS

One technique that I seldom see used by other Access database users and developers is filters. In my view filters for tables, queries and forms has been the biggest improvement to user functionality that Microsoft have added since version 2. Filters for reports was also a good addition though they are really only available to programmers. Included in these improvements, most of which were added in Access 95, are Filter by Selection, Filter For, Filter Excluding Selection, Filter by Form and the original, hard to find but very powerful Advanced Filters.

The following download explains the many ways that you or your users can filter data in forms and in tables and queries.  Just use the following location to download the file which includes both an Access 97 and an Access 2000/XP/2003 database sample  (300k zip).

http://vb123.com/get/filterhelp.zip

GARRY’S MS ACCESS PROTECTION AND SECURITY BOOK

There has been some good press about my book on Access security and protection which has now sold more than 2500 copies.

Mike Gunderloy writes in Developer Central magazine

Didn't think Access security was difficult enough to require a book? Think again; Garry goes through the whole convoluted mess in detail, touching on so many security-related topics that he doesn't even get to the basics of workgroup security until several hundred pages in. His innovative techniques and plain sneakiness will help you protect your data, your object designs, or both, from all but the most sneaky of hackers. There's plenty of sample source code (which you can download) and practical advice here. [Access 97-2003]
http://www.adtmag.com/

Find out what Database Journal says this about the book

'Real World Microsoft Access Database Protection and Security' explores all aspects of security, not just creating a workgroup file and setting permissions. The author made a point of introducing fresh new ideas into the topic of Access security, even differentiating security methods from protection techniques.

http://www.databasejournal.com/features/msaccess/article.php/3324471

If you want to find out more about the book, what people have been saying, read the table of contents and the free book chapter, head to the following address (the book is for Access 97 users onwards)
http://www.vb123.com/map/

Why a pragmatic book on Access security ? Read this collection of posts and you may understand ...
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Databases/MS_Access/Q_20886401.html

GOOD READING

Good job advice for the Wanna Be DBA (Oracle or … ). Pick a popular job then cross train into your own favorite DBA job…  Read more
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/oracle/article.php/3335581

Interesting note on the Access autocorrect option reducing performance
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=200600

Is a database of information protected legally?
http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20040229-105339-4599r.htm

Set the Access Security Level using a vbs script. Makes you wonder what macro security in 2003 was trying to achieve.
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Databases/Q_20906980.html

Making a preview/print window for viewing text in vb6
http://www.devx.com/getHelpOn/10MinuteSolution/20103

Lots of VB programming examples here
http://www.freevbcode.com/

Cheap FTP storage services. Good for exchanging large databases with clients.
http://www.zftp.com

Linking tables using ADOX
http://www.devx.com/tips/Tip/20462?trk=DXRSS_DB

Database Size Issues
http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/Q208/2/85.ASP

Access 2002 Format Database Bloat
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;810415

Stop Different Versions of Office From Ruining Your Access References
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q245115

Microsoft Access repair and recovery experts
http://www.msaccessrepair.com

If you like this newsletter, why not try the websites of others who contribute to this newsletter.
http://www.vb123.com/explore/links.htm

 

WRAPPING THIS EDITION UP

 

 So thanks for reading our popular newsletter.  Feel free to make comments, copy the email to a friend or maybe even contribute to the next edition. And if you can, have a look at our software by using the Marketing section on the left hand side of this newsletter. If you really like this newsletter, why not purchase The Toolbox and you will get all the other newsletters and plenty more in a developer’s knowledge base tool with super searching facilities.

Garry Robinson - Software Consultant and Author
GR-FX Pty Limited
Sydney, Australia.
Ph +61 2 9340 7789 Fax +61 2 9665 8448
Software Resources http://vb123.com/

 Chief Unlimited Assistant - Jenni Komarovsky from New Zealand

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Published  2004-04