DOCUMENT:Q163002 11-JAN-2001 [vbwin] TITLE :HOWTO: Open an Access Database with User Security PRODUCT :Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows PROD/VER:WINDOWS:4.0,7.0,97 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbAccess kbVBp400 kbGrpDSVB ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Access for Windows 95, version 7.0 - Microsoft Access 97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY ======= This article demonstrates how to open and view the contents of a secured Access database using Visual Basic. The steps below outline this process: 1. Secure the database: From Microsoft Access, set the appropriate user and group permissions to secure the database. For more information about securing a Microsoft Access database, see the REFERENCES section later in this article. 2. In your Visual Basic code, indicate where system database, system.mdw, is located. You can either set the SystemDB property of the DBEngine object or set the IniPath property to the registry location of the system database. For example: DbEngine.SystemDB="C:\MyApplication\system.mdw" 3. Open the database. Note that opening a secured Access database is different from opening a database that is secured with the Microsoft Access user-level security feature. MORE INFORMATION ================ This section demonstrates how to create a sample Visual Basic program to open a secured Access database. To use this sample program, you will need a secured database with the following attributes: Database Name: Secure AccessDB.mda Database Table: Name Table Field: Last Name User Name: NewAdmin Password: NewAdmin Member of: Admins Group Permissions: All To create this secured database, refer to the chapter in the Access documentation listed in the REFERENCES section of this article. Alternatively, you could secure one of the sample applications using the same instructions and make the appropriate changes in the code. Steps To Reproduce ------------------ 1. Start Visual Basic, or if it is already running, click New Project from the File menu. 2. Place the following objects on the Form1 form and set the appropriate properties: Control Name Property Value --------------------------------------------------------------------- Label Label1 Caption User Name: Height 255 Left 120 Top 120 Width 855 Text Box Text1 Caption Height 285 Left 1080 Top 120 Width 1455 Command Button Command1 Height 372 Left 2760 Top 120 Width 1572 Label Label2 Caption Password: Height 255 Left 120 Top 480 Width 855 Text Box Text2 Caption Height 285 Left 1080 Top 480 Width 1455 Label Label3 Caption Height 255 Left 120 Top 840 Width 4335 3. Copy and paste the following code to the Form1 Code Window: Private Sub Command1_Click() Dim MyWorkspace As Workspace Dim SecuredDB As String Dim slUserName As String Dim slPassword As String Dim db As Database Dim rs As Recordset 'Set the location of the system database DBEngine.SystemDB = _ "C:\Projects\Secured Database Article\system.mdw" 'Create a new workspace object slUserName = Text1.Text slPassword = Text2.Text Set MyWorkspace = DBEngine.CreateWorkspace("New", _ slUserName, _ slPassword) 'Open the database SecuredDB = _ "C:\Projects\Secured Database Article\Secure AccessDB.mdb" Set db = DBEngine.Workspaces("New").OpenDatabase(SecuredDB) Set rs = db.OpenRecordset("Name", dbOpenDynaset) rs.MoveFirst Label3.Caption = _ "The first record is " & rs.Fields("LastName").Value 'Close the recordset and the database rs.Close db.Close End Sub 4. Press the F5 key to run the project or, from the Tools menu, click Run Project. Enter a valid User Name and Password, and then click the command button. The first record in the Last Name field is displayed in the Label. If you enter an invalid User Name or an invalid Password, a run-time error (3029) occurs. Possible Errors --------------- The following is a list of possible errors you may encounter when you write a program to open a secured database. The error message is shown first, followed by the code that is highlighted when you click the debug button. The possible cause and then the solution is shown for each line of code: Error: Run-time error '3028' Can't start your application. The system database is missing or opened exclusively another user. Debug: Set My Workspace = DBEngine.CreateWorkspace("New", _ "Admin", _ "") Cause: You are setting the workspace using the global administrator user name and password. The global administrator may not have the necessary permissions to open the secured database. Solution: Change the parameters to a valid user and password as specified in the system database. Debug: DBEngine.IniPath = Cause: In 32-bit Visual Basic, this property requires the registry entry of the system database. Solution: Set the property to the system database registry location or use the SystemDB property of the DBEngine object. Set the SystemDB property to the location and file name of the system database. Error: Run-time error '3029' Not a valid account name or password Debug: Set MyWorkspace = DBEngine.CreateWorkspace("New", "UserName", _ "Password") Cause: User name or password is not in the system database. Solution: Add the user name and password to the system database. Refer to the chapter in the Access documentation listed in the references section of this article on how to add users to the system database. Error: Run-time Error '3265' Item not found in this collection. Debug: Set db = DBEngine.Workspaces("New").OpenDatabase("SecuredDB") Cause: New workspace was not appended to the workspace object of the DBEngine object. Solution: Use the Append method of the DBEngine.Workspaces object to append the new workspace object to the DBEngine object. For more information, see the Append method in the Visual Basic online Help. REFERENCES ========== Chapter 14 - Securing and Delivering Your Application, Building Applications with Microsoft Access for Windows 95. Visual Basic Online Help - search on IniPath property, and then select the topic: DBEngine IniPath Now Uses Registry Entry (ReadMe) For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q161016 : INF: Using DAO to Open Password-Protected Database (7.0/97) Additional query words: Access ====================================================================== Keywords : kbAccess kbVBp400 kbGrpDSVB Technology : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbAccessSearch kbAccess97 kbAccess97Search kbAccess95Search kbVB400Search kbVB400 kbZNotKeyword3 kbAccess700 Version : WINDOWS:4.0,7.0,97 Issue type : kbhowto ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.