Microsoft Access offers the following ways to secure the application while allowing users to remain productive:
- Database Password
- Workgroup Security
- Encryption
- MDE Version
Database Password
The most basic security method is a database password. Once entered, the user has full control of all the database objects. This is a relatively weak form of protection which can be easily cracked.
Workgroup Security
The next level of protection is the use of workgroup security which requires a user name and password. Individual users and groups can be specified along with their rights at the object type or individual object level. This is especially helpful when you need to specify people with read only or data entry rights but this may be challenging to specify. A separate workgroup security file exists which contains the settings that can be used to manage multiple databases. It is important to note that workgroup security is not supported in the Access 2007 ACCDB database format, although Access 2007 still supports it for MDB databases.
Encryption
Another form of protection is encryption. Access databases can be encrypted. The Access 2007 ACCDB format offers significantly advanced encryption from previous versions.
Access MDE Version
If the database design needs to be secured in order to prevent changes, the database can be locked/protected and the source code compiled by converting the database to an MDE file. All changes to the VBA project (modules, forms, or reports) need to be made to the original MDB and then reconverted to MDE. In Access 2007, the ACCDB database is converted to an ACCDE file. Some tools are available for unlocking and decompiling, although certain elements including original VBA comments and formatting are normally irretrievable.