I'm looking for a better alternative to MS Access MDb files. MS SQLServer 2012 LocalDB looks like the perfect solution. I've done some testing and it seems to do the trick.
What I need to find out is
How secure is LocalDB ?
Can it be made any more secure ?
I have an application that field workers use and would like to to be able to send them updated data files from time to time (if there are significant schema changes and or associated data) but would like the data contained to be managed by a password (and maybe username). The application (Winforms or WPF) would manage the password.
Currently I use a MS Access mdb file with database password. Its a good solution for basic security. But the performance of it isn't that good for what the app does, plus it wouldn't take a brain surgeon to crack the password and get access to the database.
Testing LocalDB gives the performance that I need but I'm just wondering if its possible to increase the security. So if someone managed to get a hold of the data file they would have a hard time accessing the data.
Any help would greatly appreciated.
Thanks all
Related
I am completely baffled by SQL Server and OPENROWSET permissions.
Our team has an AD Group. This group is included in the DEV server's Windows Administrators local group. This same AD group has SysAdmin privilege on the local installation of SQL Server 2017.
Attempting to run the command:
SELECT *
FROM OPENROWSET('Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0','Excel 12.0;Database=C:\Work\test.xls;HDR=YES',['sheet1$'])
works for me, but for none of my teammates.
If there is a definitive document on the security requirements for using the OPENROWSET command - I have not found it (and please - don't refer me to learn.microsoft.com - that documentation is not written in any way that I understand).
There are other issues I have found including if I change the name of the sheet in the Excel workbook - the command fails (and yes - I closed the book after making the change).
Finally - some feedback on the use of OPENROWSET - is it generally a good idea? a bad idea? pretty much neutral but be prepared for these kinds of problems?
I hope this question is specific enough to be answered - I have probably spent 20+ hours trying to figure out how to understand how this works so I can make it work and use it consistently.
Thanks!
So honestly troubleshooting security/permissions and errors with SQL Server is probably the most frustrating aspects of my job.
First few questions and thoughts about your dilemma.
Do you really want to be granting your team connected to your db
sysadmin rights? I wouldn't do that period, full-stop.
Will the data be refreshed? If yes, I suggest you ingest this data
into a sql table with a process, perhaps python, ssis, dts package,
powershell, whatever you fancy.
If the data will always be static in that one excel file, I'd suggest perhaps making it act like a linked server for (hopefully) fewer permission issues? Also, it's easier to query that way, from my memory.
In any event, this article (non msdn link) may help? I've done it this way once before and had slightly less of a difficult time, but then again it involves adding a driver (usually) to the sql server. BUT, then I did not have to allow multiple users sysadmin - and I think ANYTHING is better than that.
https://www.sqlshack.com/query-excel-data-using-sql-server-linked-servers/
Sometimes the issue is not with the user running the query, but SQL Server using the account it runs as - to get permissions on the file. This article goes over that aspect as well. I'm not sure that is your issue as you say it works for me but not for thee, but maybe read that portion of the article at least?
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question. If not, please direct me to the right place.
We used to have an application that was created using VB and Microsoft Access. It was an application to score calls from Agents and would then run a few calculations and grade those agents based on a few algorithms.
We replicated all that Access data onto SQL but for some reason, we were just not able to connect the VB application to the SQL Database instead. The application was also outdated and we needed a change.
Can anyone suggest software/framework that can be used to create a new application with an ability to connect to a SQL database?
EDIT: We have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription. I was thinking of using PowerApps. I've never used it before. Does anyone think this could help serve my purpose?
I have extensive experience of using PowerApps to create applications connected to SQL Server (in my case Azure SQL Database), and am mostly satisfied.
There are some constraints, but not major. Please see these posts for some further information.
I would suggest PowerApps if you have Office365.
I am not very familiar with Access database till now i was only programming to SQL Server but now it's time to do so. I am building WinForms application which will be using Access database and i have some question related to that point if you don't mind. My application will be used by multiple users and there will be one access databsae. My questions as below:
Is there any problem with accessing access database in same time by many users or only one user can be connected?
If i develop my program to use access 2016 and some of my users will have diffrent windows version and also diffrent access version
will it works?
Should i know something else? :)
If your client want to have a file based database and this is a project constraint , MS Access is the best choice. If you want a more detailed advice, please let me know how many users will perform Read/Write or Read transactions, the size of the database and if the application will run in client-server mode in a LAN/WAN, Cloud or Remote Desktop environment.
Back to your questions:
Depending on these conditions you may range from 10 to 20/25 users. Remember that you can always try with MS Access and later upgrade to a MS SQL database in a couple of hours.
If your front-end application can link to a 2016 Access database, it will do that without installing MS Access to the clients that will run your App, i.e. the vb.net compiled App will install all needed drivers. If you develop your App within MS Access 2016 (Access Form and reports, some VBA) you can run it with the free runtime version of MS Access, but this only when no older version of Access is installed on the running workstation.
Please check with your client the real reasons for a file-based database...
To answer the questions as asked:
You might run into an issue with this, as access was really designed as a personal use database. Having anything more than a small handful of users hitting against it at once will in fact cause problems, as it's not really well designed for that purpose...
This should in theory be fine, as the application itself is interfacing with the database, not the end user...
It seems like you're taking a step backwards using access for this, and SQL might very well be better suited for this purpose. This isn't me trying to just bash access either, this comes from personal experience. Going with this sort of design is likely to cause you more headaches than good.
Thanks in advance for any help.
We have a particular database on a SQL Server 2012 box along with about 20 other databases.
What I require is a method/script/audit (open minded about the solution) that will simply track anyone who logs in (successfully / unsuccessful) to this one particular database on the server (the single database is the key as the end user does not want information on any of the other databases that sit on the server), it also has to log time the attempt was made and it must track the logins via SQL Server or the application itself that is attached to the database.
Once we have this information we need to simply store that somehow. I say somehow as the storing part depends on the solutions recommended to me, so I’m open minded about this too.
Any help would be great as I'm scratching my head on this one.
There's actually a tool built into SQL Management Studio for this.
Please see the attached link for Configure Login Auditing
Once it has been setup, all events will be recorded in the error log.
So I've created an Access Project for one of my users so he can connect to a reporting database. The .adp project connects to the DB and he can query data to his heart's content. The problem is, no queries can be saved. Whenever he opens the project, he is presented with the following error:
"This version of Microsoft Access does not support design changes with the version of Microsoft Sql Server to which your Access project is connected. See the Microsoft Office Update Web site for the latest information and downloads. Your design changes will not be saved."
Again, this is Access 2007 and Sql Server 2005. My googling efforts - which are coming on a day when I seem to be especially stupid - keep bringing up information regarding this error for Access 2002/2003 trying to connect to Sql Server 2005, which is clearly not my problem.
I'm seeing that one can connect to Sql Server with the normal Access databases (.accdb in 2007 or some such), but I'm seeing mixed information regarding whether I want to do this or not. And since I can't get a copy of Access 2007, I can't really test this (topic for another time).
Before I do down that road, I'd like to get to the bottom of this one. Anyone have any suggestions, useful links, or useful knowledge? Or an older developer who knows the answer that is no longer needed, so I can eat him and absorb his knowledge and powers?
The account being used to connect to the DB was only a db_reader. I changed it to DBO and that fixed the problem - user can now create and save queries, and sleep at night knowing that tomorrow will bring a new day with new querying possibilities.
I'm not super crazy about this though the reporting database has been set up on a separate install/server from impotant App databases. I'm not worried about the user (or anyone on his group) blowing anything up. I'd like to understand why this is, and don't (outside of the obvious - reader is read only! I didn't expect that to extend to work in Access), and will try to do so at a later time. One of the unfortunate aspects of working at a dev shop focused on internal app development is, "well, it's working, you have other things to see to".
I am not sure if I can be of help here.
But you can have a view inside Access which connects to SQL database and use that view.
Alternatively, you can go the other way. Have a DB project with SQL Server & create a linked server to MS-Access DB.
Did you try linking to the tables through an ODBC connection?
CodeSlave, I did not. The attitude from higher up is "it's working, move on". I'm not sure the boss really wanted to go down that road anyway, but it's a moot point. I should probably try granting the account dbreader and dbwriter access and see if that accomplishes the same thing, but it being dbo isn't really a huge deal. Or rather, it's not a big enough deal that The Powers That Be want me to seek an immediate change.
I was going to try linked tables until changing the SQl Server account permissions "fixed the problem" (quotes very deliberate; it feels like one of those solutions you arrive at without a proper understanding of what it worked, which vexes me).