Permissions

[mcneilkm]

OK, I admit this topic has come up before but I am at wits end and have very little time to research it. The situation is that a member of our organization has created a database and has set permissions to a few of the many query objects. This member has since left and the database is being maintained by default by someone else. These queries require editing. I don't know how to re assign the permissions to the new owner of the database. Can this be done if the database is opened on the computer it was developed on or is it more complicated, (i.e. does the new owner need to be logged on the network as if they were the old owner)? Can this even be done? The product is Access 97 on Windows NT4.0. I have tried to import these queries into a new database without the permissions but they (the permissions) followed it through to the new database. I tried reassigning the permissions but don't belong to the administer group. This program was given to me on a floppy so I don't know if it can even be done from this computer. Any help is appreciated. Thanks Kevin

[charlotte]

The permissions live in the mdw (workgroup) file that was in use when the security was implemented. If you used a default system.mdw (the one that was installed with Access, not the one that has security activated) when you imported the objects, you should be logging in as Admin without any login dialog or password. If that is the case, open the database, go to Tools-->Security-->User and Group Permissions, then click on the Change Owner tab. You should be able to select objects there and change the owner to Admin.

[mcneilkm]

Hi Charlotte,
I tried this approach based on the help file in Access. I was not successfull. I got a message stating that I didn't have the permission to change the owner. There is however a copy of an MDW file on the floppy that was given to me. Is there a way to access this file since it is probably the one used on the database?

Thanks for your help

Kevin

[mcneilkm]

Charlotte,
Interesting enough as I am reading through ACCESS 97 Unleashed, I realize that the database never asked for a password when I opened it. To clarify my import procedure, I opened a blank database and imported all the objects. I got an error message on the four queries that are protected that told me I could not import them. So they are stuck in the original database. When I try to change the owner, it appears I am already in as Admin, but it still won't let me change the ownership. In the manual mentioned above it tells me that I can log in using the system.mdw or some other mdw. How do I do this? Is this the key to my problem?

HELP!!!!!!
Kevin

[charlotte]

Somewhere on your machine there should be a workgroup administrator applet. The file is named WRKGADM.EXE, so track it down and run it. It allows you to "join" a workgroup, which means you can point at the mdw you want to use and switch to that to log into Access. Try using the mdw from the disketter and you'll probably be asked to log in. If you use an unsecured mdw or create a NEW workgroup and create a new unsecured mdw, that might solve your problem.

[PaulK]

Access security is a little complicated. The security model is workgroup based which means that along with the mdb file there is a workgroup file or mdw file that stores the user and group accounts, their security ID's and passwords. The permissions for the individual objects in the mdb file are stored with the objects in the mdb file. I think that's why when you tried to move the queries from one file to the other the permissions went with them. In order to change permissions you must log on to the mdb file as a user who is a member of the admins group, one of the default group accounts in every workgroup file. When you start Access the db engine tries to logon as the default user account - admin - with a blank password. If that is successful - security hasn't been activated for this workgroup - then you are not prompted for a user name and password. The standard for implementing Access security is to remove the default admin user from the admins group. This prevents anyone with Access from opening the mdb as the admin user and having administrative permissions. What you need to do is find out what user(s) is a member of the admins group in the workgroup file that was used to create this mdb file. Then you can hopefully logon as that user and change permissions and/or ownership of the objects you need. I would recommend getting a copy of the security FAQ from the Microsoft site. It does a decent job - better than I can here - of explaining how security works in Access.

[mcneilkm]

Thanks CHarlotte and Paul,
Here is what I have done based on your help/guidance. I have tried to join the .mdw as chorlotte suggested. I thought I was getting somewhere when I went to tools and security and found 3 additional users listed in the text box. I must clarify that at no time since I started to try and figure this out have I been prompted for a password. After seeing the additional names I tried to use one of them to change the permissions. It did not work and still said I didn't have permission. In total the permissions text box had four entries. Admin, and three other new ones. From this point I tried to create a brand new Workgroup and new unsecured .mdw. This did not work because it overwrote (my fault) the .mdw that had all the permissions and groups that I just joined. I hope someone at this point doesn't tell me its toast. Where did I mess up? Can this still be saved or do I need to go back to the computer it came from and start all over?

Thanks

Kevin

[PaulK]

I hat to be the bearer of bad tidings but I think you have to go back to the machine it was created on. Since you overwrote the original mdw all of the user and group account info for that mdb has been lost. The permissions still exist since they are with the mdb.

I would suggest printing a list of user and group accounts from the tools...security...user and group accounts once you have restored the original mdw file. This will tell you the members of the admins group. However, it doesn't make sense that if security has been activated for this workgroup that you aren't being prompted for a name and password. Something is fishy. How big is the mdb? Could you zip the mdb and mdw and post them?

[mcneilkm]

Paul,
I can't get this thing to compact or zip. Compacting gives me an error message and zipping only compresses about 3%. Can I email this to you. It looks to be about 4.7KB.

Kevin

[PaulK]

4.7KB? If it's really that small sure. jkelley@dbllp.com