Forum Discussion
Collaboration on Access
I need to create a database where the individuals inputting the data cannot see each other or the final data they are feeding their data into. But they can see their own data inputs and a report of what data they entered.
I need a report of all the inputs that only the admin can access.
Can I do this in Access?
Yes, it could be done this way.
You can design forms that verify the identity of the user and restrict data to those records flagged for that user. You'll need a field in each table that identifies the "owner" of the record. All data management will be done using only queries that filter on that flag field.
All of that said, Access is probably not the optimal solution here. It is possible for a reasonably knowledgeable person to bypass most attempts to implement this kind of data restriction. If there is a legal aspect to it, therefore, you'll probably be better advised to use a more robust database engine, such as SQL Server, to store the data. The ability to assign and protect data ownership is much better in SQL Server.
Sorry, I should have elaborated a bit more.
With SQL Server, you can create better security with logins for users that restrict access to specific objects, like views. Also, you can use stored procedures with permissions defined for different users. In that environment, users' access to only their own data can be restricted more securely.
It depends a lot on how rigid this requirement really is, of course, and how much you trust your users to honor the rules....
