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Protecting databases
F
ILEMAKER PRO HELP 448
Privileges protect a single file
The privileges that you set up apply to a single file only and all tables within that file. If your database
solution consists of multiple files that you want to protect, you may want to combine all of these files
into one multi-table file. Then you can define privileges in only a single file to manage access to the
entire database solution. If you don’t want to combine the files into one file, then you should define
privileges in each file that contains items you want to protect.
Important If you create a relationship in one file that references a table in another file, you cannot
manage access privileges for the related table in the first file. The privileges defined in the other file
control access to that table.
Note If you have a multi-file database solution that includes multiple protected files, you may want
to consider using identical account names and passwords in each protected file. When one
protected file attempts to access another protected file (such as to access related data or execute a
script in the second file), FileMaker Pro initially attempts to open the second file with the same
account name and password that was used to open the first file. If there is a matching account name
and password, FileMaker
Pro skips displaying the account/password dialog box. If there is no
matching account, then FileMaker
Pro displays the account/password dialog box so the user can
enter account information.
About accounts, privilege sets, and extended privileges
You use accounts, privilege sets and extended privileges to protect FileMaker Pro database files.
Accounts
Accounts authenticate users who are attempting to open a protected file. Each account specifies an
account name and (usually) a password. Any user that cannot specify valid account information
won’t be able to open a protected file. Each file initially contains two accounts: Admin and Guest.
You may want to create an account for every individual who accesses a file, or you may want to
create a small number of accounts that are shared among many individuals, such as a “Marketing”
account and a “Sales” account:
• Create accounts for individuals when it is necessary to guarantee the identities of particular
users and you want to manage access at an individual level.
• Create shared accounts when you want fewer accounts to maintain and you are less
concerned about managing individual access to the database file.
If you host files on FileMaker Server, you can create External Server accounts that obtain
authentication information from an authentication server such as an Apple OpenDirectory or
Windows Domain. This allows you to use a centrally managed user directory that may already be in
use to manage access to other network resources such as file servers. See
Creating accounts that
authenticate via an external server.
See Creating and managing accounts and About the Admin and Guest accounts.
Privilege sets
A privilege set specifies a level of access to a database file. When you create a privilege set, there
are many options available that you can use to limit database access, such as which
layouts are
viewable, which menus are available, and whether printing is permitted. Privilege sets can also
restrict access to particular
tables, records, or fields within a file. Each account is assigned a
privilege set, which determines the level of access when someone opens a file using that account.