User manual

Chapter 9
Protecting databases with passwords and groups
When you store confidential information in your database files or
want to restrict users from modifying layouts or other database
elements, you need a security system to protect your file. This helps
ensure that records, fields, layouts, or scripts aren’t inadvertently
deleted or changed.
This chapter explains how to protect your FileMaker Pro files by setting
access privileges for passwords and groups. You’ll learn about:
1 setting passwords to limit access to all aspects of a file
1 setting groups to limit access to specific elements within a file (like
fields and layouts)
When you protect your database by preventing or limiting entry with
access privileges, users must enter a password in order to access your
database anywhere: on your computer, across a network, on the Web,
or from an ODBC client application.
Defining passwords
When you define passwords for a file, you specify what data can be
accessed and what tasks can be performed. When a user opens the
file with a password, FileMaker Pro disables commands that aren’t
available for that password.
To define passwords:
1. Open the file.
2. Choose File menu > Access Privileges > Passwords.
If you don’t see the Access Privileges command under the File menu,
you have opened the file with limited access, which changes the
menu command to Change Password. See the database administrator
for the master password.
3. In the Define Passwords dialog box, type the password that you or
others will use to access the file.
1 Passwords can be up to 31 characters long and are not case
sensitive.
1 Store your password in a safe place so you can retrieve it.
1 You can limit access to a file but not require users to enter a
password by leaving the password area blank.
4. Select the activities that users with this password can perform.
Select To let users with this password
Access the entire file Perform any task with records, layouts, and scripts.
This privilege creates a master password, and provides
access to all activities in a file.
Browse records See data in records. (This option is always enabled.)
Define groups to limit which fields end users can view.
Print records Print one or more records.
Export records Export one or more records or access FileMaker Pro
sharing options, which allows users to share
FileMaker Pro data over a network, on the web, via
ODBC, or copy the found set.
Override data entry
warnings
Enter data that doesn’t match the validations set for a
field. (See “Defining field validation” on page 5-9.)
Design layouts Create or change all layouts. Define groups to control
access to individual layouts.
Edit scripts Create or change scripts. (Scripts can still be executed
by any user, although some script steps may be skipped
if a user has limited access).
Define value lists Create or change value lists. (To modify a value list
from Browse mode, a user must have Create records or
Edit records access).