> Hey all!  We have Access97 databases that are secured using a single
> system.mdw file on our network.  Multiple databases on our network
> have been secured by different people over the years and some have
> left the company etc.  Now, we're trying to get a list of databases
> and their locations that use this system.mdw file so we can upgrade
> them to SQL apps.  I opened the system.mdw file and the
> AccessPermissions table and I see some network paths to some access
> database, but it seems all those databases have been moved or deleted
> because they no longer exist at those locations.  All the other
> records have other characters in it which is useless to me.  Is there
> a utility to pull this info from system.mdw or another way to
> extract/find that info?  Only other option is to move the system.mdw
> file and see who calls the Help Desk ;-) We'd like to avoid this if
> possible for obvious reasons. Thanks!

"Rick Brandt" wrote:

> wayne wrote:
> > Hey all!  We have Access97 databases that are secured using a single
> > system.mdw file on our network.  Multiple databases on our network
> > have been secured by different people over the years and some have
> > left the company etc.  Now, we're trying to get a list of databases
> > and their locations that use this system.mdw file so we can upgrade
> > them to SQL apps.  I opened the system.mdw file and the
> > AccessPermissions table and I see some network paths to some access
> > database, but it seems all those databases have been moved or deleted
> > because they no longer exist at those locations.  All the other
> > records have other characters in it which is useless to me.  Is there
> > a utility to pull this info from system.mdw or another way to
> > extract/find that info?  Only other option is to move the system.mdw
> > file and see who calls the Help Desk ;-) We'd like to avoid this if
> > possible for obvious reasons. Thanks!
>
> You're laboring under a misunderstanding of how Access security works.  There is
> no direct "link" between a secured file and an MDW file that can be used to run
> it.  Notice I typed "an MDW file" not "the MDW file".
>
> A workgroup file contains groups, users, and memberships of users within groups.
> At the start of an Access session the workgroup establishes "who you are" and
> "what groups you belong to".  This happens before an mdb file is even opened.
>
> Now separately, the MDB contains data of "which users and/or groups are allowed
> to open me".  When you open the file that list is compared with the "who you
> are" data established by the workgroup file but the MDB does not care what
> workgroup file was used.  Only that you logged into one with credentials that
> allow access to the file.
>
> It is true that in many cases there is exactly one workgroup file that will
> contain groups and/or user accounts that allow access to a particular mdb file,
> but that is somewhat coincidental.  You could very easily create identical
> groups and or users (same internal ids) in many workgroup files that would all
> allow access to a particular MDB.
>
> So... an MDB could be examined to determine "what groups/users have permissions
> to use me?", but that would not tell you what workgroup file you would find
> those users and groups in.
>
> Conversely, an MDW file can be examined to see what users and groups are defined
> within it, but that will not tell you what MDB files "care" about those
> particular users or groups.
>
> --
> Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
> Email (as appropriate) to...
> RBrandt   at   Hunter   dot   com
>
>
>