Controlling Data Access

You can control access to data by using the operating system to set permissions by user IDs and groups. The end user connects to the server software by logging in from the client application. The server software uses the operating system to enforce the permissions for that user.

Note: Additional data security may be enforceable with your database software—the server software’s data access modules prompt for IDs and passwords when the database requires them.

Windows. How you set access permissions on Windows depends on where the data are stored.

• If the files reside on a networked computer other then the computer running the server software, assign permissions to shared resources.
• If the files reside on the server computer, and on an NTFS drive, use security settings. You cannot control file access for data on the server computer on a FAT drive.

See File Properties for information about setting sharing and security permissions on Windows.

UNIX. When the end user connects to the server software by logging in from the client application, the server software passes the user’s login ID and password to the operating system and launches a process for the user. The launched process has the file access rights of the end user’s login account.