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Originally published at Internet.comYou might feel discouraged and ask yourself, "Why bother with security?" Do not despair! Fortunately, Access enables you to encrypt a database. The encryption process renders the data in the database indecipherable from data in word processors, disk utilities, and other products capable of reading text. When a database is encrypted, no one can decipher any of its data.
A database can be encrypted using the standard Access menus or by writing a VBA subroutine. In either case, the database you are encrypting must not be open. To encrypt a database using Access's standard menus, follow these steps:
Step 1:
Choose Tool | Security | Encrypt/Decrypt Database from the menu options
Step 2:
The Encrypt/Decrypt Database dialog will appear. Select the file you want tot encrypt and click OK
Step 3:
You are prompted for the name of the encrypted database. If you selected the same name as the existing file, Access deletes the original file after it determines that the encryption process is successful. It is always a good idea to back up the original database before you begin the encryption process. This ensures that if something goes awry during the encryption process, you won't lose your data.
Encrypting with Code
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