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jcole · 05-03-2002, 09:06 AM

I didn't go past the password protected databases. Everyone should be leary of an Access based program that does not allow you to have permission to use the database. Besides the ethical problems (I'll argue that your data is 100 times more valuable to you than the software that you run it on), there are technical problems as well.

All MS Access databases have problems at one time or another. In order to save your data, you MUST have permission to use the tools Microsoft provides for you to fix, salvage or run 3rd party utilities on. For example, Solarsoft has utilitys that can repair a Helios database that even the Microsoft tools cannot repair (needless to say, the Helios tools can't repair them either). With a password protected database, you would be stuck to you last good backup (since backup's often fail as well, this could be a week or a month old).

Lastly, your valuable data would be locked into that platform. No one would be able to make a conversion program, and I doubt that the original software manufacture would be generous enought to do this for you

Private password protected databases are a bad idea and these people should change that. It's your data not theirs. If you don't have permission to use your data, run, don't walk to your nearest competitor. All other issues aside, this is a deal breaker every time.

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John Cole [ This Message was edited by: jcole on 2002-05-03 08:09 ]

05-03-2002, 09:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
jcole Waiting Confirmation Join Date: Oct 17 2000 Posts: 254 Rep Power: 0	I didn't go past the password protected databases. Everyone should be leary of an Access based program that does not allow you to have permission to use the database. Besides the ethical problems (I'll argue that your data is 100 times more valuable to you than the software that you run it on), there are technical problems as well. All MS Access databases have problems at one time or another. In order to save your data, you MUST have permission to use the tools Microsoft provides for you to fix, salvage or run 3rd party utilities on. For example, Solarsoft has utilitys that can repair a Helios database that even the Microsoft tools cannot repair (needless to say, the Helios tools can't repair them either). With a password protected database, you would be stuck to you last good backup (since backup's often fail as well, this could be a week or a month old). Lastly, your valuable data would be locked into that platform. No one would be able to make a conversion program, and I doubt that the original software manufacture would be generous enought to do this for you Private password protected databases are a bad idea and these people should change that. It's your data not theirs. If you don't have permission to use your data, run, don't walk to your nearest competitor. All other issues aside, this is a deal breaker every time. _________________ John Cole [ This Message was edited by: jcole on 2002-05-03 08:09 ]