Table surveillance

[asmores]

Hey All,
Is there a way to know who and when an acccess table is being accessed? For example, i have an access database with multiple tables of sales information. Other users import from these tables daily, but i would like to be able to track who and when this information is being used.


Thanks

[John_G]

Hi -

I think this would have to be incorporated into the processes the other users are using to access the data, and you would need VBA to accomplish it. Access does not have a logging facility built in. You could build a retrieval form in other users' databases to log their requests in to a table in your database.

However, if you are not the one who maintains the other databases, or if the other uses just link to your tables and do their own retrievals, then I doubt you can accomplish what you need.

If you post more detail about your work processes, I can perhaps give you some better ideas.

HTH

John

[Dal Jeanis]

1) It depends entirely on what you're trying to accomplish, and on who "owns" the data.

2) You can create a feeder transaction that can be logged, and make the data table unavailable in any other way, if you have the personal authority to do so, or if someone with the organizational authority wants it to be done.

3) If the users are importing, rather than linking, then even with the above methods, you will never have any idea what the users are doing with the data, just when they connected to it.

[asmores]

I "own" the data, and users are running a macro that utilises "DoCmd.TransferDatabase acImport" function. How would i go about creating a feeder transaction?
Thanks

[Dal Jeanis]

Then there are a lot of things you can do... Evil Chuckle...

Let's start with the trivial.

If everyone is using the SAME macro, then add one line to the same Macro which executes a logging function of some sort (insert a record with their user id and/or machine name into a log table in the same database).

If everyone is NOT using the same macro, then RENAME THE TABLE to a non-obvious name, and distribute a common macro or VBA routine to access the new table name. In that macro, include your logging function.

There are lots of other things you can do, depending on how locked-down you want it to be, and what you're trying to accomplish via the lockdown.