I found this one while reading Mike Wolfe's Week in Review this week...

Here's a video from AccessUserGroups.org featuring Access MVP Adrien Bell demonstrating how to integrate Active Directory security features directly into your Access database: Watch the video here.

Adrien goes deep into how to check AD group membership from within Access using Windows APIs, and how to use that to control access to forms, reports, or features. If you're developing Access apps for a company that already uses Active Directory, this might be worth exploring. It can let you tap into the existing security infrastructure instead of reinventing the wheel.

That said, my take is this:

Most of the clients I've worked with are small businesses - 10 users or fewer - and the vast majority of them are not using Active Directory. It's overkill for a simple office network. So I've always built my own security system inside Access, like I teach in my Security Seminar. It's simple, flexible, and works great in non-domain environments.

But if you're working in a larger organization that already has AD in place, definitely check this out. It can save you from having to manage usernames, passwords, and roles manually.

Full disclosure: I skimmed the video, but I haven't tried this myself. Still, it's from Adrien Bell, so you know it's quality stuff.

LLAP
RR