Microsoft Access 2010 Bible

Chapter 26: Bulletproofing Access Applications

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3. In the Password field, type the password that you want to use to secure the database (see
   Figure 26.19).

Access does not display the password; instead, it shows an asterisk ( * ) for each letter.

FIGURE 26.19

Providing a password to encrypt an Access database

4. Retype the same password in the Verify field and click OK.

An encrypted database looks like any other Access application to its users. There is no outward dif-

ference in the appearance of the application’s forms or reports after encryption. The only difference

is that the user is required to provide the password each time the database is opened.

When encrypting a database, however, be aware of the following drawbacks:

l Encrypted databases don’t compress from their original size when used with com-

pression programs, such as WinZip or sending it to a compressed (zipped) folder.

Encryption modifies the way that the data is stored on the hard drive so compression utili-

ties have little or no effect.

l Encrypted databases suffer some performance degradation (up to 15 percent).

Depending on the size of your database and the speed of your computer, this degradation

may be imperceptible.

Also, be aware that encrypting a database makes it impossible to access the data or database objects

without the proper password. Always maintain an unencrypted backup copy of the database in a

secure location in the event that the password is lost or accidentally changed. There is no “univer-

sal” password for decrypting an encrypted Access database, and because strong encryption is used

by Access 2010 there is no way to decrypt the database without the proper password.

Removing a database password

Follow these steps to remove the password from an encrypted database, and restore it to its previ-

ous, unencrypted state.

1. Open the encrypted .accdb database (for example, Chapter26.accdb) exclusively.


2. Click the File button in the upper-left corner of the screen, and select the Decrypt
   Database command on the Info tab (see Figure 26.20).