Updating user data

Additional user details can be recorded to provide contact information for other iBase users who need to establish the history of a particular record or modification.

The information is available in the Conflict Viewer and Property dialog, and also in the Show dialog and datasheets if owner hyperlink fields are added to the entity and link types.

Contact information consists of a user's:
  • Full name
  • Location (which is predefined by the security or system administrator)
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Notes®

It is simplest to ask your users to add their own details: in iBase, select Change User Information from the File menu. You can also enter these details when you create new accounts in the User dialog (but these details are not copied if you copy a user account). This feature is available in both replicated and unreplicated databases.

Note: Contact details are stored in the security file and are replicated.

Adding users

Add a user account for each analyst who uses iBase database replication. Each user must log in using a unique user name otherwise the Conflict Viewer might not be able to report conflicts between two users logged in with the same user name.

Devising a naming convention for users that includes a location identifier in the username allows you to continue to add new users if a communications link goes down without any risk of creating duplicate users. Ensure that the default password that is given to new accounts is specific to each site.

Duplicate names are checked whenever you display the Security Manager, and are automatically renamed.
Note: To refresh the user groups and users who are displayed in the Security Manager, close and reopen the Security Manager. This does not necessarily display the users and groups added by other sites as this depends on the frequency with which updates to the security file are replicated. Depending on your organization, the frequency might, for example, be anything from every minute to once a day.

When to set up the user data

You can add user groups and users, and assign users to groups at any of these stages:
  • In the Microsoft™ Access security file, before it is distributed to the subscriber sites.
  • At the publisher site, before or after the SQL Server administrator configures the security database for replication.
  • At the subscriber sites, after the SQL Server administrator configures the security database for replication. Changes made to security data at any site is replicated to the other sites.
Note: For information on when to define the permissions for Data Access Control groups, see Managing Security.

Assigning a location to each user

In a replicated database where the audit log is also replicated, it is important to assign each user a location as part of their contact details. You can derive the location from the user name, however, the advantage of using the location field in the contact details is that the user can keep the same user name even if they move location. Typically the location is the physical location of the user rather than the location of the database.

You can structure the location name to facilitate wildcard searching in the Audit Viewer if you choose to use the location field in the contact details rather than rely on the user name containing a location identifier.

You must predefine the locations by adding contact information to a sample user from each location:
  1. In the Security Manager, select an existing user and click Edit.
  2. Click the User Information button .
  3. Enter the location name, up to a maximum of 50 characters.
  4. Click OK twice. The location name is not saved until you click OK in the User dialog.
Note: As a security or system administrator, you can also add and modify location names in the User Information dialog in iBase.

Handling duplicate group and user names

You should periodically check for duplicate groups and users.

When you display the Security Manager at any publisher or subscriber site, iBase Designer checks for and corrects duplicate names (whether groups or users). For example, the duplicates are renamed _***1***, _***2***, . The group or user created first keeps the original name, and the second group or user is renamed.

If there are any duplicates, the Security Manager displays a warning message. You should make a note of the groupss and users involved because this message is displayed once only. However, name changes are recorded in the security audit log.

Note: Where there are duplicate user accounts with the same password, either user can log on using the usable account but the access rights might not be correct.