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Protecting a document

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    Protecting a document

    Hi all, wondering if someone can help me with a query.

    I have made an analysis tool, which is pretty simple at work, for use by the management team. The management team aren't particuarly excel aware and so I've made it "drop downs" etc to select from. I'm forever being asked questions about it and how it works.

    The document is password protected, and only I and the management team have that password. I've had to make this document twice already because the first time it wasn't protected and they completley overwrote all the forumalaes etc! . I want to know if there is a way to make it so ONLY I can change the password, therefore, preventing me from being accidently locked out when someone changes it by accident ( which also happened to the last document!)

    Essentially as the owner of the document, is it possible to protect it so that no one else can make it so I can't access it?

    thanks

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    Forum Guru TMS's Avatar
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    Re: Protecting a document

    As well as the password to open the file, you can have a separate password to modify the data. However, that won't help much if they need to input/amend and save data.

    You can also have passwords to protect individual sheets and the structure of the workbook.

    As for someone else changing the password; not much you can do really. That's more an issue of common sense and discipline. Tell the management team the implication(s) of changes they make and the impact on you and the rest of the management team.

    Regards, TMS
    Trevor Shuttleworth - Retired Excel/VBA Consultant

    I dream of a better world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned

    'Being unapologetic means never having to say you're sorry' John Cooper Clarke


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    Re: Protecting a document

    Hi TMS,

    Thanks for this, although your answer is what I feared.

    There is a big lack of common sense/discipline in here (Infuriatingley)

    I have already protected all the cells, which can't be overwritten, protected the structure and password protected the document. Thankfully they only have access to where they really need to input the data, and the document, but the last issue was that they changed the password to open the document and couldn't remember what too. I was really hoping there was a way to make it so only I could do this but I feared there may not be.

    Thanks for your reply though!!

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    Re: Protecting a document

    You're welcome. Thanks for the rep.


    The only other thing you can do, as far as I am aware, is to make the workbook macro-enabled. There's some effort required to ensure that the workbook is unusable unless macros are enabled, but that approach is well documented. It requires a "splash" screen (worksheet) which is the only sheet that is visible if macros are not enabled (with instructions to close, re-open and enable macros). When macros are enabled, this is hidden and all or selected sheets are made visible.

    Then you could automatically make a time-stamped back-up every time the workbook is opened ... AND, you could create and update a log file every time the workbook is opened listing the date, time and user name and ID. That way, the worst case scenario is that the only work lost will be that of the person who changed the password and then forgot it. And you'll know who was responsible

    You could, if you wished, save the backups with a different password known only to you so they can't be accessed and changed. But they can still be deleted in Windows Explorer. The backups would need to be managed and you might choose to keep the last 10, 20 or 30 for security. But that's up to you. And you could also copy every tenth, say, backup to another location so that you have a recovery strategy if you really have problems.

    I have to say though, that you have to go out of your way to save a password protected workbook with a new password so it really IS an issue for the management team and should be their responsibility.



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    Re: Protecting a document

    Thanks again.

    You're right that seems like a lot of work, and to be honest ( totally selfishly) the data it contains is of no use to me, If they lose it it's tough!!

    I think I'd have to follow your instructions to do that, and when it all ineveitable goes wrong or someone comes to question me on it, because it's way over what they understand I'm not sure I'd be able to explain properly.

    The outcome is going to be- I'll email them all AGAIN and tell them not to change anything and then if they do... They can rebuild themselves!!

    Thanks for your help on this!!

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    Re: Protecting a document

    Happy to provide consultancy

    But, fair enough, down to them really.

    If you have an IT Team, you could ask for it to be backed up/archived every night. Again, it gives you/them a get out of jail card. And while I respect your "selfish" approach, I'm sure there's a tinge of guilt there too (and perhaps a feeling of ownership?)

    But anyway, let's draw a line under. Good luck with it

    Regards, TMS

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