Chapter 15. Sharing

Using a mix of accounts and privileges, FileMaker lets you control precisely which people can share which files. The quick and dirty way to control access is to use FileMaker's predefined privilege sets, as explained on page 246. As you create files, you can assign full, edit, or read-only privileges to each one. If you're the only one using FileMaker or you're working in a very small group, that may be all you need.

If you're working in an organization with more than five people, however, you'll quickly see that you need more specific controls. One reason is to protect the data from getting deleted or mangled. Another reason: to control who can see sensitive information such as salaries.

In teasing out the difference between accounts and privileges, think of it this way: Accounts link files to the identities of individuals or groups. Privilege sets link files to actions (viewing, adding, and changing records) and determine which actions can be taken.

By default, each file automatically has two basic accounts: Admin and Guest. So you could quickly set a general level of access for all files by defining the rights of the Admin and Guest accounts. In the long run, however, it's probably better to create individual accounts for identification purposes and then separate privilege sets based on certain common actions. In that sense, privileges offer more flexibility since you can control access at the file, layout, or even individual field level.

For example, consider that job functions in any organization change less often than the people doing those jobs. In the long run, your system may be easier to manage if you create privilege sets tied to certain actions based on levels of needed access. You then can create individual accounts for each person, which you then tie to various privilege sets. If a person changes departments, you can simply link her account to a new set of privileges. If a person leaves the company, it's easy to cancel all privileges for his account without having to rework any privilege sets.