>To specify a little bit further, with option 1, the user can still open the table (with Excel for example) and view the content. You will need option 2 or a different backend (like SQL Server) to prevent a client to view the content of a table.

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>1) Have all data access go through a DLL. The user won't have direct access to the data.

Option #2 still fails my primary security test, which is, can someone get in and destroy the data.

But with #1, we can use something like setting a server share password that only admins and the COM server would know. Then users must go through this to get to data.

Seems like a good start, but once users have unlocked the data with app, they can then access data with another app like Excel, as you say, while the app is open. Still looking for way around this...