Embedding an Access db into a C++ programme

[richsb]

Hi,

I have an Access db which I want to embed into a standalone C++ application. I wish to be able to distribute the C++ App, without having to offer out a copy of the actual database with it. How would I go about making the data table(text + graphics) part of the C++ App. I want the users to have just a C++ front end and be able to view all data but not edit it like you would with an Access Form.

Any guidance in direction to take much apprectiated

 

[LyMc]

The action you propose is, I think, a rather difficult thing to do. I don't know of any kind of Access API that C programming could latch onto, for one thing. You could rewrite all the forms into C++ forms and then re-implement all the functionality, and use an embeddable database like MySQL, but this is a lot of work. If your purpose in doing this is simply to lock down your data, I suggest you look into the security features of Access. They allow you to pretty much straight-jacket the user, and include enciphering the database and schema against prying. You can easily program the Access forms to be view-only; one approach would be to simply disable the data-dependent controls. The Access security would then make the forms themselves uneditable, even enciphering them.

 

[richsb]

LyMc,

The idea of re-writing all the data into seperate forms does sound like a lot of work, although so far I have only created the database structure and entered 3 sample data sets which are not that big either, so maybe not as much as you think. However my SQL knowledge is nil.

You are correct in assuming that I want to lock away the data from the user and I did imagine that Access would have that feature somewhere. But doesn't this still require the user to have Access on their system, something that I want to get away from? I want this programme to stand on it's own, which is why I am looking at implementing a C++ front end to the data.

The other avenue that I am looking at is with Access exporting the data in another format, csv,tab,html, xml etc and it is the latter of these formats (xml) that I am finding out if I can embedded into a C++ front end. Would this be an appropriate path to take?