I think a little different...

I have frequently shared data with other applications, I think data MUST be
in only one place, if a customer have 2 or 3 different systems developed by
diferent software houses they should share the data, I think that using
illogical names will be a nightmare to you (as Svein has said), and with
Business Intelligence Tools the user will want to use your data (and don't
think it's your data but customer data) in a simple and easy way.

I think you could remove the stored procedure code.

If your problem is protect yourself from have headaches fixing the changes
your customer done in your tables, views, etc. I think you should have made
an contract that said:

The Database structure is MY and YOU CANNOT CHANGE IT. NO ONE EXCEPT ME can
change de data structure !

If you want to protect yourself from other view the way you solved the
problem by analizing your data structure, I think you have no choice...
there are MANY DataBase Modelling Tools that can Reverse Engenieer almost
anything.

As Svein said, if they know SYSDBA password, you have no choice, if they do
not know it, but can copy the database to another machine, again, they have
full access. I remember something about creating a role named SYSDBA that
prevents some one to login as SYSDBA on the database, anyone remember this
? This trick do what Marcus want ?

I think hide the data structure is not good, as said above, everyone want
to do the maximum with the data, and needs not only to see the database
structure but full database documentation, ERD's, comments, relationships
and constraints...

Some customers ask me to send with my proposal the data model for internal
staff or consultants to analize. I used to think that this is damm bad,
someone will see my ideas and how I solved the problem, now I think, come
on, there is more than just data model to solve the problem and I am not
the only genius in the world, I am sure I have not discovered the wheel in
my database structure.

Of course people can use your work, can steal ideas, but I think that is
the price you have to pay sometimes.

Protect yourself, make clear in contracts that the database structure, the
logic and code in the database is your property and ONLY you can modify it
if you want it.

See you

Alexandre Benson Smith
Development
THOR Software e Comercial Ltda
Santo Andre - Sao Paulo - Brazil
www.thorsoftware.com.br




At 13:09 07/01/2003 +0000, you wrote:

>All,
>
>I am in the planning stage of an application and I am considering using
>firebird as the primary database. I have a question. Is it possible to stop
>any advanced user from seeing the structure of the database. For example if
>this application is installed by a user that knows about interbase they are
>going to be able to use some sort of Interbase administration tool to view
>and possibly change the structure of my database. This would be an absolute
>nightmare to support. Is there away of getting round this?
>
>Regards,
>Marcus

----------


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.437 / Virus Database: 245 - Release Date: 06/01/2003


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]