Keeping Your Security and Saved Specs Current

From the Inside Sesame Help Desk

Maybe you can give me a hint here. I seem to be doing something that's messing up the security settings in my Sesame application. I currently have 35 users in a medical practice. As you might guess with that many people there's personnel turnover now and then. When someone leaves, we use Server Administration to remove that person from the system on the day they leave, and use the same tool to add a new person on the day they start. However, whenever I do a redesign or create new reports in Designer, my security settings aren't up to date. They display older groups of users and passwords. Since this is a medical office, security is of primary importance. I've even tried to reconcile and clicked on the security option and all that did was totally lose all my new employees. I had to reset them in Server Admin. Am I doing security improperly? Please help.
Dr. Brand

There are a few "design" options that users can do in the runtime version of Sesame that will create the situation like the one you're describing. They can create new saved specs for Quick Reports, Retrieves and Sorts, Mass Updates, Imports and Exports, Table Views and Copy specs. In addition, they can create new Global Values either by causing existing programming to run or even by using a Mass Update. Under the proper circumstances (if they know the password to the Sesame Server Administration module they can change security in an application by adding and deleting users or even changing passwords).

Note: The default user ID and password for using the Server Administration module is "admin" and "hello". The password is case sensitive. In any multi-user environment, especially one in the medical field, this password should be changed immediately and regularly. It is simple to do. Log on to server administration and go to the Administrative Password tab. Create and confirm a new password and apply it. Most importantly, don't share it with too many people.

All these actions have the effect of getting your active, runtime application out of synch with any existing Designer file. If you make any later changes in your design, using an existing Designer file, there are two options you have concerning each of these groups that could have been changed (security, saved specs, Global values) - (1) overwrite the ones in the active file with those in the Designer file or (2) ignore the ones in the Designer file and keep the ones in the active application. If you choose to overwrite from an older design file you will lose any new changes that had been made in the working application.

If you regularly make changes to any of these groups in your active application, or if you plan to make changes to them in design/redesign mode, there is only one realistic approach to follow. You need to make a new Designer file each time you do any redesigning. This is very easy and will have no impact on your current users other than you need to tell them you are making changes and, until you give them the word that it's okay, they are to hold off on any changes to the three volatile groups described above. The worst that will happen is their interim changes to these specs will be lost when you do your reconcile. Use the Sesame application menu to Redesign Current Application and you will have a new Designer file that's an exact match of your working copy from the data to the saved specs and security.

If you make any changes to these saved specs, or if you add new ones, just make sure to set the applicable options during reconcile to Yes. The only drawback to creating a new DSR file each time you redesign is that it will be as large as your actual working file and will therefore take longer to save changes and run some preview routines than smaller, older DSR files. This can be easily remedied by using Designer's application menu option to remove all the data records. If you don't want to remove all the records you can do a preview and retrieve most of the records then Mass Delete them.

Either way, the benefits of working with a current DSR file will solve all your spec and security issues as well as give you a current snapshot of them for review and backup. If you are a consultant, make it a habit to ask your client for a copy of their latest working application(s) before you attempt to make upgrades for them.