access read-only database

If this is a JET based data store, then you can't protect the tables themselves.  You have to limit access to data via forms.

If a SQL server backend, then it's just security on the tables/roles.

Jim.

this is a 2010 ACE FE/BE arrangement.
is there any easy way to open the FE in R/O mode that blocks editing data, but allows all viewing?
thanks

<<is there any easy way to open the FE in R/O mode that blocks editing data, but allows all viewing?>>

 No.  Your only way to limit access to data is via forms.

 and I should have been clearer with my last comment.  A JET based BE (.MDB), yes as workgroup security is available.   If ACE (.accdb), then no as workgroup security was deactivated.

 I always think of "ACE" as being nothing more than JET (really it was more of just a name change), and I assumed you were using a later version.

 I should have been clearer when answering.

Jim.

Thanks Jim and Dale
that (unfortunately) confirms my unhappy suspicions.
I was hoping to avoid coding permissions for thousands of controls on many forms with a simple switch.
My next choice would be to make all form-recordsets snapshots - presumably this would be quicker than for individual controls?
My objective is to improve performance across the system by limiting db activity to the data-entry people, and 'lock' all query/reporting/viewing users.
cheers

That is bad news. Are we 100% sure the snapshot will make things slower?
and that setting form/data permissions (allow...) will improve performance (over current state)?
cheers

<<That is bad news. Are we 100% sure the snapshot will make things slower?>>

 Depends on your recordset sizes, but in general yes.

 While a "Snapshot" sounds fast, what your actually asking JET to do is give you the way records look at a given point in time.

 The only way it can do that is to make a complete copy of every record.

Jim.

Thanks Jim and Dale

You really are not talking about a lot of code to lock/unlock controls.  A single procedure would do it:

Public Sub FormLockUnlock(frm As Form)

    Dim bReadOnly As Boolean
    Dim strCriteria As String
    Dim ctrl As Control

    strCriteria = "[UserID] = '" & fosusername() & "'"
    bReadOnly = Nz(DLookup("ReadOnly", "UserPermissions", strCriteria), -1)

    For Each ctrl In frm.Controls
        
        Select Case ctrl.ControlType
            Case acCheckBox, acListBox, acComboBox, acTextBox
                ctrl.Locked = bReadOnly
            Case Else
                'do nothing
        End Select
        
    Next

End Sub

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You can get the API code for the fOSUserName function here.

Then, in the Form_Open event of each of your data forms, you would include a line of code:

FormLockUnlock me

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By default, the subroutine above would give everyone whose userid had not been entered into the UserPermissions table ReadOnly permissions.

Thanks Dale
that is very useful and worth considering.