I'm thinking about buying Filemaker Pro 8 for my medical practice. I know an entire file can be kept private by way of a password, but I'm wondering if certain areas, fields, or pages of information can be kept private without the entire file being password protected.

I work with a few people in the office who need access to a file on a given patient, in order to look up information not related to their diagnosis or treatment. But certain info must be kept private in the database and restricted from viewing as well as editing.

Can FMP 8 be set up so that someone can see certain information but not all info?

Thanks, FMPanther

Yes, FileMaker can be setup so you can restrict access to fields, layouts, scripts, value lists, etc. You can add as many accounts as you desire, allowing some people to see information and restricting others. It's quite flexible.

I'm wondering if certain areas, fields, or pages of information can be kept private without the entire file being password protected.

No. There must be passwords and Accounts; otherwise these restrictions won't be in force. It's the Priviege Sets tied to the Accounts that enforce the protections on these designated fields.

As John Mark notes, the security schema is very flexible. But it requires certain building blocks at the outset.

HTH

Steven