PRB: UserId and Password Viewable in Database Container

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0

SYMPTOMS

The userid and password for an ODBC connection are stored in the database container (.DBC) and are visible to the user if a connection is created for the database. If previously created data sources are used in an ODBC view rather than an ODBC connection, the userid and password are not viewable in the .DBC.

CAUSE

When a view or connection is established in Visual FoxPro, you have the option of specifying the userid and password at that time. If you enter them, they are saved in the DBC, so they can be seen by using the DISPLAY DATABASE command or by using the DBC as a table.

RESOLUTION

To maintain security, do not specify the password when setting up the connection or view. Rely on ODBC to request it. Then the DBC will contain only the Datasource name.

When creating an executable file, you can explicitly include the DBC in the project. In this case, the user is not able to display the connection information. To make this modification, choose Include from the Project menu with the DBC selected in the project.

STATUS

This behavior is by design. The reasoning for this design is that if you want to save the password in the DBC, you probably want the convenience of never needing to type in a password.