Once you have completed configuring the database's user authentication, you can designate at least one user, and preferably more than one user, as security administrator. The security administrator is responsible for maintaining the security information in the database. Typically, the database administrator also serves as a security administrator. An ABL security administrator can manage only ABL client security (not SQL client security). Although it is not a requirement that you establish a security administrator, it is a best practice.

Security administrators can also be users defined outside of the _User table accounts. In fact, if you never define a user in the _User table accounts, all your security administrators can all be users defined in user accounts outside the database.

Once you designate security administrators, only they can access the following options on the Security menu:

In addition, only security administrators can access the Database Options function on the Admin menu.

All users can access the other two options in the Security menu: Change Your Password and Quick User Reports. Designating security administrators does not limit other users' ability to create new tables or fields in the database. In addition, a security administrator cannot change a user's password; only the user of the account can change the password.

You designate security administrators with the Security Administrators dialog box. Access the dialog box by choosing Admin > Security > Security Administrators, or by choosing CallAdmin from the Edit User List or Edit Data Security dialog boxes in the character Data Dictionary.