What does the encryption option do?

I am considering whether I need to encrypt any databases. Can someone explain what choosing encryption does, whether they have tried it out, and whether there are any hazards associated with using it? For example, if I want to zip and email a Panorama encrypted file to someone, will that work okay? My computer’s drive is already encrypted with FileVault, so does the Panorama encryption add anything beyond that?

I can’t answer specifically about Panorama’s encryption, but I can supplement your scenario.

You’re probably using Applescript to zip your files. You can have the zipped file password protected too.
Using local variables loaded with the source, the destination and the password, the following will do just that.

AppleScript |||
tell application "Finder"
set sourcePath to POSIX path of $«lvSource»$
set destPath to POSIX path of $«lvDest»$
set pWord to $«lvPWord»$
do shell script "zip -jmP "& $«lvPWord»$ & " " & destPath & " " & sourcePath
end tell
|||

If you select an encryption option, the file will be encrypted on disk.

For example, suppose you lock the database to your account, and set it up so that the minimum level to open the database is User. That means that only a user that is logged in to your account can open the database. So if someone gets hold of your database (or even if you send it to them), they won’t be able to open it unless they are using your account.

However, even if they can’t open the database in Panorama X, they might be able to get information by looking at it with a file dumping tool. But if you enable encryption, all someone with a file dumping tool will see is gibberish. So that is the purpose of the encryption option.

This is similar to user passwords vs. Filevault at the system level. You can set up a password so that no one can log into your computer. But if someone steals the hard drive and attaches it to another computer, they can access the data if it is not encrypted. Filevault prevents that. Panorama X encryption provides the same purpose, but at the individual file level rather than for the entire disk.

When you are logged into your account, Panorama X automatically decrypts the database when you open it. But on any computer that you are not logged into, the database cannot be accessed.

if I want to zip and email a Panorama encrypted file to someone, will that work okay?

If that person is using the same account as you, then yes, it will work ok. If they are using a different Panorama X account, you would have to send them an unencrypted database.

You’re probably using Applescript to zip your files. You can have the zipped file password protected too. Using local variables loaded with the source, the destination and the password, the following will do just that.

AppleScript |||
tell application "Finder"
set sourcePath to POSIX path of $«lvSource»$
set destPath to POSIX path of $«lvDest»$
set pWord to $«lvPWord»$
do shell script "zip -jmP "& $«lvPWord»$ & " " & destPath & " " & sourcePath
end tell|||

This is excellent. A month ago our ISP changed its spam/virus checking routines which no longer let us email our backup P6 files zipped, saying they contained a virus. Their postmaster suggested we password protect the zip files, and this was successful, but I found no way of doing it automatically and so it wasn’t a practical long-term solution. Your script would have been. I should have asked!

Fortunately about a week later the ISP changed their routines to allow the files to be carried. Now I’ll keep your Applescript just in case…

David Duncan