We would like to give users of our system the opportunity to drag some of the data from a database into Excel. (Only reading data, no chance of writing any data back to the DB). The users do not have direct access to the database, so we would have some authentication for them in place. (Firstly to connect to the database, but also secondly to use the security settings of our system, so that user 1 is only allowed to see certain tables.)
I was instructed to begin writing a C# addin for this, but a colleague was instructed to write a VBA macro.
I was thinking of using the Entity Framework to access the data, but I haven't worked with it before. I don't know what they would be using from within the macro, but the macro-manager thinks that I will be killing the network with the heavy data transfer. He also doesn't like the idea that the users have to install the add-in on their computers. However, I have a vague uneasiness regarding macro's and the notion that they're not very secure. How safe are macro's? Are they tweak-safe, or could a knowledgable user change the code?
I would like to know, what are the pro's and con's of each approach and what the general feeling is of people with more experience and knowledge than myself?
With particular regard to matters such as:
- Information Security (Some tables should not be accessed.)
- Network traffic
- Ease of maintenance and future modifications
- Any other relevant concern that I've missed
Kind regards,
