Ensuring Data Security Using Excel Integration

One of the many great features found within the DSP is enabling the Excel Integration feature for a custom data-entry page. To review, this features allows users to not only download data from a page from DSP into an excel document, but it also gives users the ability to upload data from an excel spreadsheet into a given data-entry page as well. But what if some of that data is of a sensitive or confidential nature? While the ability to download information is a powerful addition to DSP's toolset, it can potentially become risky, if the proper security measures are not taken. Thankfully, an additional column property can be applied to any field that will prevent data from being displayed in an excel download.

To add security to a field intended for Excel Integration, eliminating the field's display of data:

1. Navigate to the WebApp page in which to apply security to a given field.
   NOTE: This cannot be performed using the shortcut in adding column properties by right-clicking on a field name.
2. Add the field to apply security.
3. Select Excel as View Type and save.
4. In the vertical view, scroll to the bottom and select 'Password' in the Format field.
5. Save the vertical view.

Now, when data is downloaded using Excel Integration, all the data in that field will appear as stars. See below:

In the case of the above example, the Contact Name field was given security.

NOTE: This will only apply to Excel Integration. In the More Options button, selecting Download will still show the data in the downloaded Excel document. It is recommended that users disable the 'Support Download' option in Advanced Properties of a page's Page Properties.

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