Add password to attachment in mainframe.

[Neeraj N]

Hi All ,

I need to send a mainframe report as an attachment in the email which I'm able to do but this report is opend as excel sheet which should be password protected excel sheet. Can we set the password of the excel in mainframes itself some way?

[Robert Sample]

How are you sending the data from the mainframe? If you are using a package that creates the Excel spreadsheet on the mainframe and transmits it, maybe. If you are sending comma-delimited data through SMTP, then the answer is definitely not.

[Neeraj N]

I'm sending attachement using IEBGENER as comma-delimited file. So as per your asnser, I need to ask the front end to add the password in the excel?

[Robert Sample]

A comma-delimited file CANNOT, under any circumstances, have a password protecting it -- it is a text file, period. Once the file is on a PC and converted into Excel, you can THEN add a password to the Excel spreadsheet. However, until the data is transmitted and converted into Excel, a password is not possible.

What is the purpose of the password? If it is to protect the data going from the mainframe to the server (or PC), then the solution is to use a secured transfer (such as SFTP, FTPS, or other product), not attempt to put a password on a comma-delimited file. If the purpose is to protect the data once it is in Excel, then put the password on before saving the Excel data.

[Neeraj N]

A comma-delimited file CANNOT, under any circumstances, have a password protecting it -- it is a text file, period. Once the file is on a PC and converted into Excel, you can THEN add a password to the Excel spreadsheet. However, until the data is transmitted and converted into Excel, a password is not possible.

What is the purpose of the password? If it is to protect the data going from the mainframe to the server (or PC), then the solution is to use a secured transfer (such as SFTP, FTPS, or other product), not attempt to put a password on a comma-delimited file. If the purpose is to protect the data once it is in Excel, then put the password on before saving the Excel data.

Thanks Robert. We had opted for the first solution you have suggested above.

Was just thinking why can't notepads have password?

[Robert Sample]

Because a password requires a mechanism to read the file and use the password to decrypt the file. Notepad simply reads the data from the file and puts it upon the screen -- so there is no mechanism to allow a password to be used.

[Neeraj N]

Thanks!!