This may seem like a total noob question but if I want to inherit and significantly alter a form view from a different module, does that module need to be installed in the DB I'm working with or can I inherit it since it is in the openerp instance files but not installed? My reason for this is not wanting the entire menu and module to be accessible, only the model and customized form/tree views for a particular feature.

If the answer is yes, how can I use a custom module to remove the menu for the unwanted module access? Is there a replace command for that? Or do I have to hide it with a permissions file?

I want to hard code this and not use Settings>Config>Menu Items because I read that they should not be relied on for security reasons and I would just feel better if I knew my changes can't be over-written in an update.