Providing security in a database system
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus to provide security for data in a database system includes providing a secure user-defined data type (UDT) that has security features. The secure UDT defines security information, which in one arrangement is in the form of a list of identifiers of authorized users or other entities. Each data instance according to the secure UDT stored in tables of the database system is associated with such an access list. Thus, in response to a query, the security information is accessed to determine whether the user or other entity that issued the query has rights to access the data. Access is then allowed or denied based on the security information.
1. A database system comprising:
one or more storage modules to store data instances according to a secure user-defined data type, the secure user-defined data type defining security information and one or more security functions; and
a controller adapted to receive a Structured Query Language query originated by a source for one of the data instances, the controller adapted to determine if the source is authorized to access the one data instance based on the security information,
the controller adapted to further invoke the one or more security functions to process the one data instance.