International Business Machines Corporation

Marci L Sperber

Richard D Dettinger

Daniel Paul Kolz

Shannon Everett Wenzel

Janice R Glowacki

Padma S Rao

Techniques are disclosed for managing execution of queries against databases and more particularly for restricting access to sensitive data in underlying databases. One embodiment includes an operation for managing access to sensitive data in a database. The operation includes receiving, from a requesting entity, a query against the data in the database. The query is executed against the database to obtain a result set. The operation further includes determining whether the result set includes sensitive data based on predefined sensitivity attributes associated with data in the result set. If so, a sensitivity rating is determined for the result set, and a predefined security action is performed with respect to the result set on the basis of the determined sensitivity rating.

Restricting access to sensitive data

A method, system and article of manufacture for protecting sensitive data in databases and, more particularly, for managing access to sensitive data in a database. One embodiment comprises receiving a query against the data in the database comprising at least (i) a result field specification, and (ii) a sorting instruction. The method further comprises retrieving a result set from the database, and filtering the retrieved result set on the basis of predefined filtering rules to remove selected data from a selected result field of at least one data record included with the retrieved result set. The filtered result set is sorted according to the sorting instruction to produce the sorted result set, whereby the sorting is done independently of the removed selected data so that the sorted result set places the at least one data record at a position which is non-indicative of a value of the removed selected data.

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

Marci L Sperber