Rule-based anonymizer for business data

• US 8,463,752 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Brinkmoeller, Bernhard, Herbst, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kerzhner, Aleksandr
• Application Number:
  US13/041,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 707/662, 707/999.204
• US Class Current: 707/662
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification

Abstract

A method of anonymize business data. The method includes responsive to a request from an application for data objects stored in a database system, retrieving the data objects from a non-transitory storage of the database system, prior to transmitting the data object to the application, retrieving pre-determined rules from a rule engine, wherein the rules include conditions for retaining data, comparing the request against the rules to determine portions of the data objects that are to be anonymized, anonymizing the portions of the data objects, and transmitting the data object to the application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of anonymizing business data, comprising:

responsive to a request from an application of a server for data objects stored in a database system, retrieving, by a processor residing on the database system from a rule engine residing on the server, pre-determined rules based on which portions of the data objects are anonymized, wherein the request includes key words to be anonymized, and the rules include a rule of anonymizing contents that match the key words and that have been stored beyond a retention time;

comparing, by the processor, the request against the rules to determine first portions of the data objects that are to be anonymized and second portions of the data objects that are not to be anonymized based on the contents that have been stored beyond a retention time;

retrieving, by the processor, the second portions of the data objects from a storage of the database system;

anonymizing, by the processor, the first portions of the data objects; and

transmitting, by the processor, the data object including the first and second portions to the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data objects are hierarchically stored in the database system, including identifiers of at least one of records, tables, and fields, wherein records include identifiers of tables, and tables include identifiers of fields.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes identifiers of at least one of records, tables, and fields that are requested by the business application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditions of the rules include the retention time to retain a plurality of data objects stored in the database system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the anonymizing includes one of redacting the first portions and encrypting the first portions of the data objects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the anonymized business data is used for testing the application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor resides in the database system.

8. A computer-implemented method of anonymizing business data, comprising:

responsive to a request from an application of a server for data objects stored in a database system, retrieving, by a processor residing on the database system, the data objects from a non-transitory storage of the database system;

prior to transmitting the data objects to the application, retrieving, by the processor from a rule engine residing on the server, pre-determined rules based on which portions of the data objects are anonymized, wherein the request includes key words to be anonymized, and the rules include a rule of anonymizing contents that match the key words and that have been stored beyond a retention time;

comparing, by the processor, the data objects against the rules to determine portions of the data objects that are to be anonymized based on the contents that have been stored beyond a retention time;

anonymizing, by the processor, the portions of the data objects; and

responsive to anonymizing, transmitting, by the processor, the data object to the application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data objects are hierarchically stored in the database system, including identifiers of at least one of records, tables, and fields, wherein records include identifiers of tables, and tables include identifiers of fields.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the request includes identifiers of at least one of records, tables, and fields that are requested by the business application.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions of the rules include the retention time to retain a plurality of data objects stored in the database system.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the anonymizing includes one of redacting the portions and encrypting the portions of the data objects.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the anonymized business data is used for testing the application.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the processor resides on the database system.

15. A system for anonymizing business data, comprising:

a server including;

a processor configured with an application; and

a rule engine; and

a database system including a view processor and a non-transitory storage,

wherein the view processor is configured to;

responsive to a request from the application for data objects stored in the database system, retrieve from the rule engine pre-determined rules based on which portions of the data objects are anonymized, wherein the request includes key words to be anonymized, and the rules include a rule of anonymizing contents that match the key words and that have been stored beyond a retention time;

compare the request against the rules to determine first portions of the data objects that are to be anonymized and second portions of the data objects that are not to be anonymized based on the contents that have been stored beyond a retention time;

retrieve second portions of the data objects from the non-transitory storage;

anonymize the first portions of the data objects; and

transmit the data object including the first and second portions to the application.

16. A system for anonymizing business data, comprising:

a server including;

a processor configured with an application; and

a rule engine; and

a database system including a view processor and a non-transitory storage,

wherein the view processor is configured to;

responsive to a request from the application for data objects stored in the database system, retrieve the data objects from the non-transitory storage;

prior to transmitting the data objects to the application, retrieve from the rule engine pre-determined rules based on which portions of the data objects are anonymized, wherein the request includes key words to be anonymized, and the rules include a rule of anonymizing contents that match the key words and that have been stored beyond a retention time;

compare the request against the rules to determine portions of the data objects that are to be anonymized based on the contents that have been stored beyond a retention time;

anonymize the portions of the data objects; and

transmit the data object to the application.

17. A machine-readable non-transitory medium stored thereon executable codes that when executed, perform a method of anonymize business data, the method comprising:

responsive to a request from an application of a server for data objects stored in a database system, retrieving from a rule engine residing on the server pre-determined rules based on which portions of the data objects are anonymized, wherein the request includes key words to be anonymized, and the rules include a rule of anonymizing contents that match the key words and that have been stored beyond a retention time;

comparing the request against the rules to determine first portions of the data objects that are to be anonymized and second portions of the data objects that are not to be anonymized based on the contents that have been stored beyond a retention time;

retrieving second portions of the data objects from a non-transitory storage of the database system;

anonymizing the first portions of the data objects; and

transmitting the data object including the first and second portions to the application.

18. A machine-readable non-transitory medium stored thereon executable codes that when executed, perform a method of anonymize business data, the method comprising:

responsive to a request from an application of a server for data objects stored in a database system, retrieving the data objects from a non-transitory storage of the database system;

prior to transmitting the data objects to the application, retrieving, from a rule engine residing on the server, pre-determined rules based on which portions of the data objects are anonymized, wherein the request includes key words to be anonymized, and the rules include a rule of anonymizing contents that match the key words and that have been stored beyond a retention time;

comparing the request against the rules to determine portions of the data objects that are to be anonymized based on the contents that have been stored beyond a retention time;

anonymizing the portions of the data objects; and

transmitting the data object to the application.