Auditable abrogation of privacy enhancements in columnar in-memory databases

• US 9,201,912 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Odenheimer, Jens, Klein, Udo
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAM LINH T
• Application Number:
  US13/926,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 707/736, 707/756
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for the auditable abrogation of columnar in-memory databases. An embodiment operates by retrieving column-oriented data of a column-oriented database associated with an auditing request to access the column-oriented data. The column-oriented data is transformed into corresponding row-oriented data and stored in a row-oriented database independent of the column-oriented database. A response to the auditing request is processed based on the row-oriented data, wherein the processing is performed independent of the column-oriented database, and the response is provided to the auditing request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

retrieving column-oriented data of a column-oriented database associated with an auditing request to access the column-oriented data;

transforming, by a hardware processor coupled to a hardware memory, the column-oriented data into corresponding row-oriented data;

storing the row-oriented data in a row-oriented database independent of the column-oriented database;

processing a response to the auditing request based on the row-oriented data, wherein the processing is performed independent of the column-oriented database; and

providing the response to the auditing request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the column-oriented database is stored in a random access memory of one or more computing devices, and the row-oriented database is stored on a hard disk of one or more computing devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the auditing request is associated with a legally-enforceable auditing of the column-oriented database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

archiving the auditing request and response.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the column-oriented data is privatized across one or more users of the column-oriented database, wherein only a portion of the column-oriented data is accessible to one or more of the users.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transforming comprises:

de-privatizing the privatized column-oriented data, wherein the auditing request has access to the de-privatized row-oriented data that is privatized in the column-oriented database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the column-oriented database is stored at a first storage location and the row-oriented database is stored at a second storage location, wherein the first location provides access to the column-oriented data of the column-oriented database faster than the second location provides access to the corresponding row-oriented data of the row-oriented database.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the auditing request comprises a request for access to data of the column-oriented database that is provided priority over one or more other non-priority access requests for column-oriented data of the column-oriented database by one or more users of the column-oriented database, and wherein the priority indicates that an execution of the one or more other non-priority access requests are blocked until an execution of the auditing request has completed.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one of the other non-priority access requests is requesting access to real-time data of the column-oriented database.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more operations on the column-oriented data are paused while the column-oriented data is retrieved from the column-oriented database, and wherein the one or more operations are resumed after the retrieving is completed.

8. A system comprising:

a hardware processor coupled to a hardware memory, the processor comprising a data engine configured to;

receive an auditing request associated with column-oriented data of a column-oriented database associated with an auditing request to access the column-oriented data;

receive the column-oriented data associated with the request from the column-oriented database, and

transform the column-oriented data into corresponding row-oriented data; and

an archive utility configured to;

store the row-oriented data in a row-oriented database independent of the column-oriented database, and

process and provide the row-oriented data responsive to one or more subsequent auditing requests, wherein the processing and providing are performed independent of the column-oriented database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the column-oriented database is stored in a random access memory of one or more computing devices, and the row-oriented database is stored on a hard disk of one or more computing devices.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the auditing request is associated with a legally-enforceable auditing of the column-oriented database.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein archive utility configured to process and provide archives the requested, processed, and provided data associated with the one or more subsequent auditing requests.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the column-oriented data is privatized across one or more of the users of the column-oriented database, wherein only a portion of the column-oriented data is accessible to one or more of the users.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the data engine is configured to de-privatize the row-oriented data stored in the row-oriented database corresponding the privatized column-oriented data, wherein the auditing request has access to the de-privatized row-oriented data.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the column-oriented database is stored on a first memory and the row-oriented database is stored on a second memory, wherein the first memory provides access to the column-oriented data of the column-oriented database faster than the second memory provides access to corresponding row-oriented data of the row-oriented database.

15. A computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon, execution of which, by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

retrieving column-oriented data of a column-oriented database associated with an auditing request to access the column-oriented data;

transforming, by the at least one hardware computing device coupled to a hardware memory, the column-oriented data into corresponding row-oriented data;

storing the row-oriented data in a row-oriented database independent of the column-oriented database;

processing a response to the auditing request based on the row-oriented data, wherein the processing is performed independent of the column-oriented database; and

providing the response to the auditing request.

16. The computer-readable device of claim 15, wherein the column-oriented database is stored in a random access memory of one or more computing devices, and the row-oriented database is stored on a hard disk of one or more computing devices.

17. The computer-readable device of claim 15, wherein the auditing request is associated with a legally-enforceable auditing of the column-oriented database.

18. The computer-readable device of claim 15, further configured to:

archive the auditing request and response.

19. The computer-readable device of claim 15, wherein the column-oriented data is privatized across one or more of the users, wherein only a portion of the privatized data is accessible to one or more of the users, wherein the corresponding row-oriented data is de-privatized, and wherein the auditing request has access to the de-privatized row-oriented data.

20. The computer-readable device of claim 15, wherein the column-oriented database is stored at a first storage location and the row-oriented database is stored at a storage location, wherein the first location provides access to the column-oriented data of the column-oriented database faster than the second location provides access to the corresponding row-oriented data of the row-oriented database.