IDENTIFICATION, NOTIFICATION, AND CONTROL OF DATA ACCESS QUANTITY AND PATTERNS

• US 20080208866A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhattacharjee, Bishwaranjan, Dan, Asit
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

A device for limiting access to data in a database includes an input for receiving a request to access data in a database and a processor that is communicatively coupled to the input and allows access to the data in the database. A data counter for counting an instantaneous rate of data flow and/or a volume of data accessed and a comparator for determining if the data flow and/or the volume of data accessed in the database exceeds a previously specified value is also included, wherein the processor disallows access to the data in the database in response to the instantaneous rate and/or the volume of data exceeding the previously specified value.

Claims

1. A method for limiting access to data in a database, the method comprising:

allowing access to data in a database;

determining if at least one of an instantaneous rate of a data flow and a volume of data accessed in the database exceeds a previously specified value; and

disallowing access to the data in the database in response to the at least one of an instantaneous rate and a volume of data exceeding the previously specified value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instantaneous rate is associated with at least one of a particular user and a particular data type.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending a notification alert indicating that the previously specified value was exceeded.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the volume of data is one of a total amount of data and cumulative amount of time over a specified period of time.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the cumulative amount of time is measured over different time periods.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the volume of data is measured by at least one of a number of unique rows being accessed and number of unique items being accessed.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specified value of at least one of the instantaneous rate of data flow and the volume of data accessed varies over time.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instantaneous rate is one of a bit rate and a rate of accessing records.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the instantaneous rate is measured over different time periods.

10. A device for limiting access to data in a database, the device comprising:

an input for receiving a request to access data in a database;

a processor communicatively coupled to the input, the processor for allowing access to the data in the database;

a data counter for counting at least one of an instantaneous rate of data flow and a volume of data accessed; and

a comparator for determining if the data flow and/or the volume of data accessed in the database exceeds a previously specified value,

wherein the processor disallows access to the data in the database in response to the at least one of an instantaneous rate and a volume of data exceeding the previously specified value.

11. The device according to claim 10, further comprising:

an output for sending a notification alert indicating that the previously specified value was exceeded.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the volume of data is one of a total amount of data and cumulative over a specified period of time.

13. The device according to claim 10, wherein the specified value of at least one of the instantaneous rate of data flow and the volume of data accessed is time dependent.

14. The device according to claim 10, wherein the instantaneous rate is one of a rate of accessing raw data and a rate of accessing records.

15. A computer program product for limiting access to data in a database, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

allowing access to data in a database;

determining if at least one of an instantaneous rate of a data flow and a volume of data accessed in the database exceeds a previously specified value; and

disallowing access to the data in the database in response to the at least one of an instantaneous rate and a volume of data exceed the previously specified value.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising:

sending a notification alert indicating that the previously specified value was exceeded.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the volume of data is one of a total amount of data and cumulative over a specified period of time.

18. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the specified value of at least one of the instantaneous rate of data flow and the volume of data accessed is time dependent.

19. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the instantaneous rate is one of a rate of accessing raw data and a rate of accessing records.