Re: Data Warehouse Dynamic Views

Jamie Grant wrote in message <79sq8o$jrs$1_at_news4.svr.pol.co.uk>...
>I'm fairly new to Oracle (Ver 8.05) & my first project as a DBA is to
setup
>a data warehouse, where users from various depts can query the data
using a
>nice front-end tool. My problem is controlling data row security.

Do not have a real answer to offer, but some comments.

I find these security restrictions on data warehouses laughable. The basic concept of a data warehouse is INFORMATION. Preventing access to certain parts of the data is like telling the user that he/she is working on a need to know basis.

I know there's a lot of arguments for having security. And I've heard many of them. Most from the corporate suits who wants to cling to their little empires within the corporation, afraid that someone else may come up with The Brilliant Idea. They have this idea that this set of data is theirs and only theirs and refuse to share it.

OK, there are exceptions to this. You need security in some cases to protect the confidentiality of your customers in the warehouse. Think for example of the health care warehouse. Not a good idea to have warehouse users doing AIDS research and pulling the names and addresses of possible AIDS sufferers.

But then this is IMHO the exception. A data warehouse should be an open and free source of information. Businesses do not (or should not is the more correct word I guess) operate as individual components. A data warehouse can not provide a business with edge in needs if users are compartmentalised in access only certain parts of a warehouse.

As always, IMHO.

regards,
Billy Received on Fri Feb 12 1999 - 03:17:48 CST