This is the second entry of a three part series. In part one of this series, I defined what security is and what the different aspects of security in Oracle entailed. In this entry, I am going to show the technical details of implementing security in Oracle. I will create a user, give that user access and then give an example implementation of row and column level security. In part three, I will add auditing to this mix and describe some security best practices, both to protect your data and to meet regulatory requirements.

I’m going into this level of detail because I think some people are not familiar with it and it seems mysterious.

This is a three-part definition of Oracle Security (specifically in 10g but applies to later versions also). Part 1 covers the various types of security Oracle provides. Part 2 deals with Users/Schemas, Roles, Permissions and Data Access. Part 2 will be a more technical discussion than parts 1 or 3. In part 3, I will discuss implementing an Oracle auditing scheme and how to ensure you comply with security and audit regulations.

What exactly do I mean by security? There are several aspects of security in an enterprise work place: locked doors, guards, cameras, etc. There are just as many aspects when protecting enterprise data.

Mother’s Dictionary

APPLE: Nutritious lunchtime dessert which children will trade for cupcakes.

BABY: 1. Dad, when he gets a cold. 2. Mom’s youngest child, even if he’s 42.

BATHROOM: a room used by the entire family, believed by all except Mom to be self-cleaning.

DUST RAGS: See “DAD’S UNDERWEAR.”

EAR: A place where kids store dirt.

EYE: The highly susceptible optic nerve which, according to Mom, can be “put out” by anything from a suction-arrow to a carelessly handled butter knife.

HANDI-WIPES: Pants, shirt-sleeves, drapes, etc.

HEARSAY: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.

See Mother’s Dictionary for more definitions.