45839880
Universal and Representative Instances Using Unmarked Nulls
Representative instances are important since in addition to the universal relation view they permit updates in the individual relations; if these updates are locally valid, then they do not violate global consistency. In this paper, we first give conditions under which we can construct a universal instance I which uses only one type of nulls (unmarked nulls) and whose total projections onto the relation schemes yield exactly the database relations. Then, we give a necessary and sufficient condition under which this I is actually a representative instance. Our conditions are simple and easily maintained.
120699
Enhancements to the Voting Algorithm
There are several consistency control algorithms for managing replicated files in the face of network partitioning due to site or communication link failures. In this paper, we consider the popular voting scheme along with three enhancements: voting with a primary site, dynamic voting, and dynamic voting with linearly ordered copiee. We develop a stochastic model which compares the file availabilities afforded by each of these schemes. We show that in this model dynamic voting with linearly ordered copies provides the greatest availability.
17317346
Representative instances and γ-acyclic relational schemes
In this paper, we study under what conditions will a pairwise inconsistent relational database ≪R,r≫ have a universal/representative instance L. If R is γ-acyclic and r satisfies all existence constraints, then it is possible to construct a universal instance L, using unmarked nulls, whose total projections onto R yield exactly the relations in r. We show that L would actually be a representative instance under a set of functional dependencies if R satisfies the additional mild condition: for any functional dependency X → A where A is a single attribute, whenever XA is contained in two relation schemes R and R' of R, it follows that R ∩R' is a relation scheme of R, having X as one of its keys.
14430828
An Extension of "Representative Instances and &#947;-Acyclic Relational Schemes"
Let R be a γ-acyclic relational scheme, and let F be the set of functional dependencies (FD's) embodied in R. Given an existence constrained database r over R, it was shown in [1] that it is possible to connect tuples from different relations in r and construct a universal instance L, possibly containing null values δ, such that the total projection of L onto R yields exactly the set r. Moreover, conditions were given which guarantee that this L would satisfy the functional dependency with nulls (NFD) counterparts of FD's, in F. The purpose of this note is to generalize the latter result and show that under the same conditions, L actually satisfies NFD counterparts of FD's in the closure F+ of F.
45139817
Alternative methods for the reconstruction of trees from their traversals
It is well-known that given the inorder traversal of a binary tree's nodes, along with either one of its preorder or postorder traversals, the original binary tree can be reconstructed using a recursive algorithm. In this short note we provide a short, elegent, iterative solution to this classical problem.
24298643
Translation of entity-relationship diagrams into relational structures
Abstract An entity-relationship diagram (ERD) is considered to have two conceptual domains: its upper and lower conceptual domains. The semantic properties intrinsic in the upper conceptual domain were studied recently by Lien. In this paper, we discuss the properties inherent in the lower conceptual domain. We show that the latter contains a significant portion of the semantic information of an ERD and helps determine its data representation power. We develop the notions of fundamental functional dependencies (FDs) which can be readily recognized for the lower conceptual domain of an ERD, and regular ERDs which are ERDs such that all the FDs present among their attributes can be derived from their fundamental FDs. Then we give conditions under which a large number of ERDs are equivalent to their underlying relational structures.
6603155
Towards Secure XML Federations
The integration of isolated XML repositories has drawn more and more interest recently. In this paper, we propose XML federations to provide global e-services while preserving the necessary autonomy and security of each individual repository. First we show a logical architecture of XML federations, which is adapted from the common architecture of traditional federated databases according to the unique requirements of XML federations. On the basis of the architecture, we address security issues of XML federations, especially the authentication and authorization of federation users. We point out several problems in applying existing access control schemes and give our solutions.
34279022
A fragile watermarking scheme for detecting malicious modifications of database relations
Nowadays, with more and more data publicly available on the Internet, it is increasingly important to ensure the integrity of these data. The traditional solution is to use a digital signature scheme. However, a digital signature can only detect whether the entire data set has been modified; it cannot localize and characterize the modifications. In this paper, a novel fragile watermarking scheme is proposed to detect malicious modifications of database relations. In the proposed scheme, all tuples in a database relation are first securely divided into groups; watermarks are embedded and verified group by group independently. The embedded watermarks cannot only detect but also localize, and even characterize, the modifications made to the database. In the worst case, the modifications can be narrowed down to tuples in a group. Rigorous analysis shows that the modifications can be detected and localized with high probability, which is also demonstrated by our experimental results.
42919034
A Privacy-Enhanced Microaggregation Method
Microaggregation is a statistical disclosure control technique for protecting microdata (i.e., individual records), which are important products of statistical offices. The basic idea of microaggregation is to cluster individual records in microdata into a number of mutually exclusive groups prior to publication, and then publish the average over each group instead of individual records. Previous methods require fixed or variable group size in clustering in order to reduce information loss. However, the security aspect of microaggregation has not been extensively studied. We argue that the group size requirement is not enough for protecting the privacy of microdata. We propose a new microaggregation method, which we call secure-k-Ward, to enhance the individual's privacy. Our method, which is optimization based, minimizes information loss and overall mean deviation while at the same time guarantees that the security requirement for protecting the microdata is satisfied.
4040603
A flexible authorization mechanism for relational data management systems
In this article, we present an authorization model that can be used to express a number of discretionary access control policies for relational data management systems. The model permits both positive and negative authorizations and supports exceptions at the same time. The model is flexible in that the users can specify, for each authorization they grant, whether the authorization can allow for exceptions or whether it must be strongly obeyed. It provides authorization management for groups with exceptions at any level of the group hierarchy, and temporary suspension of authorizations. The model supports ownership together with decentralized administration of authorizations. Administrative privileges can also be restricted so that owners retain control over their tables.
16984957
Multilevel Secure Transaction Processing: Status and Prospects
Since 1990, transaction processing in multilevel secure database management systems (DBMSs) has been receiving a great deal of attention from the database research community. Transaction processing in these systems requires modification of conventional scheduling algorithms and commit protocols. These modifications are necessary because preserving the usual transaction properties when transactions are executing at different security levels often conflicts with the enforcement of the security policy. Considerable effort has been devoted to the development of efficient, secure algorithms for the major types of secure DBMS architectures: kernelized, replicated, and distributed. An additional problem that arises uniquely in multilevel secure DBMSs is that of secure, correct execution when data at multiple security levels must be written within one transaction. Significant progress has been made in a number of these areas, and a few of the techniques have been incorporated into commercial trusted DBMS products. However, there are many open problems remain to be explored. This paper reviews the achievements to date in transaction processing for multilevel secure DBMSs. The paper provides an overview of transaction processing needs and solutions in conventional DBMSs as background, explains the constraints introduced by multilevel security, and then describes the results of research in multilevel secure transaction processing. Research results and limitations in concurrency control, multilevel transaction management, and secure commit protocols are summarized. Finally, important new areas are identified for secure transaction processing research.