Data Governance Metadata for Usage Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge lies in effectively managing and governing data usage across various applications and platforms, where combining or sharing data from different sources often leads to improper or unauthorized use due to varying legal and contractual restrictions, which are not well recognized or enforced.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that tags data with structured data governance metadata and applies corresponding data governance rules to determine the permissible actions, preventing unauthorized use by consulting the metadata and rules before performing actions on the data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If data is combined or shared among applications from various sources, then the quantity and variety of data available for analytics and marketing purposes increases, but the risk of improper or unauthorized use of data increases due to varying legal and contractual restrictions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequantity and variety of dataVSAvoidcompliance with data usage restrictions
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by tagging data with governance metadata before the data is shared or combined across applications. This advance labeling with usage restrictions, data sources, and compliance information enables receiving applications to automatically understand and enforce proper data usage without requiring complex real-time verification, thus maintaining compliance while enabling broad data utilization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces data governance metadata as an intermediary layer between data sources and data consumers. This metadata acts as a mediator that carries compliance information, usage restrictions, and governance rules through the data lifecycle, enabling applications to make informed decisions about data usage without direct access to the complex legal and contractual terms of the original data sources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If applications obtain data from multiple external sources, then the value and completeness of data for analytics purposes improves, but the complexity of understanding and managing varying data usage restrictions increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of dataVSAvoidcomplexity of managing data usage restrictions
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges multiple data sources with their respective governance requirements into a unified framework using standardized metadata tags. By combining data from diverse sources while attaching consistent governance metadata that encapsulates varying legal and contractual restrictions, the system enables centralized management of data compliance without requiring applications to individually understand each source's specific restrictions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms complex legal and contractual restrictions into standardized, machine-readable metadata parameters. By converting varying data usage restrictions into uniform metadata fields that can be automatically processed and compared, the system reduces the complexity of managing diverse governance requirements while maintaining the integrity of the original restrictions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If data governance metadata is tagged to data and rules are applied to control usage, then compliance with legal and contractual obligations is ensured, but the complexity of the data governance system increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompliance with obligationsVSAvoidcomplexity of governance system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by enabling applications to automatically read and enforce data usage restrictions through metadata tags without requiring external governance oversight for each data access decision. Applications autonomously determine whether they can perform specific actions on data by consulting the attached metadata, reducing the need for complex centralized governance mechanisms while maintaining compliance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal metadata framework that serves multiple functions: tracking data provenance, enforcing usage restrictions, enabling compliance auditing, and facilitating data sharing decisions. This multi-functional metadata system consolidates what would otherwise require separate mechanisms for each governance concern, reducing overall system complexity while comprehensively addressing compliance requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10389718B2Controlling data usage using structured data governance metadata
Publication Date: 2019.08.20 ADOBE INC
  • US10389718B2 patent drawing
  • US10389718B2 patent drawing
  • US10389718B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems and methods provide for data management and governance to enforce proper usage of data. Data is tagged with data governance metadata dictating usage of the data. Standard types of data governance metadata are set forth with each type having predefined options such that applications can share data and understand the associated data governance metadata. When data is to be used by an application, an available action is identified, and a set of data governance rules for that action is accessed. The data governance rules set forth an impact of each type of data governance metadata on the ability to perform that action. As such, the action is allowed or disallowed for the data based on the data governance metadata for the data and on the data governance rules for the action.