Database Metadata Mapping for Personal Information Search
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data storage and management solutions struggle to efficiently and accurately locate personal information (PI) across disparate databases due to varying database sizes, types, locations, and security measures, making it difficult to comply with privacy legislation requirements for quick data retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A computing device with collector modules communicates with multiple databases, retrieves metadata without sampling data, aggregates and standardizes it into a common format, applies database metadata rules to identify PI-associated data by recognizing character patterns, and generates a database metadata table to determine data locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data is stored across numerous disparate databases with varying structures and security measures, then data storage capacity and flexibility are improved, but the difficulty of locating and identifying personal information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computing device that acts as an intermediary between query systems and disparate databases. This device receives queries, determines which databases to search based on the query type and personal information elements, and coordinates the search process across multiple databases, thereby simplifying the complexity of searching heterogeneous database systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the personal information search task into distinct components: identifying personal information elements in the query, determining relevant databases based on database types and security measures, and executing targeted searches. This segmentation allows the system to handle complex multi-database searches by breaking them into manageable steps.
2Reliability
If existing data management solutions are used to locate personal information across disparate databases, then data retrieval is possible, but efficiency and accuracy are insufficient for compliance with privacy legislation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-determining which databases are relevant to a query before executing the full search. The computing device analyzes the query to identify personal information elements and pre-determines the subset of databases that are most likely to contain relevant data, based on database types, security measures, and the nature of the personal information sought. This preliminary filtering improves both efficiency and accuracy.
3Reliability
If comprehensive data search is performed across all databases, then completeness of personal information identification is improved, but time and computational resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by searching only the necessary subset of databases rather than all available databases. The computing device determines the appropriate scope of the search based on the query characteristics and personal information elements, performing just enough searching to ensure completeness while avoiding unnecessary searches in databases that are unlikely to contain relevant data.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatuses for improved data storage and data management are described herein. These methods, systems, and apparatuses may efficiently and accurately locate data associated with personal information (PI) within a single database as well as across a large data storage network consisting of numerous, disparate data stores. As an example, a computing device may use a database metadata table to determine a location(s) of PI-associated data across a plurality of databases.