Database File Library Permission Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud computing environments lack a seamless mechanism for transitioning files from a collaboration stage to a publication stage, where access privileges are downgraded for collaborating users, and files are made discoverable by a broader audience with defined permissions associated with the library they are published to.
Innovation Solution
A database system facilitates collaboration by assigning permissions to users during the collaboration stage and downgrades these permissions when a file is published to a library, with access privileges governed by the library's permissions, allowing for rich metadata association to enhance discoverability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If files are made accessible to a broader audience through publication to a library, then discoverability and accessibility are improved, but access control and security are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements different access qualities for different user groups. Collaborating users receive full access rights during the collaboration phase, while the general public receives limited read-only access after publication. This local differentiation of access rights resolves the contradiction by allowing broad discoverability while maintaining security through granular permission control.
Solution Approach 2:
The access privileges are dynamic rather than static. The system automatically transitions from a collaboration stage with full access rights to a publication stage with restricted rights. This dynamic adjustment of permissions allows the same file to serve different access control requirements at different times, resolving the contradiction between discoverability and security.
2Ease of operation
If permission assignments are automated during collaboration, then ease of operation is improved, but system complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically assigning and managing permissions without requiring manual intervention. When a file is created or published, the system automatically determines and applies appropriate access rights based on the file's state and the user's role. This automation improves ease of operation while the underlying complexity is hidden from users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages complexity by changing parameters such as permission levels, access rights, and visibility settings based on the file's lifecycle stage. By parameterizing these controls, the system can provide simple automated operations at high levels while maintaining the necessary complexity in the background through structured parameter management.
3Reliability
If access privileges are downgraded when files are published, then security is improved, but user experience is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares for the future by pre-establishing the publication workflow and permission transitions before they are needed. Users are informed in advance that their access rights will change when they publish, and the system pre-configures the transition parameters. This preliminary preparation allows security downgrades to occur smoothly without surprising or frustrating users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to users about their changing access rights before the actual transition occurs. Users receive notifications and warnings when their privileges will be downgraded upon publication, allowing them to prepare for the change. This feedback mechanism maintains security while improving user experience by preventing unexpected access denials.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are examples of systems, apparatus, methods and computer program products for sharing and publishing files. In one aspect, the database system can maintain a user database, a file database and a library. The database system can receive a first request initiated by a first user to share a first file with one or more second users and, responsive to the first request, enable a second set of one or more permissions for each of the second users. The database system also can receive a second request initiated by the first user to publish the first file to the library and, responsive to the second request, publish the first file to the library. The database system additionally can restrict access to the published file based on permissions associated with the library.