PI Data Discovery Across Disparate Databases Using Metadata
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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 communicates with multiple databases, aggregates and standardizes metadata, applies rules to identify PI-associated data using character patterns, and determines confidence scores for exact or partial matches, enabling efficient and accurate PI data location across a network of databases.
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 ability to efficiently locate and classify personal information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computing device as an intermediary between user queries and the plurality of databases. This device receives requests, determines which databases to search based on the request type, and coordinates the search process across multiple databases, thereby improving location efficiency without requiring changes to the underlying database structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the data location process into distinct phases: receiving a request, determining target databases, searching those databases, and returning results. This segmentation allows the system to handle disparate databases efficiently by focusing searches only on relevant portions of the data network rather than scanning all databases
2Adaptability or versatility
If databases vary in size, type, location, and structure, then storage flexibility and adaptability are improved, but measurement and detection of personal information becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The computing device performs multiple functions: it receives requests, determines target databases, executes searches, and returns results. This universal approach allows the system to handle various database types and structures through a single coordinated interface, making detection of personal information more manageable despite database diversity
3Reliability
If security measures are strengthened across databases, then data protection is improved, but access and retrieval speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The computing device determines which databases to search before actually executing the search. This preliminary action allows the system to prepare access paths and authentication mechanisms in advance, potentially improving retrieval speed while maintaining security by only accessing authorized databases
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.