Chapter 3: Understanding Identification and Authentication

Overview

Before you begin to code your database applications, you should have a clear understanding of the security design. This is critical because the design decisions you make before you begin to build determine how effective your security implementation will be once you have built it.

In this chapter, we will review the first steps in the security process known as identification and authentication (I&A). I&A is the necessary base step upon which the database security depends. Therefore, your I&A design decisions are very important. The material presented here will provide supporting information that you can use in determining which methods are appropriate for your organization.

In today’s world, a lot of the identification and authentication occurs at the application or application server. In Chapter 5 shows another design you may use to provide an efficient way to centrally manage the database users. This chapter provides an overview of the I&A concepts that is necessary for making the correct decisions on material presented in later chapters.