Security models, developed for databases, differ in many aspects because they focus on different features of the database security problem or because they make different assumptions about what constitutes a secure database. This leads to disjointed and incomplete understanding of the organizational security strategy. This makes it difficult to reconcile different security requirements Access control mechanisms of current relational database management systems are based on discretionary policies governing the accesses of a subject to data based on the subject’s identity and authorization rules. Common administration policies include centralized administration, by which only some privileged subjects may grant and revoke authorizations, and ownership administration. Ownership-based administration is often provided with features for administration delegation, allowing the owner of a data object to assign other subjects the right to grant and revoke authorizations. More sophisticated administration mechanisms can be devised such as joint administration, by which several subjects are jointly responsible for authorization administration.

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