How do you design a secure dimensional model for sensitive data?

1 Step 1: Identify your sensitive data

The first step is to identify what data is sensitive and why. Sensitive data is any data that can cause harm or damage if exposed, such as personal information, financial records, trade secrets, or intellectual property. You need to know what data is sensitive, who owns it, who needs access to it, and what are the legal and ethical obligations for handling it. You can use a data classification framework, such as the one proposed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to categorize your data according to its sensitivity level and define the appropriate security controls.

3 Step 3: Implement role-based access control

The third step is to implement role-based access control (RBAC) to limit who can access what data in your dimensional model. RBAC is a security model that assigns roles to users based on their responsibilities and privileges, and grants access to data based on the roles. RBAC can help you enforce the principle of least privilege, which means that users should only have access to the minimum amount of data that they need to perform their tasks. You can use RBAC to define access policies for different levels of granularity in your dimensional model, such as tables, columns, rows, or cells.

4 Step 4: Use data encryption and decryption

The fourth step is to use data encryption and decryption to protect your sensitive data from unauthorized interception or theft. Data encryption is the process of transforming data into an unreadable form using a secret key, while data decryption is the process of restoring the original data using the same or a different key. Data encryption and decryption can be applied to data at rest, which means data that is stored in your data warehouse, or data in transit, which means data that is moving between your data warehouse and other systems or applications.

5 Step 5: Monitor and audit data activities

The fifth step is to monitor and audit data activities to detect and prevent any security breaches or anomalies in your dimensional model. Monitoring and auditing are essential for ensuring the integrity, availability, and accountability of your data warehouse. You can use various tools and methods to monitor and audit your data activities, such as logs, alerts, reports, dashboards, or analytics. You should also establish a security incident response plan to handle any potential threats or incidents in a timely and effective manner.

6 Step 6: Review and update your security measures

The sixth and final step is to review and update your security measures regularly to keep up with the changing needs and risks of your dimensional model. Security is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires constant evaluation and improvement. You should review your security measures periodically to ensure that they are still relevant, effective, and compliant with the latest standards and regulations. You should also update your security measures whenever there are changes in your data sources, data structures, data users, or data requirements.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?