How do you design a data model that supports role-based access control?

To design a data model supporting role-based access control (RBAC), start by defining tables for Users, Roles, and Permissions. Create a UserRoles table linking users to roles and a RolePermissions table linking roles to permissions. Ensure each role has specific permissions assigned, and users inherit these permissions through their roles. This structure centralizes access control, allowing easy updates and scalable management of user permissions across the system.

If you build a data model that support access control natively; so it doesn't use any mechanisms of the database to manage the access control; you have 2 ways in my opinion: > Generate unique version of all entities will be use for specific role. For example; "product" entity have a version for accounting team and different version for a operative team based in field that each team need. > Segment all field of the entity in clusters that will be access for specific users based in roles. both ideas have bad performance and retrieval aspects: this is the point that database manage the access control FOR the data model and not the data model "SUPPORT" the access control itselft.

Start by defining user roles and their corresponding permissions. Create tables for "Users," "Roles," and "Permissions," where each role links to specific actions (like read, write, or update) on data. Establish relationships between users and roles, mapping each to the appropriate permission set. Use foreign keys to connect roles to access rules in your data. Regularly review and update the model to ensure proper access rights as the system scales, ensuring data security and compliance throughout.

1. Identify Core Entities and Attributes: Start by defining the key data entities (e.g., customers, products) and their attributes (e.g., name, price) that represent your business domain. 2. Establish Data Types and Relationships: Specify the data types, formats, and constraints for each attribute. Clearly define the relationships and cardinalities between entities to ensure data integrity. 3. Align with Access Requirements: Design your data model to support role-based access control by determining which roles can access, modify, or view specific entities and attributes.

Effective data role and permission definition is crucial for robust RBAC. Key practices include: ? Comprehensive Role Identification: Clearly define roles based on job functions and responsibilities, avoiding overly broad or narrow roles. Granular Permissions: Assign specific permissions to each role, adhering to the principle of least privilege. Separation of Duties: Prevent conflicts of interest by assigning different roles for sensitive operations. Dynamic Roles: Consider using role hierarchies or dynamic role assignment to accommodate organizational changes. Regular Review: Periodically assess and update roles and permissions to align with evolving business needs.

--> Define Data Access Policies: Establish conditions or criteria that determine how users can access data based on their roles and permissions. --> Implement Data Access Rules: Develop logic or expressions that enforce these policies, ensuring users can only access data according to their roles. --> Ensure Consistency and Scalability: Design policies and rules that are consistent, scalable, and maintainable to support business objectives and compliance requirements. --> Utilize Encryption and Masking: Use techniques like encryption and masking to protect sensitive data. --> Leverage Data Views and Access Control: Implement data views and access control mechanisms to provide different levels of access to different user groups.

Access control works on 3 dimensions - Who (User), What (Action) and Where (Resource) [and optionally when, if you want a periodic renewal of the accesses ]. All of these can have a hierarchy. The user hierarchy can have roles. The resource hierarchy can have resource-groups. The relationships between roles, action and resource groups can be defined in the policy. e.g. - Managers can Add a new Department.