Metadata Security Concepts

OWB enables you to design security on the metadata you store in the design repository. The design repository is an Oracle Database with users, roles, and access privileges already defined. OWB metadata security operates in addition to the Oracle Database security. The Oracle Database provides security for data while OWB provides security for the metadata.

In addition to being registered in the repository, all users must also be database users in the design repository database. Database users have access to the data in the database by using SQL Plus. However, they do not have access to OWB and its metadata unless the users are also registered in OWB.

Metadata security is optional and flexible. You can:

• Apply no metadata security controls or define a metadata security policy.

• Define multiple users and apply full security.

• Implement your own security strategy based on the Security Service.

Also, after you define a security strategy, you can later adapt the strategy to be more or less restrictive. The following sections describe how to implement metadata security using the Design Center.

Security policies can be managed from within the Repository Assistant or by using OMB*Plus commands.