Patent ID: 7831621

Claim:
A database appliance comprising: a processor; and a memory means accessible by said processor and storing computer instructions executable by said processor to: receive a database request from a database client coupled to said database appliance, wherein said database request from said database client is directed to a database server connected to said database appliance; extract one or more database statements from said database request; parse said one or mare database statements; determine, at statement level, impact of said database request and database entities affected by said impact of said database request, wherein said one or more database statements have zero or more impacts at levels of a database hierarchy, including an entity level; and for each of said database entities, generate an impact vector containing an entity name and a corresponding 32-bit impact bitmap with one or more bits set to 1, each representing an impact to said entity, wherein said impact vector comprises a first group of bits representing changes to actual database contents, a second group of bits representing changes in permissions granted to objects, and a third group of bits representing changes not covered by the first and second groups.