Patent ID: 7739227

Claim:
An enterprise confidential electronic data inventory system comprising: a database management system that executes on a programmed computer processor, the database management system configured to: store identifying information for the confidential electronic data of the enterprise without storing the confidential electronic data, wherein the identifying information for the confidential electronic data of the enterprise comprises an identification of an electronic location of the confidential electronic data, an identification of a data type of the confidential electronic data, an indication of a quantity of the confidential electronic data, and an indication of a system type for the electronic location of the confidential electronic data, and wherein the electronic location is a network address of a system that stores the confidential electronic data, and wherein the system type relates to a type of computer system on which the confidential electronic data is stored; and query the identifying information for the confidential electronic data of the enterprise that is stored, wherein querying the identifying information includes querying the identification of an electronic location of the confidential electronic data, the identification of a data type of the confidential electronic data, and/or the indication of a quantity of the confidential electronic data.