Patent ID: 8326877

Claim:
A system comprising both a processor and a memory configured to facilitate database security and management, the system comprising: a database component that stores a plurality of objects having a first hierarchical relationship between the plurality of objects based on one or more first inheritance relationships between the plurality of objects; a region component that defines a plurality of security zones, each security zone being associated with (i) a corresponding security descriptor that describes security properties for the security zone, and (ii) a corresponding security descriptor identifier that identifies the corresponding security descriptor, wherein the plurality of security zones form a second hierarchical relationship between the security zones based on one or more second inheritance relationships between the security zones, the second hierarchal relationship of security zones being separate and different from the first hierarchical relationship between the plurality of objects; and a mapping component that associates each of the plurality of objects with a corresponding security descriptor identifier of one of the plurality of security zones, such that one or more of the plurality of objects that share a particular corresponding security descriptor are part of a particular security zone having the particular corresponding security descriptor, and such that access to each of the plurality of objects is governed by the corresponding security descriptor defined in the security zone associated with the object, as opposed to the first hierarchical relationship between the plurality of objects.