Patent ID: 8280907

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of managing access to data in a database, comprising: receiving, from a requesting entity, a query against a database having consumable data that is configured to be accessible for only a predefined number of accesses, the query being configured to access the consumable data; executing the query against the database to obtain a query result that includes the consumable data; determining whether the predefined number of accesses is reached as a result of the execution of the query against the database; and if so: making the consumable data inaccessible; and returning the obtained query result to the requesting entity, wherein: making the consumable data inaccessible comprises at least replacing the consumable data with replacement data that includes one or more null values, and the method further comprises subsequently replacing the replacement data with suitable consumable data, and the consumable data is stored in a column of a database table, the column being defined as a consumable column according to metadata including the predefined number of accesses.