Patent ID: 7325129

Claim:
A method for altering encryption status in a database, said method comprising the steps of: providing a table in said database, said table including a maintenance area and a base area, said base area including a first set of records; copying said first set of records from said base area to said maintenance area, thereby creating, in said maintenance area, a second set of records; while altering encryption status of said base area and in response to a user instruction to modify data in a record in said first set of records, modifying data in a record in said second set of records in said maintenance area instead of modifying data in any record in said first set of records in said base area; and after altering encryption status of said base area, copying said second set of records in said maintenance area to said base area to replace said first set of records, thereby creating in said base area a third set of records, and then modifying data in a record in said third set of records in said base area.