Patent ID: 7558794

Claim:
A method for authorizing access to a human resources database implemented on a computer-readable medium, comprising: acquiring a lock after a first query is submitted by a first user, the first query relating to a first set of database records; detecting, by a computer, whether a second query for a second set of database records is submitted by a second user, the second set of database records associating with the first set of database records, wherein the second user is associated with a level of an organization; examining, after detecting the second query for the second set of database records which is submitted by the second user, an employee number associated with the second set of database records submitted in the second query and an employee number associated with the second user to determine if the second user is authorized to access the second set of database records; denying the second user from accessing the second set of database records if the employee number associating with the second set of database records submitted in the second query matches the employee number associated with the second user; determining, if the employee number associating with the second set of database records submitted in the second query differs from the employee number associated with the second user, whether the lock is acquired by the first user; denying the lock to the second user if the lock is acquired by the first user; granting the lock to the second user if the lock is not acquired by the first user; and informing, after denying to grant the lock to the second user, the second user with information relating to the identification of the first user, in accordance with the level of the second user.