Which term implements the access privileges provided by the DBMS but managed by the DBA?

Which term implements the access privileges provided by the DBMS but managed by the DBA?

• A. Authorization Matrix
• B. Catalog
• C. Encryption
• D. Recovery

Answer: (A)

Access control in a DBMS is the mechanism that defines, assigns, and enforces who can do what with data. The authorization matrix captures this by listing, for each user or role, what operations are allowed on each database object. It’s the organized record that the DBA uses to grant, revoke, or adjust privileges, and the DBMS uses it to enforce those rights at runtime when commands are issued. This combination—the policy represented as a matrix that is managed by the DBA but enforced by the DBMS—best fits the description. The catalog, while it stores metadata about objects and privileges, is a storage location for information rather than the enforcement mechanism itself. Encryption protects data confidentiality but does not define or manage who can perform specific database operations. Recovery concerns restoring data after failures, not about controlling access.

Access control in a DBMS is the mechanism that defines, assigns, and enforces who can do what with data. The authorization matrix captures this by listing, for each user or role, what operations are allowed on each database object. It’s the organized record that the DBA uses to grant, revoke, or adjust privileges, and the DBMS uses it to enforce those rights at runtime when commands are issued. This combination—the policy represented as a matrix that is managed by the DBA but enforced by the DBMS—best fits the description.

The catalog, while it stores metadata about objects and privileges, is a storage location for information rather than the enforcement mechanism itself. Encryption protects data confidentiality but does not define or manage who can perform specific database operations. Recovery concerns restoring data after failures, not about controlling access.