A system to support a multi-function, shared-access database requires the capability of defining for each user an arbitrary subset of the fields of a logical record to which access is allowed. The feasibility of such a capability has already been demonstrated by several operational systems. This paper is concerned with the possibility of granting something less than complete access to a specified field of a record. The purpose would be to allow a user to perform various summary and statistical tasks over controlled fields without allowing identification of the exact value of a field in a particular record.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Conway et al. (1976) studied this question.