Protecting stored data is an essential function of a database system. DB2 Universal Database guards your data against loss, unauthorized access, and invalid input by providing:

• A set of tools that protect you against loss of data in the event of a hardware or software failure. Backups and log journals can be used to restore a database to the same state that it had before the failure.

• A system of authorities and privileges that protects your data against unauthorized access and modification. Authority usually applies to a user’s right to perform certain kinds of administrative activities, while privileges are associated with the user’s ability to perform actions on database objects.

• A means for you to control data entry by defining rules for which values are valid for a column in a table (constraints), or how columns in one or more tables are related to each other (referential integrity).

• An audit facility that generates an audit trail of database events. These records can be used to monitor application and user access, including system administration actions. This monitoring might lead to changes in your data protection strategy.