Reducing inference control to access control for normalized database schemas

Considering relational databases, controlled query evaluation preserves confidentiality even under inferences but at the expense of efficiency. Access control, however, enables efficiently computable access decisions but cannot automatically assure confidentiality because of missing inference control. In this paper we investigate constraints sufficient to eliminate (nontrivial) inferences in relational databases with the objective of replacing controlled query evaluation by access control mechanisms under preservation of confidentiality.