3 posts tagged with "data"

I wrote, quite a while ago, on how Oracle Application Express (APEX) developers could integrate R functionality/code in their applications. This was done primarily through Node.js packages and exposed as RESTful Web Services. Not the ideal solution, but useful for people wanting to integrate R statistical calculations and complex charting, but could not afford the hefty price tag for an Oracle Database Enterprice Edition license, plus the Oracle Advanced Analytics database option.

The revolutionary 18c release of the Oracle Database Express Edition (XE) significantly changed the Data Analytics playing field. The no-cost platform has resource caps (2 CPU, 2 GB RAM and 12 GB data storage). It's not going to help perform complex GWAS (Genome-wide Association Study), but should suffice for many smaller research projects, statistical reporting and creating useful prediction models.

Unfortunately, the XE website has only a single line that says anything about this cool feature of the database:

If you prefer R programming, Oracle Database supports that too.

How do we get started?

In a previous blog post, I provided a recipe for enforcing encryption for data-at-rest. However, it is important to remember that Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) protects your data from bad actors, who might have illegally gained access to the data files. Data exists unencrypted when loaded and accessed in the database. Malicious attacks can come from internal sources as well. When storing user confidential information, data stewards need to take greater responsibility in ensuring that data is only seen by staff who are authorized and require access to privileged information. That could mean creating tiered access and other protections like data redaction.

For example, an e-commerce website that handles credit card transactions, may require call centre staff to have access to the last four digits of a credit card number for verifying customers' identity when support call are received. Or an insurance claims website that requires claimants to submit their health identity number. The application displays the partially or fully-masked ID, enough to suggest that the data has been captured, but insufficient for a passerby to steal a glance.

Oracle's Data Redaction makes this possible, and with the latest release of Oracle Database 18c Express Edition, this technology is now acessible to developers for FREE! If you are new to Data Redaction, here's a simple recipe to get started!

In a flash, it has been almost three years since I left the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, so it's no surprise that a recent tweet caught my eye and tugged the memory chord. I was introduced to Oracle Application Express (APEX) on August 26, 2010. A year (and a major release) later, I had the opportunity to demonstrate it's capabilities with proof that it could help improve productivity in our research centre. As a sidenote, back then, attendees receive DVDs full of developer software goodies. APEX however, didn't need much, just check out the hands-on lab requirements below.