Residual Data Removal

Remove residual data to strengthen the security of database data.

Some database operations that delete space do not always physically erase the data. This can pose a security threat, as this residual data may be visible to a user using the dbcc utility. SAP ASE version 16.0 introduces a feature that, when enabled, can automatically zero out residual data when users perform these database operations.

Versions of SAP ASE earlier than 16.0 did not physically delete residual data by zeroing out disk pages, which left potentially sensitive data on the disk. In version 16.0 and later, you can mark data as sensitive, and configure SAP ASE to erase residual data after performing delete or update operations.

Note: You can automatically zero out residual data when users performs such database operations.You cannot remove residual data from system databases such as master, sybsystemdb, and sybsystemprocs, or from system tables present in each database.

For information about operations that results in residual data and how to enable the removal of residual data, see Residual Data Removal in the Security Administration Guide.