In the context of relational database management systems (RDBMS), discretionary privileges

play a crucial role in managing access control and data security. Here's a breakdown of how
they operate:

Levels of Discretionary Privileges:

Two main levels exist:

● Account Level: The Database Administrator (DBA) defines these privileges for each user
account, independent of specific database objects. Examples include creating users,
dropping databases, or accessing system information.
● Relation (Table) Level: These privileges control access to specific database objects like
tables, views, and functions. Owners of these objects (usually created by them) manage
these privileges. Examples include SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE permissions
on specific tables.

Types of Discretionary Privileges in RDBMS:

● Data Manipulation: These directly affect the data within the database. Examples include:
○ SELECT: Allows reading data from tables and views.
○ INSERT: Allows adding new data to tables.
○ UPDATE: Allows modifying existing data in tables.
○ DELETE: Allows removing data from tables.
● Data Definition: These affect the structure of the database itself. Examples include:
○ CREATE: Allows creating new database objects like tables, views, and functions.
○ ALTER: Allows modifying existing database objects.
○ DROP: Allows removing database objects.
● Control Privileges: These allow granting and revoking other privileges. Examples
include:
○ GRANT: Allows granting specific privileges to other users or groups.
○ REVOKE: Allows taking away previously granted privileges.
○ WITH GRANT OPTION: When applying GRANT, allows the receiving user to further
delegate the privilege to others.

Considerations and Drawbacks:

● Flexibility: DAC offers high flexibility as owners can tailor access based on specific
needs.
● Complexity: Managing privileges for large systems with numerous users and objects can
become complex.
● Human Error: Owners might grant excessive privileges or fail to revoke them
appropriately, leading to security vulnerabilities.
Additional Points:

● SQL commands like GRANT and REVOKE are used to manage discretionary privileges in
popular RDBMS systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle.
● In RDBMS, ownership plays a key role, with creators of an object typically owning and
managing access privileges for it.
● RDBMS often implement DAC alongside other access control models like Mandatory
Access Control (MAC) for additional security layers.

I hope this provides a clearer understanding of discretionary privileges in the context of RDBMS.
Feel free to ask if you have any further questions!