Transparency Without Lock‑in: Build DORA Controls Where They Matter Most, at the Database Core
Sphinx’s philosophy is pragmatic: before designing risk management on paper, implement the technical measures that prevent breaches and make evidence automatic. In practice, that means putting security gates in the database, not only in the BI layer. The result is flexibility, no tool lock‑in and a dramatic reduction in audit blind spots.
What “Built-in” Looks Like
- Centralized identity and authorization: object-, row-, and column‑level access enforced at the database layer, not scattered across tools
- Complete, centralized audit trail: capture across all access paths, including BI, Excel/ODBC, native SQL, Python, and R, so investigations don’t miss what the tooling didn’t log
- Least privilege and need‑to‑know: default postures that limit blast radius and align with resilience goals
- End‑to‑end lineage: from source columns to KPI dashboards, enabling immediate impact analysis when upstream incidents hit operational systems
Why This Matters Post-implementation
- “100% complete” audit coverage is aspirational unless you control every entry point; the database is where you can make that true
- Transparency means you can map incidents to affected KPIs quickly, critical for DORA timelines
- Tool‑agnostic security and lineage keep you flexible and avoid vendor lock‑in
Prepare for DORA With Confidence
Use our checklist to test your resilience and identify gaps.
Lean Architecture, High Performance
Sphinx’s stack stays light by using Exasol at the core:
- Linear scaling with minimal maintenance overhead (no heavy indexing, partitioning, or reorg work)
- SQL‑only ELT patterns enable near‑real‑time flows – the “L” and “T” run where the data lives
- HA/DR capabilities align with DORA’s expectations for minimal downtime and near‑zero data loss on committed transactions
Automation That Keeps Governance Current
Sphinx’s metadata‑driven RED framework enables DWH‑as‑code. As models and policies evolve, lineage and access rules update alongside, keeping “audit‑ready by design” true beyond the initial milestone.
Evidence you can put on the table
- Unified access logs across BI/ODBC/SQL/Python/R
- Lineage diagrams showing KPI-to-source traceability for impact analysis
- DR test evidence: backup/restore logs and timings against targets
- RBAC policies with SSO/OpenID integration and separation of duties
Exasol’s Role
Exasol’s in‑memory performance, federated querying, and statement‑level auditing let Sphinx deliver built‑in controls without bloating the stack. You get speed plus audit‑grade observability, in one place.
Book an assessment of your current analytics architecture, followed by a workshop on the findings, specifically regarding governance, performance, and cost efficiency.
