Thread: Column privileges for system catalogs

Is it now acceptable to use column privileges for system catalogs?  For 
the new SQL/MED catalogs we have used the old system of revoking all 
permissions and having a filtered view on top of it (tradition since 
pg_shadow), but I figured we could do this properly now by just revoking 
permissions on a specific column.

Peter Eisentraut escreveu:
> Is it now acceptable to use column privileges for system catalogs?  For
> the new SQL/MED catalogs we have used the old system of revoking all
> permissions and having a filtered view on top of it (tradition since
> pg_shadow), but I figured we could do this properly now by just revoking
> permissions on a specific column.
> 
+1. What about pg_authid, pg_roles, pg_user, and pg_shadow?


--  Euler Taveira de Oliveira http://www.timbira.com/

Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net> writes:
> Is it now acceptable to use column privileges for system catalogs?

Sure, to the same extent that table privileges work for them (ie,
don't expect the C code to pay any attention ;)).

> For 
> the new SQL/MED catalogs we have used the old system of revoking all 
> permissions and having a filtered view on top of it (tradition since 
> pg_shadow), but I figured we could do this properly now by just revoking 
> permissions on a specific column.

I don't have any objection to changing the catalog's own permissions
that way, but the filtered view still has a usability advantage: you
can just go "select * from ...".  Is it reasonable to change the catalog
permissions and keep the view too?
        regards, tom lane

* Tom Lane (tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us) wrote:
> I don't have any objection to changing the catalog's own permissions
> that way, but the filtered view still has a usability advantage: you
> can just go "select * from ...".  Is it reasonable to change the catalog
> permissions and keep the view too?

I've fine with that, I don't see any drawback to it, personally..
Stephen