Installation Guide for Oracle Self-Service E-Billing > Configuring the Oracle Database >

Choosing a Database Encryption Method

Oracle Self-Service E-Billing supports Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), which ships with the Oracle database. Encryption is an optional feature. If you decide to use encryption, then you must choose your security strategy.

There are two types of Transparent Data Encryption:

• TDE Column Encryption
• TDE Tablespace Encryption

Both types of TDE provide secure storage and management of encryption keys in Oracle Wallet.

TDE Column Encryption enables encryption of sensitive data in select table columns. Use TDE Column Encryption if you only have small amount of data to encrypt.

TDE Tablespace Encryption is an alternative to TDE Column Encryption, and enables encryption of an entire tablespace. Encrypting an entire tablespace eliminates the need to identify which columns contain sensitive data.

NOTE:  You must know how to administer the Oracle Self-Service E-Billing database before choosing and implementing any database encryption strategy. See Oracle Database Advanced Security Administrator's Guide on Oracle Technology Network for details.

This task is a step in Roadmap for Configuring the Oracle Self-Service E-Billing Database.

To choose a database encryption method

• Identify which data is sensitive, and decide which encryption solution is suitable for your organization:
  • TDE Column Encryption. Identify which columns contain sensitive data.

    For details on implementing TDE Column Encryption, see Process of Implementing TDE Column Encryption.

  • TDE Tablespace Encryption. Identify which tablespaces contain sensitive data.

    For details on implementing TDE Tablespace Encryption, see Process of Implementing TDE Tablespace Encryption. Consider the potential for a reduction in performance of about 9% when database-level encryption is enabled.

    NOTE:  There are some restrictions when using TDE Column Encryption. See Oracle Database Advanced Security Administrator's Guide on Oracle Technology Network for details.