Microstrategy Security – Part 1

There have been a lot of questions to me around what kind of security can be set in MicroStrategy.  One of the most requested is allowing access to certain users to specific reports.  The answer is Yes we can limit access to reports based on user/user groups.  The type of user/license also will determine access to objects.  For example if I have an Architect license in development I can modify all Schema as well as Application objects.  If the license is a desktop developer license they would not have access to change Schema objects.

My experience is more around setting up security at the user and application layer.  Security filters and access list allow the users to view the data they are authorized to review and at a specific level.

I looked on the MicroStrategy site to see if they had any good information on security.  Its high level but explains the different levels:

There are four main architectural layers that must be completely secure: user layer, transmission layer, application layer and data layer.

  • User layer: Users must be authenticated and authorized to access data.
  • Transmission layer: Data transmission must be secured and hacker-proof.
  • Application layer: Only appropriate application functionality should be provided to users with associated privileges.
  • Data layer: Users must have access only to data for which they have appropriate privileges.

MicroStrategy's security architecture implements tight security at every layer.

Robust Security Functionality: To ensure robust security, MicroStrategy implements industry-leading security measures at every layer of the architecture.

Some examples for each layer include:

  • User layer: integration with NT and LDAP security.
  • Transmission layer: 128-bit SSL transmission, 128-bit encryption of data, multiple firewall (DMZ) configuration with no database connection on web server.
  • Application layer: 3-tier security system encompassing privileges, access control and security profiles.
  • Data layer: security filters and database views, revolutionary connection mapping."

My experience is more around setting up security at the user and application layer.  Security filters and access list allow the users to view the data they are authorized to review and at a specific level.

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