Authentication

Authentication is the process of recognizing a user's identity. It is the mechanism of associating an incoming request with a set of identifying credentials. 

The DBMS authentication feature removes the need to add an operating system user every time a new user needs to access a database.

A user who is appropriately defined in the database can access the database using a valid Ingres user name and password. The user does not have to be defined at the operating system level or in a global directory.

DBMS authentication must be enabled for the DBMS Server on which the database resides. Such authentication can be enabled at the server level only, not at the database level.

A common example is entering a username and password when you log in to a website Entering the correct login information lets the website know 1) who you are and 2) that it is actually you accessing the website. While a username/password combination is a common way to authenticate your identity. Every time you check or send an email, them mail server verifies your identity by matching your email address with the correct password.

Before granting access, certain external characteristics of the user may also be considered. The system may track previous queries to ensure that a combination of queries does not reveal sensitive data.