Systems and methods for targeted data discovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12353405-B2
Application number	US-202318469428-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2023
Priority date	Jul 8, 2020
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Various embodiments provide methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing entities, and/or the like for identifying targeted data for a data subject across a plurality of data objects in a data source. In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided comprising: receiving a request to identify targeted data for a data subject; identifying a first data object using metadata for a data source that identifies the first data object as associated with a first targeted data type for a data portion from the request; identifying a first data field from a graph data structure of the first data object that identifies the first data field as used for storing data having the first targeted data type; and querying the first data object based on the first data field and the data for the first targeted data type to identify a first targeted data portion for the data subject.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining, by computing hardware and in response to a request to identify targeted data for a data subject, a first targeted data type associated with a first data object in a data source;
generating, by the computing hardware and in response to determining that the first targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source from metadata of the data source, a first query to identify a first targeted data portion for the data subject from the first data object via a first graph data structure representing the first data object;
determining, by the computing hardware, a second targeted data type by traversing a plurality of nodes of the first graph data structure from a start node corresponding to the first targeted data type to a second node corresponding to the second targeted data type;
determining, by the computing hardware accessing metadata of the data source in response to determining the second targeted data type, that the second targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source;
generating, by the computing hardware and in response to determining that the second targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data, a second query to identify a second targeted data portion for the data subject from a second data object in the data source via a second graph data structure representing the second data object, the second data object being associated with the second targeted data type; and
performing, by the computing hardware, a targeted data action based on the first targeted data portion or the second targeted data portion.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the metadata for the data source by:
scanning the data source to identify a plurality of targeted data types found in the data source, the plurality of targeted data types comprising the first targeted data type and the second targeted data type;
determining that the first targeted data type and the second targeted data type are eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source based on the plurality of targeted data types found in the data source; and
generating the metadata of the data source to include the first targeted data type and the second targeted data type within a set of known queryable data types for the data source.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining that the plurality of targeted data types comprises a third targeted data type;
determining that the third targeted data type is not eligible to query the targeted data from the data source; and
excluding the third targeted data type from the set of known queryable data types for the data source from the metadata.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining that a new field corresponding to an additional targeted data type is added to the first graph data structure after generation of the metadata for the data source;
determining that the additional targeted data type is eligible to query the targeted data from the data source; and
modifying the metadata of the data source to include the additional targeted data type within the set of known queryable data types for the data source.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein scanning the data source to identify the plurality of targeted data types comprises:
determining a plurality of data fields storing the targeted data in one or more data objects for the data source; and
generating the metadata for the data source including the set of known queryable data types based on the plurality of data fields storing the targeted data in the one or more data objects.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the first targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source comprises determining that the first targeted data type is associated with the plurality of data fields in the one or more data objects.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the targeted data action comprises:
generating a location map for the targeted data that comprises storage locations for the first targeted data portion and the second targeted data portion;
providing the first targeted data portion and the second targeted data portion for display on a graphical user interface of a client device that submitted the request to identify the targeted data for the data subject; or
removing the first targeted data portion and the second targeted data portion from the data source.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the first graph data structure representing the first data object by determining mappings of a first plurality of targeted data types for the targeted data to a first plurality of data fields used for storing data having the first plurality of targeted data types in the first data object; and
determining the second graph data structure representing the second data object by determining mappings of a second plurality of targeted data types for the targeted data to a second plurality of data fields used for storing data having the second plurality of targeted data types in the second data object.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the second targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source comprises determining that the second targeted data type is found in the first graph data structure of the first data object and the second graph data structure of the second data object.

10. A system comprising:
one or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions; and
processing hardware configured to cause execute the instructions to perform operations comprising:
determining, in response to a request to identify targeted data for a data subject, a first targeted data type associated with a first data object in a data source;
determining, by accessing metadata comprising a set of known queryable data types for the data source, that the first targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source;
generating, in response to determining that the first targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source, a first query to identify a first targeted data portion for the data subject from the first data object via a first graph data structure representing the first data object;
determining a second targeted data type by traversing a plurality of nodes of the first graph data structure from a start node corresponding to the first targeted data type to a second node corresponding to the second targeted data type;
determining, by accessing the metadata of the data source in response to determining the second targeted data type, that the second targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from the data source;
generating, in response to determining that the second targeted data type is eligible for querying the targeted data from, a second query to identify a second targeted data portion for the data subject from a second data object in the data source via a second graph data structure representing the second data object, the second data object being associated with the second targeted data type; and
performing a targeted data action based on the first targeted data portion or the second targeted data portion.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise generating the metadata for the data source by:
determining that the first targeted data type and the second targeted data type are eligible to query the targeted data from the data source in response to scanning a plurality of targeted data types comprising the first targeted data ty

Assignees

• Onetrust Llc

Inventors

• Jones Kevin
• Pitchaimani Saravanan
• Viswanathan Subramanian
• Shah Milap
• Malladi Ramana
• Allidina Aadil
• Hennig Matthew
• Patton-Kuhl Dylan D
• Brannon Jonathan Blake

Classifications

• G06F2201/80

  Database-specific techniques · CPC title

• G06F11/3409

  for performance assessment · CPC title

• G06F16/2457

  with adaptation to user needs · CPC title

• G06F16/2358

  Change logging, detection, and notification (replication G06F16/27) · CPC title

• G06F16/258

  Data format conversion from or to a database · CPC title