Microsoft patents query system that hides data details in error messages
This filing describes a method for database systems to quickly identify queries that are likely to fail without processing them fully. It works by replacing specific data values with generic placeholders to check a list of known bad queries, then using a map to restore the original details only when sending the error message to the user.
In the filing’s own words
In various examples, a distributed query engine utilizes a negative cache to detect queries that are likely to fail or otherwise cause an error in execution and returns exceptions. For example, input queries are anonymized by replacing sensitive information with placeholders, and a mapping table is generated to enable the sensitive information to be restored in the exception messages. Continuing this example, a block ratio is used to allow a certain percentage of queries included in the negative cache to be executed, and for compilation and/or execution information to be generated. In some embodiments, this compilation and/or execution information is used to determine whether to update the negative cache—for example, by adding queries to the negative cache.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: obtaining, at a distributed query engine, a query that as a result of being processed obtains a result from a distributed data storage system; parsing the query to generate an abstract syntax tree (AST) that includes a set of variables and a set of constraints; anonymizing the AST to generate an anonymized AST by at least replacing the set of variables and the set of constants with a set of values; generating a map of the set of variables and the set of constants to the set of values, where a first variable of the set of variables corresponds to a first value of the set of values; generating a cache key based on the anonymized AST; determining that the cache key is included in a negative cache; and generating an exception message in response to the query by at least restoring the set of variables and the set of constants to the exception message based on the map.
Facts
- Company
- Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
- Official title
- PRIVACY-PRESERVING RESILIENT QUERY PROCESSING
- Publication number
- US20260278144A1
- Application number
- 19079067
- Filed
- Mar 13, 2025
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 21/6227 Physics & computingG06F 21/6254 Physics & computingMore from Microsoft in Security & privacy
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.