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doc: Some improvements on CREATE POLICY and ALTER POLICY documentation

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pull/14/head^2
Peter Eisentraut 10 years ago
parent d00352573a
commit cbd96eff25
2 changed files with 85 additions and 92 deletions
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  1. 14
      doc/src/sgml/ref/alter_policy.sgml
  2. 163
      doc/src/sgml/ref/create_policy.sgml

14
doc/src/sgml/ref/alter_policy.sgml
Unescape View File

@ -90,11 +90,8 @@ ALTER POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable c
<term><replaceable class="parameter">using_expression</replaceable></term>
<listitem>
<para>
The USING expression for the policy. This expression will be added as a
security-barrier qualification to queries which use the table
automatically. If multiple policies are being applied for a given
table then they are all combined and added using OR. The USING
expression applies to records which are being retrieved from the table.
The <literal>USING</literal> expression for the policy.
See <xref linkend="sql-createpolicy"> for details.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
@ -103,11 +100,8 @@ ALTER POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable c
<term><replaceable class="parameter">check_expression</replaceable></term>
<listitem>
<para>
The with-check expression for the policy. This expression will be
added as a WITH CHECK OPTION qualification to queries which use the
table automatically. If multiple policies are being applied for a
given table then they are all combined and added using OR. The WITH
CHECK expression applies to records which are being added to the table.
The <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> expression for the policy.
See <xref linkend="sql-createpolicy"> for details.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>

163
doc/src/sgml/ref/create_policy.sgml
Unescape View File

@ -39,13 +39,13 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
</para>
<para>
A policy grants the ability to SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE rows
which match the relevant policy expression. Existing table rows are
checked against the expression specified via USING, while new rows that
would be created via INSERT or UPDATE are checked against the expression
specified via WITH CHECK. When a USING expression returns true for a given
A policy grants the permission to select, insert, update, or delete rows
that match the relevant policy expression. Existing table rows are
checked against the expression specified via <literal>USING</literal>, while new rows that
would be created via <literal>INSERT</literal> or <literal>UPDATE</literal> are checked against the expression
specified via <literal>WITH CHECK</literal>. When a <literal>USING</literal> expression returns true for a given
row then that row is visible to the user, while if a false or null is
returned then the row is not visible. When a WITH CHECK expression
returned then the row is not visible. When a <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> expression
returns true for a row then that row is added, while if a false or null is
returned then an error occurs.
</para>
@ -56,20 +56,21 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
in order to prevent the inadvertent exposure of the protected data to
user-defined functions which might not be trustworthy. However,
functions and operators marked by the system (or the system
administrator) as LEAKPROOF may be evaluated before policy
administrator) as <literal>LEAKPROOF</literal> may be evaluated before policy
expressions, as they are assumed to be trustworthy.
</para>
<para>
For INSERT and UPDATE queries, WITH CHECK expressions are enforced after
BEFORE triggers are fired, and before any data modifications are made.
Thus a BEFORE ROW trigger may modify the data to be inserted, affecting
the result of the security policy check. WITH CHECK expressions are
enforced before any other constraints.
For <command>INSERT</command> and <command>UPDATE</command> statements,
<literal>WITH CHECK</literal> expressions are enforced after
<literal>BEFORE</literal> triggers are fired, and before any data modifications are made.
Thus a <literal>BEFORE ROW</literal> trigger may modify the data to be inserted, affecting
the result of the security policy check. <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> expressions are
enforced before any other constraints.
</para>
<para>
Policy names are per-table, therefore one policy name can be used for many
Policy names are per-table. Therefore, one policy name can be used for many
different tables and have a definition for each table which is appropriate to
that table.
</para>
@ -78,46 +79,19 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
Policies can be applied for specific commands or for specific roles. The
default for newly created policies is that they apply for all commands and
roles, unless otherwise specified. If multiple policies apply to a given
query, they will be combined using OR (although <literal>ON CONFLICT DO
statement, they will be combined using <quote>or</quote> (although <literal>ON CONFLICT DO
UPDATE</> and <literal>INSERT</> policies are not combined in this way, but
rather enforced as noted at each stage of <literal>ON CONFLICT</> execution).
Further, for commands which can have both USING and WITH CHECK policies (ALL
and UPDATE), if no WITH CHECK policy is defined then the USING policy will be
used for both what rows are visible (normal USING case) and which rows will
be allowed to be added (WITH CHECK case).
</para>
<para>
Note that while policies will be applied for explicit queries against tables
in the system, they are not applied when the system is performing internal
referential integrity checks or validating constraints. This means there are
indirect ways to determine that a given value exists. An example of this is
attempting to insert a duplicate value into a column which is the primary key
or has a unique constraint. If the insert fails then the user can infer that
the value already exists (this example assumes that the user is permitted by
policy to insert records which they are not allowed to see). Another example
is where a user is allowed to insert into a table which references another,
otherwise hidden table. Existence can be determined by the user inserting
values into the referencing table, where success would indicate that the
value exists in the referenced table. These issues can be addressed by
carefully crafting policies which prevent users from being able to insert,
delete, or update records at all which might possibly indicate a value they
are not otherwise able to see, or by using generated values (e.g.: surrogate
keys) instead.
Further, for commands that can have both <literal>USING</literal>
and <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> policies (<literal>ALL</literal>
and <literal>UPDATE</literal>), if no <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> policy
is defined, then the <literal>USING</literal> policy will be used for both
what rows are visible (normal <literal>USING</literal> case) and which rows
will be allowed to be added (<literal>WITH CHECK</literal> case).
</para>
<para>
Regarding how policy expressions interact with the user: as the expressions
are added to the user's query directly, they will be run with the rights of
the user running the overall query. Therefore, users who are using a given
policy must be able to access any tables or functions referenced in the
expression or they will simply receive a permission denied error when
attempting to query the table that has row-level security enabled. This does not change how views
work, however. As with normal queries and views, permission checks and
policies for the tables which are referenced by a view will use the view
owner's rights and any policies which apply to the view owner.
</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>
@ -194,15 +168,14 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
the table if row level security is enabled and only rows where the
expression evaluates to true will be allowed. An error will be thrown
if the expression evaluates to false or null for any of the records
inserted or any of the records which result from the update.
inserted or any of the records that result from the update.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>
<refsect2>
<title>Per-Command policies</title>
<variablelist>
@ -216,20 +189,21 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
<literal>ALL</literal> policy exists and more specific policies
exist, then both the <literal>ALL</literal> policy and the more
specific policy (or policies) will be combined using
<literal>OR</literal>, as usual for overlapping policies.
<quote>or</quote>, as usual for overlapping policies.
Additionally, <literal>ALL</literal> policies will be applied to
both the selection side of a query and the modification side, using
the USING policy for both if only a USING policy has been defined.
the <literal>USING</literal> policy for both if only a <literal>USING</literal> policy has been defined.
</para>
<para>
As an example, if an <literal>UPDATE</literal> is issued, then the
<literal>ALL</literal> policy will be applicable to both what the
<literal>UPDATE</literal> will be able to select out as rows to be
updated (with the USING expression being applied), and it will be
applied to rows which result from the <literal>UPDATE</literal>
updated (with the <literal>USING</literal> expression being applied), and it will be
applied to rows that result from the <literal>UPDATE</literal>
statement, to check if they are permitted to be added to the table
(using the WITH CHECK expression, if defined, and the USING expression
otherwise). If an INSERT or UPDATE command attempts to add rows to
the table which do not pass the <literal>ALL</literal> WITH CHECK
(using the <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> expression, if defined, and the <literal>USING</literal> expression
otherwise). If an <command>INSERT</command> or <command>UPDATE</command> command attempts to add rows to
the table that do not pass the <literal>ALL</literal> <literal>WITH CHECK</literal>
expression, the entire command will be aborted. Note that if only a
<literal>USING</literal> clause is specified then that clause will be
used for both <literal>USING</literal> and
@ -244,9 +218,9 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
<para>
Using <literal>SELECT</literal> for a policy means that it will apply
to <literal>SELECT</literal> commands. The result is that only those
records from the relation which pass the <literal>SELECT</literal>
records from the relation that pass the <literal>SELECT</literal>
policy will be returned, even if other records exist in the relation.
The <literal>SELECT</literal> policy only accepts the USING expression
The <literal>SELECT</literal> policy only accepts the <literal>USING</literal> expression
as it only ever applies in cases where records are being retrieved from
the relation.
</para>
@ -258,18 +232,18 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
<listitem>
<para>
Using <literal>INSERT</literal> for a policy means that it will apply
to <literal>INSERT</literal> commands. Rows being inserted which do
not pass this policy will result in a policy violation ERROR and the
to <literal>INSERT</literal> commands. Rows being inserted that do
not pass this policy will result in a policy violation error, and the
entire <literal>INSERT</literal> command will be aborted. The
<literal>INSERT</literal> policy only accepts the WITH CHECK expression
<literal>INSERT</literal> policy only accepts the <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> expression
as it only ever applies in cases where records are being added to the
relation.
</para>
<para>
Note that <literal>INSERT</literal> with <literal>ON CONFLICT DO
UPDATE</literal> requires that any <literal>INSERT</literal> policy
WITH CHECK expression passes for any rows appended to the relation by
the INSERT path only.
<literal>WITH CHECK</literal> expression passes for any rows appended to the relation by
the <literal>INSERT</literal> path only.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
@ -291,8 +265,8 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
defines what rows are allowed to be added back into the relation
(similar to the <literal>INSERT</literal> policy). Any rows whose
resulting values do not pass the <literal>WITH CHECK</literal>
expression will cause an ERROR and the entire command will be aborted.
Note that if only a <literal>USING</literal> clause is specified then
expression will cause an error, and the entire command will be aborted.
Note that if only a <literal>USING</literal> clause is specified, then
that clause will be used for both <literal>USING</literal> and
<literal>WITH CHECK</literal> cases.
</para>
@ -304,11 +278,11 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
<literal>UPDATE</literal> policy must always pass when the
<literal>UPDATE</literal> path is taken. Any existing row that
necessitates that the <literal>UPDATE</literal> path be taken must pass
the (UPDATE or ALL) <literal>USING</literal> qualifications (combined
using <literal>OR</literal>), which are always enforced as WITH CHECK
options in this context (the <literal>UPDATE</literal> path will
the (<literal>UPDATE</literal> or <literal>ALL</literal>) <literal>USING</literal> qualifications (combined
using <quote>or</quote>), which are always enforced as <literal>WITH CHECK</literal>
options in this context. (The <literal>UPDATE</literal> path will
<emphasis>never</> be silently avoided; an error will be thrown
instead). Finally, the final row appended to the relation must pass
instead.) Finally, the final row appended to the relation must pass
any <literal>WITH CHECK</literal> options that a conventional
<literal>UPDATE</literal> is required to pass.
</para>
@ -320,14 +294,14 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
<listitem>
<para>
Using <literal>DELETE</literal> for a policy means that it will apply
to <literal>DELETE</literal> commands. Only rows which pass this
policy will be seen by a <literal>DELETE</literal> command. Rows may
be visible through a <literal>SELECT</literal> which are not seen by a
<literal>DELETE</literal>, as they do not pass the USING expression
for the <literal>DELETE</literal>, and rows which are not visible
through the <literal>SELECT</literal> policy may be deleted if they
pass the <literal>DELETE</literal> USING policy. The
<literal>DELETE</literal> policy only accepts the USING expression as
to <literal>DELETE</literal> commands. Only rows that pass this
policy will be seen by a <literal>DELETE</literal> command. There can be rows
that are visible through a <literal>SELECT</literal> that are not seen by a
<literal>DELETE</literal>, if they do not pass the <literal>USING</literal> expression
for the <literal>DELETE</literal>. Conversely, there can be rows that are not visible
through the <literal>SELECT</literal> policy but may be deleted if they
pass the <literal>DELETE</literal> <literal>USING</literal> policy. The
<literal>DELETE</literal> policy only accepts the <literal>USING</literal> expression as
it only ever applies in cases where records are being extracted from
the relation for deletion.
</para>
@ -335,6 +309,7 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect2>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>
@ -345,11 +320,35 @@ CREATE POLICY <replaceable class="parameter">name</replaceable> ON <replaceable
</para>
<para>
In order to maintain <firstterm>referential integrity</firstterm> between
two related tables, policies are not applied when the system performs
checks on foreign key constraints.
Note that while policies will be applied for explicit queries against tables
in the system, they are not applied when the system is performing internal
referential integrity checks or validating constraints. This means there are
indirect ways to determine that a given value exists. An example of this is
attempting to insert a duplicate value into a column which is the primary key
or has a unique constraint. If the insert fails then the user can infer that
the value already exists. (This example assumes that the user is permitted by
policy to insert records which they are not allowed to see.) Another example
is where a user is allowed to insert into a table which references another,
otherwise hidden table. Existence can be determined by the user inserting
values into the referencing table, where success would indicate that the
value exists in the referenced table. These issues can be addressed by
carefully crafting policies that prevent users from being able to insert,
delete, or update records at all which might possibly indicate a value they
are not otherwise able to see, or by using generated values (e.g., surrogate
keys) instead.
</para>
<para>
Regarding how policy expressions interact with the user: as the expressions
are added to the user's query directly, they will be run with the rights of
the user running the overall query. Therefore, users who are using a given
policy must be able to access any tables or functions referenced in the
expression or they will simply receive a permission denied error when
attempting to query the table that has row-level security enabled. This does not change how views
work, however. As with normal queries and views, permission checks and
policies for the tables which are referenced by a view will use the view
owner's rights and any policies which apply to the view owner.
</para>
</refsect1>
<refsect1>

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