Welcome, Data-Protection Assistant
Summit Workplace Solutions wants an AI tool that can summarize information from its internal support database. The first design pulled in far more data than the task actually needed — including customer and employee details nobody asked for. Your job is to fix that.
The situation at Summit Workplace Solutions
A database can answer almost any question you ask it — which is exactly the problem. Before any data reaches an AI tool, someone has to decide what's actually necessary, what needs to be anonymized, and what should never leave the database at all.
Important: nothing here is a real, live database
This lesson never connects to a real database. Every table, record, and query you'll see is fictional and simulated, built entirely into this page using made-up sample data. You will never be asked to enter real database credentials anywhere in this lesson.
Essential question
How much of a database should an AI tool actually be allowed to see — and how do you make sure it only sees that much?
Estimated time
About 50 minutes, in 12 steps. Your progress is saved automatically, so you can pause and come back.
What you will be able to do by the end of this lesson
- Read a simple database schema and identify its tables, records, and fields.
- Build a simplified, safe SELECT query using guided options.
- Identify when a query retrieves more data than a task actually needs.
- Explain why parameterized queries are safer than building queries by gluing in raw text.
- Decide what data should be minimized, anonymized, or removed before it reaches an AI tool.
- Respond appropriately to a suspicious, injection-like entry in submitted data.
Fifteen Terms Behind Every Database Query
Read each short explanation, then flip the cards to check your understanding. This part is practice — it is not graded.
How data is organized
A database organizes information into tables. Each table holds many records (rows), and each record has several fields (columns). A primary key is the field that uniquely identifies each record.
Asking the database a question
A query asks a database for specific information, usually written in SQL. SELECT chooses which fields to return, and WHERE filters which records qualify. Aggregation combines many records into one summary value, like a count or an average.
Protecting what the query touches
Data minimization means retrieving only what's needed. Anonymization removes identifying details. Least privilege means a system only gets the access it actually needs. A parameterized query treats user input strictly as data, never as part of the query's own code — this is what prevents injection attacks. Sensitive data is information that could cause harm if exposed.
Vocabulary check (practice)
Click a card to flip it and see what that term means. Flip through all 15 before continuing.
0 of 15 cards flipped.
Activity 1: Explore the Schema
Here is Summit's fictional Support Database. Study it, then answer the questions below.
Activity 2: Match the Term to the Example
Select a term on the left, then select the matching example from the schema on the right.
0 of 5 pairs matched.
Activity 3: Build a Safe SELECT Query
Build a query to find the status of all open tickets in the "billing" category — without retrieving any customer personal information. Choose the best option for each part.
Activity 4: Identify Excessive Data Retrieval
A junior developer proposed these fields for a report that only needs to count monthly ticket volume by category. Check every field that shouldn't be retrieved for this task.
Activity 5: Unsafe vs. Parameterized Queries
Each scenario shows two ways to build the same query using a piece of user-provided input. Pick the safe version and explain why.
Activity 6: Minimize or Anonymize
The AI tool's task is to summarize common complaint themes across this month's tickets. For each field below, decide how it should be handled before this data reaches the AI.
Activity 7: Respond to a Suspicious Entry
A ticket submitted through the normal customer support form is about to be included in a batch sent to the AI summarization tool.
Your response:
0 characters (minimum 40)
Activity 8: Design a Safe Database-to-AI Workflow
For each design decision below, choose the safest option.
Activity 9: Final Knowledge Check
A mixed set of questions covering everything from this lesson.
Reflection & Completion
0 characters · 0 sentences detected (need at least 2)
Your results so far
Total: 0 / 100
Lesson complete
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