System and methods for providing query-based permissions to data

A computing device comprising processor hardware that executes instructions to carry out actions comprising:

• accessing a graph database;
• generating a query vertex comprising a traversal clause that represents a query of the graph database, wherein the traversal clause identifies a vertex type;
• receiving, from a first user, an indication that the query is to be shared with a second user, wherein the first user is represented in the graph database by a vertex and the second user is represented in the graph database by a vertex;
• in response to the received indication, generating an edge from the second user's vertex to the query vertex, wherein the generated edge defines the second user's permission to access vertices located as a result of the query;
• receiving a request to execute the query on behalf of the second user;
• in response to the request, traversing the graph database to locate each vertex of the identified vertex type that is semantically related to the first user's vertex;
• and
• displaying, to the second user, a set of results based on the located vertices,
• wherein the located vertices include at least one vertex in the graph database that was not accessible to the second user before the edge was generated in response to the received indication.

A computing device comprising processor hardware that executes instructions to carry out actions comprising:

• accessing a graph database;
• generating a query vertex comprising a traversal clause that represents a query of the graph database, wherein the traversal clause identifies a vertex type;
• generating an edge from a user's vertex to the query vertex, wherein the generated edge defines the user's permission to access a set of vertices of the identified vertex type, and
• wherein the set of vertices is specific to the user;
• identifying, from the graph database, the set of vertices that are specific to the user, by traversing the graph database to locate each vertex of the identified vertex type that is semantically related to the user's vertex;
• receiving a request to execute the query on behalf of the user;
• in response to the request, traversing only the identified set of vertices that are specific to the user to generate a report;
• and
• displaying the report to the user.

A computing device comprising processor hardware that executes instructions to carry out actions comprising:

• accessing a graph database;
• generating a first query vertex comprising a first traversal clause that represents a first query of the graph database, wherein the first traversal clause identifies a vertex type;
• generating a first edge from a user's vertex to the first query vertex, wherein the generated first edge defines the user's permission to access a first set of vertices of the vertex type;
• in the graph database, generating a second query vertex comprising a second traversal clause that represents a second query of the graph database, wherein the second traversal clause identifies the vertex type;
• generating a second edge from the user's vertex to the second query vertex, wherein
• the generated second edge defines the user's permission to access a second set of vertices of the vertex type;
• traversing the graph database to locate each vertex of the first set of vertices that is semantically related to the user's vertex;
• traversing the graph database to locate each vertex of the second set of vertices that is semantically related to the user's vertex, wherein the second set of vertices and the first set of vertices share at least one common vertex;
• for the at least one common vertex, comparing the permission defined by the first edge and the permission defined by the second edge;
• and
• based on a result of the comparison, granting, to the user, either the permission defined by the first edge or the permission defined by the second edge to access to the at least one common vertex.