# Security

It is often necessary to ensure that users can access or retrieve only data that they are authorized to view. IDOL enables you to set permissions for users or groups of users, to protect information, and ensure only the correct people can access it.

For more information on security, refer to the IDOL Document Security Administration Guide.

## Text Queries

IDOL contains data that has been aggregated from one or more repositories. In this example each of the repositories has its own group server that stores the repository user names and the groups that these users belong to. IDOL aggregates this security information from the group servers.

When users log onto a client, their authentication details are sent to IDOL. IDOL returns the user security details to the client, which stores them until the client logs off or the session times out. Every time users send a text query from a client, the client attaches their security details to the query string that it sends to IDOL.

IDOL uses the security information in the query string to check the user permissions. It matches the security string against the document access control lists (ACLs). IDOL returns documents that match the query and that the user has permission to see.

## Agent, Profile and Category Queries

IDOL contains data aggregated from one or more repositories. In this example, each of the repositories has its own group server that stores the repository user names and the groups that these users belong to. IDOL aggregates this security information from the group servers.

The client sends an agent, profile, or category query to IDOL. IDOL (which stores all agents and profiles) matches this agent, profile or category against the documents it contains.

IDOL uses the information that it receives from the group servers to check the user permissions. It returns documents that match the query and that the user has permission to see.

## Community Queries

IDOL stores user agents and profiles, to match them against community queries (that is, any type of query that returns agents or profiles).

When a client sends a community query to IDOL, IDOL matches it against the agents and profiles it stores. It returns matching agents, profiles, or both to the client.

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