T 4.26 Failure of a database

If a database fails, for example, due to a hardware/software error or an act of sabotage, this could have far-reaching consequences, depending on the function and significance of the database. In this case, all applications which rely on the data in the affected database are rendered unusable. As a result, users of these applications can no longer perform some or all of the tasks assigned to them, unless these tasks are able to be carried out manually. Depending on the type of task, which can only be performed electronically with the help of a database, this can have the following consequences:

• Financial loss

• Security pitfalls which might be severe enough to affect personal well-being (for example, in the case of medical databases)

• Partial or complete disruption of