Data Visibility in Enterprise Distributed Ledger Technologies: A Systematic Review of Access Control and Anonymity Mechanisms

Abstract

Data visibility is more vital and decisive than ever before in the current data-driven world of technology. There is a significant upsurge in businesses leveraging digital technology, which has led to a greater amount of data being available than ever before. Additionally, managing the visibility in compliance with the organization's rules and regulations is crucial. The implementation of efficient data visibility will not merely improve decision-making but also streamline business processes with enhanced security. Numerous technologies offer solutions to manage data visibility, and distributed ledger technology (DLT) is one of them. DLT facilitates the execution of different methodologies to strengthen the governance of data visibility in enterprise-grade applications. On the other hand, these DLTs raise concerns regarding data visibility in this decentralized network, as not every enterprise-grade application requires data transparency across all the nodes. In this paper, a detailed systematic review is conducted with a clear focus on two essential data visibility parameters, Access control and anonymity, for the period 2020-2025, following a standardized Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses -based breakdown of the selection process. Three clear dimensions of in-depth analysis are presented in the study: first, investigating how DLT can maintain transparency and decentralization in enterprise-grade applications; second, ensuring secure data access management for effective data governance; and third, the approach for anonymization to ensure privacy and security. The key finding highlights the credence of hyperledger fabric, a permissioned DLT, compared to other DLTs and exponentially growing concerns related to data visibility, as well as the conceptual and empirical research contributions made thus far. The limitations presented in this paper formulate a strong basis for research and enhancement of the existing models to offer controlled yet transparent data visibility.