32 | Test data
surrounding the data to be scrambled, sensitive for example a temporary
this includes: address or phone number.
•
Foreign Keys. How are tables related As applications and databases
in the database? evolve and merge with other systems
•
Documentation. This is usually data may be created that is invalid.
held in a variety of formats and Users usually have an idea that this
applications; however, they are invalid data exists, however, but
rarely current. have made the decision to ignore the
•
User knowledge. What is the user’s data problems as there is no critical
understanding of how and where problem that would justify the time
key data is held and displayed? to clean up the data. These data
It is very easy to write •
Naming standards. A surprisingly issues must be understood prior to
a few scripts, change a
good source of information, column scrambling a database.
names in tables can give a strong
few customer names or
hint to their use and relationship Documentation and
alter a few characters of
to other columns. traceability
an account ID, but there
Once you have gathered a basic It should be obvious that the ability
are problems with this
picture you will need to investigate to demonstrate that efforts have
the data itself to verify any been made to scramble data requires
approach. The scripts tend
documentation and try to understand a documented trail. Turning the task
to fall outside normal
in detail where the data is held and into a normal IT project will allow you
programming control and how it relates to other data. to use your normal change control,
are written in SQL and non
There are a number of problems testing and delivery methodologies.
common across most systems, These are usually very mature in most
standard languages such
including data columns being used for organisations. The documentation and
as PERL. They may well
multiple purposes. It is quite common control should include:
be perfect but tend not for limitations in an application to be • Which columns are sensitive and
to be documented, not
overcome by creative use of fields. need scrambling?
incorporated in source
Thus a field used for one purpose
•
Who has access to any scrambling
contains data to identify data for functions, ie the code that scrambles
control systems and are
other uses. Examples of this type of should be protected as well.
not subject to testing by usage are comment fields being used • A before and after report of what
the test department.
to hold structured information; these the data has been changed from and
comments may contain data that is to. You can use database compare
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