Test data | 33
of made up customer names, product
names, addresses etc.
Static tables – It only takes a
simple piece of SQL or, even better,
a simple database function call to
Figure 1 – Datamaker stores and audits which scrambling functions have been replace the data being extracted
applied to each column. with data from the seed table. The
seed tables contain data familiar to
tools such as Datamaker for this are lots of powerful ones readily testers and can be added to very
or generate triggers to update available from sources like database easily and be customized to specific
audit tables. functions – every RDBMS comes with locales. For example, it is very easy
•
W ho has access to any working a vast library of built in functions to create specific groups of addresses
schemas or files used in the many of which can be built up to for each country. Seed tables should
scrambling process? scramble data quite easily; toolsets be populated prior to beginning the
– Tools come with many pre built scrambling and verified that they
Scrambling methods functions; your own code – Some of contain no production data.
There are numerous methods used to the scrambling you need will be very Dynamic tables – an easy to use
scramble data, however I shall break specific to your systems, for example, and effective technique is to build
them down into three categories: customer numbers can be built up of tables that are exclusively used for a
1 Simple independent functions to put combinations of locations, dates of scrambling build. The next time data
in random text, dates birth and partial names. There will is extracted you would simply drop
and numbers. be code in your system already that and recreate the tables. These tables
2 Multi-table column values, for builds these numbers so use the same tend to be used when data identifiers
example, an account number is used function as part of your scrambling are used across multiple tables and a
in lots of tables and as an identifier strategy. And the internet provides a number must be changed to the same
in other applications. vast array of free code snippets which number across each of these tables.
3 Offset values, for example, if a date can be easily used. These cross reference tables can
is adjusted then other related dates be very useful as they ensure that
must shift in line with the original Using seed tables even if someone knows an internal
date; if a post code is changed then A very effective technique to scramble ID, they will not be able to find the
corresponding address lines must data is to use one or many static or specific detail of a customer. So, for
also shift. temporary tables to hold data that can example if you scramble customer
When building up your library be included as part of your scrambling names and addresses and you shift
of functions remember that there routines. These tables can include a list the internal customer ID field, the
T.E.S.T | March 09 March 09 | T.E.S.T
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