Test Data solved in four steps: 1. Extract, 2. Scramble, 3. Verify, 4. Roll-back
Perhaps following on from my previous blog, you’ve got an extract of your live data, an intelligent subset that drives the key test conditions. OK, but the trouble with live data is that it is real, and it does not belong to you. You do not have the right to use it for testing. It may be the best for testing and particularly for UAT; however, if you use it you run a great risk of a data breach and severe penalties. If you are affected by European GDPR legislation (you are if you have details of a single European citizen in your data), you are expressly prohibited, and the potential fines are seriously eye-watering.
Thankfully, the solution is simple. We call it scrambling, and like a magician shuffling a deck of cards, identifiable data disappears into the pack. Still perfect for testing, just no longer traceable.
We can solve all of these problems with proven modules of TestBench, the market-leading Test Data Management solution for IBM i. Modules between $5,000 and $10,000 (regardless of your processor size). Companies like Allianz, Barnes & Noble, Costco do it every day.
Watch out for the next two blogs in the series – 3. Verify, and 4. Roll-back.
Prefer to talk in more detail about applying it to your own business? Then please get in touch.
