Data Masking in Test Data Management_ What, Why, And How_ (1)

Data Masking in Test Data
Management: What,Why And How?
Test data management is less focused during application development and testing, but it's pretty
important.
Why? Because the quality of your test suites depends on it — test data is like the bread and
butter of any testing process. Test data management may seem to be an obvious task to some,
but the truth is that far too many organizations neglect it.
Test data management is not something that happens automatically or by accident. It's simply
not good enough for testing to occur and then hope for the best - you'll also need some strategy
in place. An important component of test data management is data masking.
What is data masking?
Data management is the process of ensuring data integrity by preserving and protecting
information.
This is especially important when you have sensitive data and don't want it to end up in
production. Data masking can be done manually, but the process isn't practical, reliable or
efficient. Therefore you can use data masking and test data management solutions to
automate the process.

Types of Data That Require Masking
Several data used in the release management process require masking for security purposes:
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Data that are classified as intellectual property. Intellectual property refers to the creative
and innovative ideas protected by law, as well as any materials used to develop or
create these ideas. This can include patents, copyrights and trademarks.
Data that may be detrimental to national security or defence systems. This type of data
masking is usually done in the software of governments and military organizations to
protect information that could get into the wrong hands if released publicly.
Data pertaining to general consumer privacy protection and monitoring children's use of
technology (and other family members) when using shared devices.
Data that is confidential or sensitive. This includes information about individuals, such as
their names, addresses and telephone numbers, as well as medical records.
Data that may be used to identify a person or company. This includes personal
information such as names and dates of birth, bank account details, tax details and other
business contact information.
Data that is personal but not sensitive, such as images of people (e.g., photographs) or
locations (e.g. GPS coordinates).
Also read : 7 Incredible Test Automation Trends For 2022 (Also Continue In 2023)
Types of data masking
Two types of data masking are prevalent in the release management process:
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Dynamic data masking: Dynamic data masking allows the controlling environment to
be adjusted in real-time, allowing for a more dynamic test.
Static data masking: Static data masking is a technique for hiding sensitive information
from the view of software testers. It's a way to prevent automated tools from seeing the
values of variables and other information that are meant to be private or confidential.

Data Masking Techniques
Test data management solutions leverage the following techniques to ensure accurate data
protection.
Data pseudonymization
Data pseudonymization is a technique used to mask the identity of data using an alias. The
process is reversible.
Encryption
Encryption scrambles data into a form that cannot be understood by anyone but the original
owner.
Data anonymization
Data anonymization removes personally identifying information from data so that it can be freely
shared with third parties.
Conclusion
Data masking is an important part of the overall program within the test data life cycle in which a
variety of techniques are used to hide sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and
names, before it's passed on to the test environment and production. Hire professional solutions
for your data masking needs.
Contact Us
Company Name: Enov8
Address: Level 2, 447 Broadway New York, NY 10013 USA
Email id: enquiries@enov8.com
Website: https://www.enov8.com/