What Features Should You Look For in a Synthetic Test Data Generator?

Creating test data is a crucial part of software development. Whether you are running a security test or a load test, you need to have a wide variety of test data. Using a synthetic data generator can help you quickly create the data you need.

When you use a synthetic data generation, you can create the test data you need for the application you are testing in real-time. There are many tools available for creating synthetic test data. However, there are some key features you should look for in a tool.

For example, a tool should be able to handle complex database structures and should be able to provide high quality test data that is free of privacy risks. It should also have built-in privacy checks. These features are essential because data privacy regulations are becoming a major concern for businesses today. Using a tool that doesn't offer these features can leave a company vulnerable to data leaks and potentially damaging lawsuits.

Another key feature to consider is the ability to maintain referential integrity. This is important for preserving the accuracy and consistency of the test data you are creating. It's important to keep this in mind because test data that doesn't preserve these characteristics is not reliable.

Having a tool that can generate test data on demand can make your team more agile and enable you to get results quicker. This can save you time and money. In addition, a tool should be able to connect to your databases of choice. There are a number of tools that can help you with this, such as IRI RowGen, which can generate realistic test data. This tool was developed by experts in data modeling and data integration. This product can be purchased as a standalone solution or it can be included with a subscription to IRI's Voracity data management platform.

A quality synthetic data generator can help you meet your privacy requirements as well. Keeping PII out of your test data is a big concern for many organizations. This is especially important for companies dealing with consumer data. Having a tool that can keep PII out of your test data can ensure your company is complying with these regulations.

A tool that can provide a decentralized model for test data provisioning is also a good option. This can help you keep your costs low, as you don't have to pay for a centralized test data management system. This makes the process easier for DevOps teams. This can also help you meet regulatory compliance, as you can generate the test data you need with a single click.

Having a tool that can quickly produce high-quality data can be a huge asset to your business. This can allow you to speed up your turnaround time for product testing and improve your customer experience. It can also help you train machine learning algorithms. Lastly, it can help you avoid the cost of data masking.