What is subsetting, what are the advantages, and how does it make test data management easier?

As data grows and databases become larger and more complicated, data
subsetting provides a method of working with a smaller, lighter copy of a
database to make development and testing faster and easier.

In this article, James Hemson poses the questions; what exactly is data subsetting, how and why are developers using it – or not using it, and
what’s prompting conversations about it?

Python Script to generate test data

Very often there is a need to create test data manually. This script will provide a mix of names that will make more sense rather than randomly generating meaningless names.

Finding Legal Data

Using data scraped from the web might be convenient, but is it legal. Perhaps more importantly, is it moral? Steve has a few thoughts.

Representative Data Challenges

We need data that represents the problem we want to solve, or we might not achieve our aims.

Creating Test Data

This editorial was originally published on Jan 9, 2020. It is being re-run as Steve is out of town. Test data is hard to come by, and I agree with Brent Ozar: " I get so frustrated when I hear trainers/presenters/bloggers/idealists talk about how developers should be using purpose-built-from-scratch data sets with no real customer […]

Test data provisioning for development – free whitepaper

Compare the most common approaches to provisioning test data to database development teams and see how they stack up.
Learn why traditional approaches like restore from backup are no longer suitable, and how successful organizations are implementing a combined data masking and data virtualization approach.

Take the 2019 State of Test Data Management survey – you could win a $250 Amazon voucher

We want to hear from you on the approaches you take and the challenges you face when delivering test data to development and testing environments. Take part now for an advance copy of the research and a chance to win a $250 Amazon voucher.

Demo Data for Everyone

Steve thinks having a known set of data for your system is one way to improve your software development process and make salespeople happy.

Bloor scores SQL Provision 4.5 out of 5 for test data provisioning

In this independent review of SQL Provision, the Bloor analyst finds that SQL Provision’s combination of database cloning and data masking stands out with “clear advantages over competing approaches, such as data subsetting or synthetic data generation.”

Bloor 2019 Market Update on Test Data Management

Discover the latest market trends and assess your approach to test data management. For example, the Bloor analyst recognizes “…an increased emphasis on test data provisioning, as opposed to merely test data management.” The report also covers key capabilities offered by vendors in the market, including Redgate.