Cloning of sanitized data records for use in data testing environments

Abstract

Cloning of sanitized data records for subsequent provisioning in data test environments. A set of data records of a specified number that meet predefined testing criteria is requested. A single data record that meets the predefined testing criteria is pulled from a production environment. The data record is sanitized by identifying nonpublic personal information (NPI) and algorithmically replacing the NPI data with fictitious data. Subsequently, either the data record or the sanitized data record is iteratively cloned until the specified number is generated. Cloning involves algorithmically replacing the NPI data in the data record with other fictitious data or replacing the fictitious data in one of sanitized data records with other fictitious data. In addition, as a means maintaining integration between the tables and files that include the data record and the applications that use the data, the sanitization process also involves replacing a primary key value associated with the data record being sanitized with a different primary key value that is unique to other primary keys associated with other sanitized data records included in the set.