For testing teams and developers, test data management tools are crucial. Without a solution in place, a business could be at serious risk of non-compliance with data privacy laws (potentially making them liable to a hefty fine) and suffer inefficient testing processes. The good news is that there are some great data testing management solutions out there to optimize your operations, ensure compliance, and accelerate your product’s time-to-launch journey.
How Does Test Data Management Work?
The test data management process is about planning, tracking, and controlling testing endeavours. It includes test case creation and execution, as well as defect management, and aims to optimize testing and achieve increased test coverage. The process typically involves identifying data sources, setting rules around data generation, referential integrity, cloning, masking, and encryption, and generating reports.
The overarching aim of data test management is to ensure the test data used is relevant while being effectively masked or otherwise protected, is available for a wide range of different testing scenarios, and helps ensure the organization remains compliant with data privacy laws and regulations.
Why Do I Need a Test Data Management Solution?
There are many reasons to deploy high-quality test data management software. Here are the main benefits:
- Better data quality.
- Enhanced access to data.
- Creation of realistic, diverse data.
- Improved access to data.
- Boosted efficiency.
- Better test coverage.
- Easier collaboration.
- Improved data security, as part of your overall cybersecurity processes.
- Helps ensure data compliance.
- Increased return on investment by improving the efficiency and quality of testing processes.
Whether your business is just starting out or a long-established enterprise, an effective test data management solution will uplevel your processes, better secure your data, ensure compliance, and make your developers’ lives substantially easier.
Different Types of Test Data
There are several different types of test data, including positive test data, negative test data, boundary test data, and invalid test data.
Positive test data is made up of input values valid within an expected range, and tests how the system will behave under normal and expected conditions. Negative test data, meanwhile, consists of invalid or unexpected input values, or those outside a specified range. This type of data tests how a system will behave when users do something unexpected or incorrect.
Boundary test data are values at the boundaries of acceptable input ranges, and assess how the system will handle inputs at the lower or upper limits of the specified range. Finally, invalid test data is data that doesn’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions or scenarios the software is likely to encounter. This data doesn’t conform to the expected structure, format, or rules within any given testing context.
Top Data Management Tools
Ready to choose a data management solution for your business? The right software will suit your organization’s budget and needs, and be scalable, so it can grow with your enterprise. Here are the best-in-class options to consider.
1. K2view
One of the best synthetic data generation tools on the market today, this standalone solution from K2view leverages powerful AI capabilities to enable users to quickly generate realistic datasets for functional testing, with rules auto-generated based on data catalog classification. Commended by Gartner as “Visionary” in its 2024 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration for its innovative approach, the software manages the entire synthetic data lifecycle with its patented entity-based technology, for ultimate efficiency and convenience.
2. Informatica
Informatica is on a mission to help businesses ensure the integrity and quality of their test data and incorporates a user-friendly interface and a range of advanced tools, allowing teams to quickly and easily generate the data sets required for their testing needs. Functions offered by Informatica include sensitive data discovery, high-performance masking and subsetting, centralized administration, data visualization, and integration capabilities. The solution also provides data masking for NoSQL, mainframe, and relational data, and a test data warehouse to further boost efficiency.
3. Delphix
By automating the steps to provisioning test data, Delphix makes this process a quicker, more efficient one. The solution effectively locates and safeguards sensitive data to ensure compliance with privacy laws, including CCPA and GDPR, and automates the processes of data masking, versioning, and provisioning of virtual test data to allow testing teams to operate at peak efficiency. Deplhix operates across various applications and cloud environments to synchronize data sources and capture a complete log of data modifications.
4. Microfocus Test Data Express
Microfocus’s Test Data Express suite of tools enables users to securely and quickly transfer large amounts of data and easily generate test data environments. By helping businesses automate and optimize their processes, the solution improves test results, keeps data safe, ensures compliance, and reduces testing costs. Plus, it can help organizations save on storage hardware, decrease the amount of time needed to extract large volumes of distributed data, and, with shared data extraction rules, cut down on costs, too.
5. DATPROF
DATPROF offers a comprehensive test data management suite to support an array of data testing solutions. Its tools include those for analysis, modeling subsets, running generated projects and codes, distributing datasets, and modeling masking projects. Aiming to minimize the number of work hours required during each stage of a test lifecycle and make test data provisioning as easy as possible, DATPROF is both easy to use and maintain.
Why it’s Vital to Deploy a Test Data Management Tool in 2025
If your business isn’t currently using a test data management tool, 2025 is the year to change this. Not making the most of a great TDM solution not only puts you at risk of non-compliance with data privacy regulations (and potentially in line for a significant penalty), but also means your testing processes won’t be operating anywhere near as efficiently as they could. By making test data generation and provision quicker and easier, these solutions could significantly uplift both your operations and bottom line in 2025.
Priya Mervana
Verified Web Security Experts
Priya Mervana is working at SSLInsights.com as a web security expert with over 10 years of experience writing about encryption, SSL certificates, and online privacy. She aims to make complex security topics easily understandable for everyday internet users.
