How To Anonymize mySQL Data

admin — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:28:55 +0000

Do you need to replicate your production mysql database into a test environment? Well, I did. But, I needed ensure the production data didn’t contain real data since it contained names, addresses, social security numbers and PHI. I needed to make this data to some offshore developers in the Philippines.

I searched for ‘mysql data anonymizer’, ‘mysql data sanitizer’, ‘anoymous mysql data’, ‘mysql data masking’, but didn’t find anything. Even tried posting on stackoverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5058611/mysql-data-masking

I didn’t find an off-the-shelf product to buy, so here’s how I accomplished it using Microsoft SQL Server 2005. So, these instructions assume you have a Windows machine running SQL Server 2005. I ran Windows XP in Parallels from my Mac.

1) Download the ‘Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA)’ from Microsoft.

2) Convert the mySQL database in question to SQL Server 2005

3) Anonymize the data using ‘MSSQL.DataMask’ http://www.wintestgear.com/products/MSSQLDataMask/MSSQLDataMask.html

4) Convert the SQL Server database back to mySQL (http://www.convert-in.com/mss2sql.htm)

I know, a bit hackish. But, I couldn’t find an existing program to anonymize mysql data. I tried searching for mysql data sanitize as well.

If you have a better option, please let me know.

Japan Offshore Software Development and Cebu City

john — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:49:15 +0000

Atsuo Mizayaki, a veteran systems engineer with 37 years of experience in information systems at Hitachi Ltd., said this after observing that the Philippine government has been taking a “rather passive�? stance in marketing the country’s IT activities in the Japanese market compared to the governments of China and India.

In general, the Japanese IT expert said, the technical skill level of software developers is high in the Philippines than those in China.”While China (saw the establishment of) thousands of software companies in a very short period, the reality is that the quality of its engineers has deteriorated inversely proportional to the growth of the size of its IT industry,” Mizayaki said.

“It is possible that Japanese software houses, having failed in their offshore outsourcing to China, will take a fresh look at the Philippines as alternative destination for offshore software development,” he added.

Full article at Sun.Star Cebu

ServiceCycle » Philippines

How To Anonymize mySQL Data

Japan Offshore Software Development and Cebu City