Static Data Masking: Easily protect data in staging

Stop running tedious ‘match’ and’ rewrite’ scripts. Automate static data masking to get realistic secure, compliant test data that mirrors production

What is Static Data Masking?

Static Data Masking (SDM) involves permanently transforming sensitive data at rest into anonymized values to protect it when moved from production environments into non-production environments like development, testing, or training. SDM ensures that realistic datasets are created, allowing testing teams to use data that mirrors production without exposing personal or regulated information.

In SDM, the original sensitive data is irreversibly altered, and masked copies are created for use outside production, ensuring complete data security in compliance with privacy regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.

When Do You Need Static Data Masking?

If you’re handling large databases, esp in industries like healthcare, finance, or retail, your SQL Server database likely holds sensitive data that must be secured.

Top use cases for static data masking

Testing and development

Use realistic, anonymized data to safely test applications.

Secure data at rest

Permanently protect sensitive data in non-production environments

External sharing

Share data securely with vendors without exposing sensitive information.

AI/ML modeling

Provide accurate, masked data for training AI/ML systems

Compliance

Meet regulations like GDPR, HIPAA by protecting PII and sensitive data.

Data Analytics

Safely analyze data while ensuring privacy and compliance

Benefits of Static Data Masking

Permanent Data Anonymization

Irreversibly masks sensitive data, reducing risks of exposure or breaches in non-production settings like testing and development.

Ensures Compliance

By permanently masking data, organizations maintain continuous compliance with regulations and shield sensitive data from breaches

Straightforward, Rapid Access to Test Data

Provide your DevOps teams with a continuous stream of usable data, on demand.

Maintains Test Data Consistency

Masked data retains its structure, allowing realistic testing without compromising security.

Why can’t I just use SQL Server’s Dynamic Data Masking tool?

Dynamic Data Masking hides sensitive data during real-time queries, but the original data remains unchanged in the database. While it can be useful in certain production environments, it lacks the permanent protection that static data masking offers. Here’s why DDM may not be enough:

No Permanent Protection

It only masks data temporarily, making it vulnerable in non-production environments like development or testing.

Exposes Underlying Data

The actual data is still accessible in the database, increasing the risk of exposure if users with certain permissions access the system.

Limited to Query-Time Masking

It only works during query execution, which limits its effectiveness for long-term testing or data sharing scenarios.

Insufficient for Compliance

It doesn’t offer the same level of regulatory compliance as static masking, as sensitive data remains intact at rest

Limited Customization for Masking

It lacks flexibility for defining complex or tailored masking formats, offering only basic predefined options that may not meet unique business needs.

Only works with SQL Environments

This means organizations with both relational and non-relational databases need additional masking solutions for non-SQL systems

Static vs Dynamic Data Masking

While dynamic masking hides data only when queried, static data masking permanently alters data, ensuring it’s protected even when copied to non-production environments. This makes static masking more secure for long-term use in testing, development, and compliance-focused operations.

Which One Should You Use and When?

How to Choose the Right Static Data Masking Tool ?

Securing data at rest is complex and costly, so it’s important to choose the right tool for your environment. The right tool should ensures consistent data protection without adding extra workload

5 questions to ask yourself
before choosing a static data masking tool

Does it have Automated Data Detection?

Manual discovery of sensitive data is labor-intensive and prone to errors. Automated tools ensure comprehensive data coverage, reducing risks.

Can it Maintain Data Integrity?

Ensure the tool preserves data relationships (referential integrity) to avoid broken test environments and application errors.

Does it have Built-in Compliance scanners?

Choose a tool with pre-configured compliance templates to easily manage regulatory requirements like GDPR and HIPAA.

How does it perform for large datasets?

Select a tool that can handle large datasets efficiently, ensuring masking doesn’t impact performance.

Does it have Cross-Database Compatibility?

A multi-platform tool simplifies data management across various databases, saving time and reducing complexity

How ADM’s Static Data Masking Works?

ADM’s Masking Platform offers a tailored solution for generating realistic, but complaint test data

Integrates with Multiple Databases

ADM acts as a single, universal masking tool, providing consistent and secure data masking across your entire database infrastructure, eliminating the need for multiple solutions. It supports multiple databases like Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL and other complex databases. This makes it highly scalable for organizations with diverse data environments.

Automated PII Discovery

Manual data configuration can be error-prone and time-consuming, especially with large datasets. ADM’s platform features automated discovery, scanning your SQL Server databases to automatically identify sensitive data. This saves time, reduces errors, and ensures that no sensitive information is overlooked.

Enterprise-Wide Referential Integrity

ADM ensures referential integrity by preserving the relationships between tables and databases during masking. It also preserves the data’s context, format, attributes, and structure across multiple environments, preventing inconsistencies or orphaned records.

Fast, High-performance masking

ADM ensures rapid data masking at 250,000 masking operations per second without impacting system performance. Even with large datasets, scaling up to terabytes across multiple environments, it maintains speed and efficiency, making it ideal for enterprise-level databases that require high-performance and reliable masking.

Built- in Compliance Scanners

Pre-configured compliance filters for GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulations make it easy to meet strict legal requirements. ADM simplifies compliance by automatically applying the right rules to ensure your data is securely masked and ready for audits