Test Data Management

<defaulttoaction> When creating or managing test data:

1. NEVER use production PII directly
2. GENERATE synthetic data with faker libraries
3. ANONYMIZE production data if used (mask, hash)
4. ISOLATE test data (transactions, per-test cleanup)
5. SCALE with batch generation (10k+ records/sec)

Quick Data Strategy:

• Unit tests: Minimal data (just enough)
• Integration: Realistic data (full complexity)
• Performance: Volume data (10k+ records)

Critical Success Factors:

• 40% of test failures from inadequate data
• GDPR fines up to €20M for PII violations
• Never store production PII in test environments

</defaulttoaction>

Quick Reference Card

When to Use

• Creating test datasets
• Handling sensitive data
• Performance testing with volume
• GDPR/CCPA compliance

Data Strategies

Data Anonymization

// Masking
function maskEmail(email) {
  const [user, domain] = email.split('@');
  return `${user[0]}***@${domain}`;
}
// [email protected] → j***@example.com

function maskCreditCard(cc) {
  return `****-****-****-${cc.slice(-4)}`;
}
// 4242424242424242 → ****-****-****-4242

// Anonymize production data
const anonymizedUsers = prodUsers.map(user => ({
  id: user.id, // Keep ID for relationships
  email: `user-${user.id}@example.com`, // Fake email
  firstName: faker.person.firstName(), // Generated
  phone: null, // Remove PII
  createdAt: user.createdAt // Keep non-PII
}));

Database Transaction Isolation

// Best practice: use transactions for cleanup
beforeEach(async () => {
  await db.beginTransaction();
});

afterEach(async () => {
  await db.rollbackTransaction(); // Auto cleanup!
});

test('user registration', async () => {
  const user = await userService.register({
    email: '[email protected]'
  });
  expect(user.id).toBeDefined();
  // Automatic rollback after test - no cleanup needed
});

Agent-Driven Data Generation

// High-speed generation with constraints
await Task("Generate Test Data", {
  schema: 'ecommerce',
  count: { users: 10000, products: 500, orders: 5000 },
  preserveReferentialIntegrity: true,
  constraints: {
    age: { min: 18, max: 90 },
    roles: ['customer', 'admin']
  }
}, "qe-test-data-architect");

// GDPR-compliant anonymization
await Task("Anonymize Production Data", {
  source: 'production-snapshot',
  piiFields: ['email', 'phone', 'ssn'],
  method: 'pseudonymization',
  retainStructure: true
}, "qe-test-data-architect");

Agent Coordination Hints

Memory Namespace

aqe/test-data-management/
├── schemas/*            - Data schemas
├── generators/*         - Generator configs
├── anonymization/*      - PII handling rules
└── fixtures/*           - Reusable fixtures

Fleet Coordination

const dataFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({
  strategy: 'test-data-generation',
  agents: [
    'qe-test-data-architect',  // Generate data
    'qe-test-executor',        // Execute with data
    'qe-security-scanner'      // Validate no PII exposure
  ],
  topology: 'sequential'
});

Related Skills

• [database-testing](../database-testing/) - Schema and integrity testing
• [compliance-testing](../compliance-testing/) - GDPR/CCPA compliance
• [performance-testing](../performance-testing/) - Volume data for perf tests

Remember

Never use production PII directly. Always use synthetic data or properly anonymized production snapshots.

With Agents: qe-test-data-architect generates 10k+ records/sec with realistic patterns, relationships, and constraints. Agents ensure GDPR/CCPA compliance automatically and eliminate test data bottlenecks.