Test data as real as production, health data kept safe.
One level above.

Galenica needed test environments that behave like production, with sensitive customer and health data.

Galenica

Customer: Galenica
Industry: Healthcare & life sciences
Expertise areas: Databases · Data Quality
Technology: Delphix on Microsoft SQL Server
Engagement type: Implementation
Scale: Three systems, 1'100+ tables

“The masking of the data went surprisingly well, and we particularly appreciated their approach as human beings. … The technical constraints in the application were perfectly handled by Delphix and dbi services. The solution proved simple to set up and operate, with dbi services' and Delphix's experts providing crucial support when our team needed it most.”

Thierry SchorkDatabase Administrator, Galenica

The challenge

Testing needs realistic data. Production holds personal and health records.

Galenica needed representative test environments without exposing highly sensitive production data. Three systems share data through replication, microservices, and ETL.

Data security and integrity are central to Galenica. Realistic testing cannot expose a single personal or health record.
130 columns, part unstructured. Sensitive data sat in 130 columns, part of it unstructured (XML, text, JSON).
The three systems stay in sync. A masked copy keeps replication, microservices, and ETL consistent, so tests represent production.

The scale

1'100+tables in the POS back office
130columns holding sensitive data
2–10 millionsales and receipt records

The approach

Three options weighed. Delphix chosen for this estate.

Three options on the table

Clone and anonymize the production servers. Generate synthetic data in empty databases. Or clone, then replace the sensitive columns with generated synthetic data. Cloning and anonymizing production data was a must-have.
Delphix chosen, with dbi services’ help

After the evaluation, Galenica partnered with dbi services on a solution built on Delphix. The guidance during selection confirmed Delphix as the right fit for this estate.
Automated, consistent masked refresh

dbi services built automated, repeatable refresh processes across the SQL Server databases, with the consistency mechanisms kept intact. The masked data mirrors production distributions, so tests behave like production without exposing sensitive information.

Delphix (Perforce)
Microsoft SQL Server
Data formats: XML, text, JSON

How we work with Delphix

The outcome

Test environments that behave like production. Sensitive data masked throughout.

Throughout the project, dbi services and Delphix stayed available and addressed each issue promptly, with technical depth across database platforms and a clear understanding of Galenica's constraints. Project ownership was strong.

Sensitive data is identified and cataloged across the estate. PII and PHI no longer appear in test environments.
Integrity kept. The desensitized data sets keep their integrity and relationships, so testing and development run on data that behaves like the real thing.
Refresh automated. Environment refresh is automated: less manual intervention, shorter delivery time, consistency preserved across the three systems.

Architecture

Three systems, one consistent test copy.

Three separate servers on SQL Server: a point-of-sale (POS) system with back office (over 1'100 tables), a customer directory, and a CRM. Sensitive data included unstructured content in XML, text, and JSON. Delphix delivers masked copies that stay consistent across replication, microservices, and ETL processes.