Global consulting firm Watson Wyatt has deployed GridTools’ subset
database generator, a tool designed to improve the way it tests
applications.
The company previously extracted test data from its production
database each time an application was tested. But this process took
many hours. Instead the GridTools product has allowed the company
to obtain data more quickly.
Watson Wyatt expects that its future applications will be of
higher quality and delivered more quickly as a result of its new
testing capability.
Christine Green, Support Consultant, Watson Wyatt, said: GT
Subset contributes directly to the quality and speed of delivery of
the final product, achieving the valuable double of reducing costs
and improving our quality of service.
An important function of the tool is that test data is made
anonymous. Data protection laws mean that such personal
information may only be used in connection with the reasons for
which the information was collected in the first place. Live,
identifiable personal data cannot legally be used for testing new
IT applications.
Nigel Williams, Senior Systems Consultant, Watson Wyatt, said,
"The test data generation and depersonalisation features could also
remove a headache because we can more easily demonstrate compliance
with data protection rules.”
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