Re: How to make data unidentifiable?

From: Turkbear <john.g_at_dot.spamfree.com>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:13:53 -0500
Message-ID: <1v8hc0pmok843g9ssp80khae1hk0cf88jq@4ax.com>

Turkbear <john.g_at_dot.spamfree.com> wrote:

>j_parrinello_at_msn.com (Joseph) wrote:
>
>>Sybrand Bakker <sybrandb_at_hccnet.nl> wrote in message news:<2stec0ptn1k69cis0oflalr79osnkcttdj_at_4ax.com>...
>>> On 9 Jun 2004 10:00:49 -0700, j_parrinello_at_msn.com (Joseph) wrote:
>>>
>>> >Hello,
>>> >
>>> >I am building a database to be used for demonstration purposes. I wish to
>>> >import the data from an existing database into the demo. However I need to
>>> >tranform the data from the existing database so that the data is
>>> >unidentifiable but meaningful. For example, I need to change the First
>>> >name, Last name, Address, city, state, zip, Social Security etc...so that
>>> >they are different to the original database but still have meaning in the
>>> >new database. E.g. A record such as:
>>> >
>>> >Peter Paulas, 123 Main St, New York, New York, 10023, 555-342-3423
>>> >becomes something like:
>>> >Simon Trickle, 234 East St, Bronx, New York, 10023, 534-234-2333
>>> >
>>> >I would like the transformed record: Simon Trickle, to still be linked to
>>> >the remaining data that is not tranformed. Has anybody tried this before
>>> >and if so, do you have any easy solution.
>>> >
>>> >Thanks,
>>> >Joseph
>>>
>>>
>>> Oracle supplies a dbms_obfuscation_toolkit for this very purpose.
>>
>>
>>Thanks for the input. Even though I have never used the Obfuscation
>>toolkit, it appears that Obfuscation simply encrypts the data.
>>Instead, I want to transform the data (i.e. only some fields in all
>>rows), so that the transformed data can no longer be indentifiable to
>>an actual person, however the data still has meaning. So say for
>>example:
>>
>>sql> desc name
>>
>> Name
>> ----------------------------
>> ID CHAR(12)
>> FIRST_NAME VARCHAR2(30)
>> LAST_NAME VARCHAR2(30)
>> SOCIAL_SEC CHAR(9)
>>
>>After I "transform" the data in this table, for each row in the table,
>>the ID stays the same. However the FIRST_NAME, LAST_NAME and
>>SOCIAL_SEC would be changed to a different FIRST_NAME, LAST_NAME and
>>SOCIAL_SEC. Simply, jumbling the letters or encrypting each field
>>won't do because I want the data to remain meaningful (i.e. the
>>transformed FIRST_NAME is still a real first name). Does this make
>>sense? Maybe what I am trying is impossible??
>
>I short, except by extensive programming , it is impossible..
>You can encrypt ( not what you want) , randomly replace one letter with another ( will result in names that may not look like
>names) or just reverse the alpha strings ( easily decoded and the real name revealed.)
>
>
>
>
>
>

I just thought of one way to do it..
Once you load the data ( as is) into a new table, use update statements to set the last name of one person with the last name of someone else , like

Update table_name set last_name = (select max(last_name) from table_name where last_name like 'A%') where last_name like 'B%';

Or some variant of that -Perhaps using an SP and cursor loops to make it more flexible.

hth

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