Thank you for your interest in the plugin Database Anonymization. It anonymizes personal data stored in a WordPress database. This User Manual explains how to use it.
Several sections in this manual apply only to the Enterprise Edition. These sections are clearly marked.
When to use it
This plugin is useful when you want to use a copy of a live web site for a development or testing environment. Those dev/test sites usually have a lower security level which increases the chance of data leaks. Just think of the case of a lost developer’s laptop or USB stick.
That is why many corporate & industry security policies require personal data to be removed from dev/test environments.
What it does
The plugin has two modes of operation:
- On live WordPress sites, it exports an anonymized copy of the database as a SQL file.
- On dev/test WordPress sites, it anonymizes the database itself.
Anonymization consists of replacing personal identifiable information (PII) with dummy data, while attempting to retain data characteristics and consistency. The plugin is able to process all types of data in the database, including metadata and records-within-records stored as JSON or serialized arrays.
You can skip personal data from developers, testers and yourself to prevent unintended user lock-outs.
What it does not do
This plugin does not anonymize personal data in uploaded files, such as images, Office documents and PDF’s.
How to use it
- Read this manual.
- Install the plugin.
- Choose the correct mode of operation: production or dev/test.
- Automatically generate rules for supported plugins [Enterprise Edition].
- Review the anonymization rules.
- Review the default exceptions.
- Review and customize the dummy data set if required [Enterprise Edition].
- Run the anonymization.
- In production mode: download the anonymized SQL-file, import into a dev/test environment.
- In dev/test mode: make a back-up before running.
- Inspect the result, restore the back-up if needed.
- Improve rules and exceptions until satisfied.
- Export the rules, exceptions and dummy data set for easy distribution to other dev/test environments [Enterprise Edition].