Using Masked Data Sources in Jet Stream
Delphix Jet Stream / Jet Stream Admin Guide / Using Masked Data Sources in Jet Stream


SDD Overview

You can now replicate masked data in a VDB directly to a target Delphix engine without transmitting the unmasked data in its parent source. This is called selective data distribution (SDD). Although you can run selective data distribution ad hoc, it is typically run according to a predefined schedule. In the current release, there are some best practices and limitations you should know about before using data from SDD in Jet Stream. This documentation covers the workflow for using SDD replicated data in Jet Stream templates and containers. It is aimed at administrators and Delphix engineers who are familiar with the process of creating a masked VDB, SDD replication, and setting up Jet Stream objects.

Configuring Jet Stream with Masked Data Sources

The diagram below illustrates the steps for using masked data sources in Jet Stream.


Step 1: Provision a masked VDB on the source.

Follow the instructions on the page Provisioning Masked VDBs.

Step 2: Use SDD to replicate masked data to the target.

Use SDD to replicate your masked VDB to the target. The target VDB will be called the “replica masked VDB.”

To keep the replica masked VDB up to date, configure a refresh policy for how often it should refresh. The refresh policy should be related to the schedule for SDD updates from the source. Refreshing more frequently will result in the VDB being unavailable to Jet Stream more often than needed. 

Step 3: Create a Jet Stream data template on the target.

To create a data template:
  1. From the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner of the Delphix UI, select Jet Stream.

    Jet Stream Drop-down

  2. On the Mgmt Overview page, click Add Template.

    Jet Stream Add Data Template


    This will send you to the Create Data Template page.
  3. Enter a Name for the data template.
  4. Optionally, enter a description for the data template.
  5. Click Add Data Source to add data sources to the template.
    Each data source name will include the name of the datasets group with which it is associated.

    Create Data Template window with data source drop-down menu

    To select a replica data source, first select the name of the replica it belongs to.

Use the replica masked VDB as the data source by first selecting the replica associated with the SDD replication spec, then pick the replica masked VDB from the dropdown.

Step 4: Provision child VDBs from the replica masked VDB.

       

  1. Login to the Delphix Admin application for the target host.
  2. Click Manage.
  3. Select My Datasets.
  4. Select the replica that contains the dSource or VDB to be provisioned.
  5. The provisioning process is now identical to the process for provisioning standard objects. For the details of how to provision VDBs for specific platforms, consult Database Provisioning Overview.

Step 5: Add Jet Stream data containers and select the child VDBs as data sources.

Follow the instructions to add a data container.

Select a masked child VDB as a source for the container. As an admin user, you can select both masked and unmasked data sources in Jet Stream templates and data containers.

Selecting Masked and Unmasked Data Sources in a Data Container

Once you select a child masked VDB for the data container, you can see the parent-child relationship as a masked source under data sources.

Masked Data Sources Parent/Child Relationship

Refreshing Masked VDBs in Jet Stream Data Templates

Make sure that in step 4 above, you select the replica masked VDB as the source for the data template.

In order for new data to be available in the template on the target, you must do the following:
  1. Refresh the masked VDB on the source.
    This will re-run the masking job. 

  2. After the refresh completes, execute the SDD spec for the masked VDB.

Although you can employ a policy to drive refreshes of the masked VDB, you cannot use that policy to drive the SDD update as well. So, you may need a combination of policies and scripts to automate the workflow.   


Limitations 

You cannot add data templates to an SDD replication profile. As a result, you must create the data template on the target. This is step 3 above.

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