Demystifying Data Virtualization: How it Works and Why It’s Important for Enterprises

Modern enterprises like yours are turning to data virtualization to solve a complex challenge. With information scattered across multiple systems, accessing data can lead to operational bottlenecks in your organization. Data virtualization has become a critical technology for modern enterprises to streamline operations. But not all data virtualization solutions are equal, each addressing different business needs.

What is data virtualization, how does it work, and why does it matter? In this blog, we will explore the capabilities and applications of data virtualization. This will help us better understand its impact on today's business landscape.

What is Data Virtualization? 

Data virtualization is a technology that provides fast, easy access to data across different sources and formats. It does not physically move or copy the data. Instead, it creates a virtual layer or virtual data copies that streamline access to the right underlying datasets.

Data virtualization is applied to databases, data warehouses, or file systems in the cloud or on-premises. 

This approach not only eliminates the need for complex data duplication and delivery processes. It also maintains the performance users expect for their specific use cases.

Data virtualization serves multiple purposes depending on organizational needs.

Understanding Data Virtualization: Two Distinct Approaches

Data virtualization technology generally falls into two categories, each serving different business objectives.

Analytics-Focused Data Virtualization

The first approach to data virtualization focuses on analytics and business intelligence. This technology creates a data abstraction layer. It allows users to query various data sources at the same time without moving or copying the data.

Tools like Denodo can provide:

• Federated queries across disparate databases.
• Real-time data integration from multiple sources.
• Creation of virtual "views" that present unified data to analysts.
• Simplified access to data for reporting and decision-making.

This approach is primarily read-only. It is designed to make data more accessible for analysis and reporting.

Data Virtualization for Development & Testing

Data virtualization for development and testing addresses a different set of enterprise challenges. Perforce Delphix primarily uses this approach. It encompasses a comprehensive range of operational use cases. Its strength is in creating fully functional, virtual copies of databases and datasets. These can then be used for development, testing, and other business-critical operations.

This technology:

• Decouples the database layer from storage and application layers.
• Creates lightweight, virtual copies that behave exactly like the original databases.
• Provides read/write access to virtual datasets.
• Enables rapid provisioning and refreshing of data environments.

Analytics-focused data virtualization serves important business intelligence needs. Delphix’s approach to virtualization, on the other hand, delivers complete, working copies of data. Operational teams can use this data to build, test, and run applications across various scenarios.

What is Test Data Virtualization?

Test data virtualization is a specialized application of data virtualization technology. It is specifically designed to address the challenges enterprises face when providing high-quality test data for software development and testing processes. This approach is a key specialization for Delphix, helping organizations streamline their testing workflows. 

Although the platform also supports broader operational needs, test data virtualization is central to Delphix's expertise and solution offerings.

Key Benefits of Test Data Virtualization

Test data virtualization solves five critical challenges that slow down software delivery.

Here's how this technology makes a difference for your development teams.

Self-Service Data Access

Test data virtualization puts control directly in the hands of development and testing teams. Your teams will no longer need to wait for IT tickets or database administrator approvals. They can access the data they need instantly. This eliminates the bottlenecks that slow down software development cycles. Developers and testers can provision their own test environments without depending on others.

Rapid Data Provisioning

Creating test environments becomes fast and simple. What once took days or weeks now happens in minutes. Your teams can set up new test datasets through easy-to-use interfaces or automated API calls. Once testing is complete, test environments can be removed and refreshed for the next round of testing.

High-Quality Data

Test data virtualization provides realistic, up-to-date information that mirrors production systems. This means you will get better test results and fewer surprises when applications go live. The technology preserves important data connections and business rules. Your teams can run comprehensive tests that cover real-world scenarios.

Storage-Efficient Operations

The technology shares common data across multiple test environments, saving you storage space. Your teams will be able to run many tests at the same time without multiplying storage costs. Risks related to destructive testing are also reduced. In the occasion where data gets changed or deleted during testing, it does not affect your original datasets.

📘Related reading: How Redundant Data Storage May Be Hurting Your Bottom Line

Time-Aware Capabilities

One unique feature is the ability to rewind data to any previous point in time. This supports testing of historical scenarios and regulatory requirements. If a test goes wrong or corrupts data, your teams can quickly roll back to a clean state and start over.

Why Virtualize Data for Development and Testing?

Modern enterprises like yours must adapt to fast-changing market trends. You will need to emphasize development velocity and your ability to quickly diagnose, triage, and fix errors. To do so, data virtualization serves as a critical lever. It enables the provisioning of high-quality data to development and test environments on demand or via APIs.

These virtual data copies are fully readable/writeable. These copies can be provisioned or torn down in just minutes. This eliminates development's reliance on slow, serial ticketing systems. It also removes the need for centralized IT or Database Administrator (DBA) involvement for initial data delivery and for refreshes after destructive testing.

Development & Testing Agility

Virtual data environments empower your engineering teams by:

• Reducing dependency on central IT for data provisioning and refresh cycles.
• Supporting continuous testing and CI/CD pipelines. It also enables agile methodologies with automated, API-driven data access.
• Improving test coverage by enabling destructive testing. It also provides access to fresh, current datasets without delay.

Take Control of Your Data Strategy

Too often, low test data availability creates roadblocks, slowing down your development and testing teams — and delaying releases.

It's time to ask yourself: is your test data strategy driving your organization forward, or holding it back? Find 4 checklists to evaluate test data at your organization in our eBook.

Get Test Data Checklists

Key Use Cases for Data Virtualization for Development & Testing

Organizations across industries are discovering practical applications for using data virtualization for development and testing, ways that go far beyond basic testing. 

These use cases demonstrate how virtual data environments solve real business problems while improving efficiency and reducing risk.

DevOps Acceleration

If you aim to enhance app-driven customer experiences, you might find that your teams often automate everything except the data. Data virtualization enables teams to deliver high-quality data into DevOps processes. It speeds up app delivery for all phases of application development.

Packaged Application Upgrades

Over half of all packages application upgrades projects (like ERP, claims processing apps, financial apps, etc.) run past schedule and budget. The main reason? Standing up and refreshing project environments is slow and complex. Data virtualization can cut complexity, lower total cost of ownership (TCO), and accelerate projects. It delivers virtual data copies to teams more efficiently than legacy processes.

Cloud Migration

Data virtualization technology provides a secure and efficient mechanism to replicate large datasets. It applies across various platforms, from on-premises to the cloud. It provides space-efficient data environments needed for testing and cutover rehearsal.

📘Related reading: Managing Cloud Costs: How to Get the Balance Right

Backup and Production Support

In the event of a production issue, teams are able to provision complete virtual data environments. This can help teams identify root causes without risking live data.

Why Choose Perforce Delphix for Data Virtualization

Perforce Delphix combines data virtualization and data masking at scale, letting you deliver compliant test data in minutes. Here’s what it offers enterprises like yours:

Heightened Data Agility

For Development & Testing: Delphix provides high-performance, secure data environments that accelerate software delivery and reduce costs. You can provision lightweight virtual database copies in minutes, depending on the type and size of files. This can be done via UI or API that scales with your agile development goals.

Enterprise-Grade Scalability

For DevOps Teams: The platform integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines and modern development workflows through APIs and automation. You can replicate data from production to non-production environments at scale, either on-premises or in the cloud for multiple instances. Teams can provision virtual databases as needed without taxing storage.

Enhanced Data Security

For Enterprise Security: Built-in data masking, governance controls, and audit capabilities ensure your sensitive data stays protected across all environments. Put your InfoSec department at ease with data controls that govern who can do what, where, and when over specific datasets. Data virtualization includes best-in-class security, consistent data masking policies, and robust auditing that make it a strong security asset.

Significant Cost Savings

Maximize testing throughput while minimizing storage use. Virtual dataset provisioning, destruction, refresh, and rewind all provide new tools for application testers. These tools help maximize testing throughput with no additional storage costs, reducing data provisioning time from weeks to minutes while cutting storage costs by up to 90%. 

Further reading >> Why Companies Choose Perforce Delphix for Test Data Management 

See Delphix Data Virtualization in Action

Ready to accelerate your development cycles and reduce data management costs? Schedule a no-pressure demo with a Delphix expert to see for yourself how you can deliver compliant test data in minutes — not days.

Schedule a Test Data Demo