Scramble Sensitive Data In Qlik Sense

[Sonja_Bauernfeind]

This document applies when using Qlik Sense Desktop, and serves as a companion to the article that contains steps when using Qlik Sense Enterprise found under Scramble Sensitive Data In Qlik Sense.

It may be necessary to scramble the data in a QVF to be able to share it for troubleshooting purposes. Unfortunately, data scrambling is not available as a feature in the current Qlik Sense product.

This document shares a method and related scripts on how to scramble sensitive data in Qlik Sense app until the feature is built into Qlik Sense.

Steps:

1. Make a copy of qvf file,  put it into a location as data source and Use Binary load to bring in all the data and variables;
2. Review the app and work out the list of fields (and related tables) that you want to scramble. Replace the contents in metadata file sample scramble.xlsx with list.
3. Save the modified Excel file into the same location of binary data source. Please make sure DO NOT change the column title or sheet name in Excel file;
4. Download attached scramble.qvs file and also save it into the same location of binary data source;
5. Open the copied app which need to scramble in Qlik Sense and remove all the existing load script;
6. Create a folder data connection "Binary" that points to the binary load source location;
7. Paste the following script into the app script editor, change the file name accordingly 

   Binary lib://Binary/<filename>.qvf;
    
   $(Include=lib://Binary/scramble.qvs);
    
   CALL Scramble('<name of metadatafile>.xlsx');

8. Reload the app and review the result 

Other consideration:

If the app has "Legacy Mode" enabled, above steps 1~6 can be skipped and use file path directly in the load script in step 7, for example code as below: 

Binary C:\Users\xxx\abc\<filename>.qvf;
 
$(Include=C:\Users\xxx\abc\scramble.qvs);
 
CALL Scramble('C:\Users\xxx\abc\<name of metadatafile>.xlsx');

NOTE: Sometime sensitive data such as organisation name will also be in metadata's table or field name. User will need to manually call rename() function in load script to remove it;

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Also check this link for an alternative scrambling method using the APIs and the DevHub

[pwagner]

Hello @Sonja_Bauernfeind,

thank you. Your method works fine.

Is it possible to scramble numeric fields in a way, that the numbers in the numeric fields get scrambled/changed?

Example: 123 to 637, 345 to 149, etc...

Thank you. Best regards, Patrick