SAP SuccessFactors
SAP's Instance Refresh can anonymize a set of supported fields, such as email, gender, date of birth and national ID. Fields outside that list, and the payroll and S/4HANA systems linked to Employee Central, still arrive in test with real employee data. Synthesized finds what Instance Refresh leaves behind and gives each employee the same pseudonym in every connected system.
Instance Refresh is the right way to copy production into a test instance. Its anonymization stops at SAP's list of supported fields and at the edge of one SuccessFactors instance.
| Data in your test instance | SAP Instance Refresh | With Synthesized |
|---|---|---|
| Employee and candidate email | Anonymized when the option is on | Anonymized |
| Gender, date of birth, national ID and other supported fields | Anonymized with "Anonymize all supported fields" | Anonymized, with realistic replacement values |
| Custom MDF objects and custom fields | Only fields on SAP's supported list | Detected by scanning and anonymized |
| Free-text comments and notes | Not covered | Scanned for names, IDs and contact details |
| Employee Central Payroll, S/4HANA and third-party HR systems | Outside the tool: it refreshes one SuccessFactors instance | The same pseudonym for the same employee in every system |
SAP column based on SAP Learning: Using Instance Refresh, which also notes a 750 GB limit, overnight refresh windows Monday to Thursday, and no production-to-preview refresh.
Run it straight after each Instance Refresh, so the test instance never sits with real employee data.
Point Synthesized at the test instance and the systems linked to it.
AI-assisted detection flags personal data, custom fields included.
Mask, scramble, generate or keep, field by field.
The same rules run on a schedule or from your test pipeline.
An audit log shows what was anonymized, for your data protection officer.
Hire-to-retire tests cross Employee Central, payroll, time and finance. If the same employee gets a different fake name in each system, the integration test fails for the wrong reason.
The joins break, so the test fails on the data, not on a defect.
The joins hold, so a failed test means a real defect.
Yes, for SAP's list of supported fields, such as email, gender, date of birth and national ID. Fields outside that list are copied as they are.
Scan the instance for personal data after the refresh, then mask or replace the fields found. Synthesized does both and reruns after each refresh.
Not if each employee gets the same replacement values in both systems. That consistency is what Synthesized is built for.
Location doesn't change who can see the data. Partners, testers and integrations all read test instances.
In a 30-minute health check we look at your last Instance Refresh with you, and at which personal fields still hold real data.
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