LogoLogo
Release notesAPI docsDocs homeStructural CloudTonic.ai
  • Tonic Structural User Guide
  • About Tonic Structural
    • Structural data generation workflow
    • Structural deployment types
    • Structural implementation roles
    • Structural license plans
  • Logging into Structural for the first time
  • Getting started with the Structural free trial
  • Managing your user account
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Tutorial videos
  • Creating and managing workspaces
    • Managing workspaces
      • Viewing your list of workspaces
      • Creating, editing, or deleting a workspace
      • Workspace configuration settings
        • Workspace identification and connection type
        • Data connection settings
        • Configuring secrets managers for database connections
        • Data generation settings
        • Enabling and configuring upsert
        • Writing output to Tonic Ephemeral
        • Writing output to a container repository
        • Advanced workspace overrides
      • About the workspace management view
      • About workspace inheritance
      • Assigning tags to a workspace
      • Exporting and importing the workspace configuration
    • Managing access to workspaces
      • Sharing workspace access
      • Transferring ownership of a workspace
    • Viewing workspace jobs and job details
  • Configuring data generation
    • Privacy Hub
    • Database View
      • Viewing and configuring tables
      • Viewing the column list
      • Displaying sample data for a column
      • Configuring an individual column
      • Configuring multiple columns
      • Identifying similar columns
      • Commenting on columns
    • Table View
    • Working with document-based data
      • Performing scans on collections
      • Using Collection View
    • Identifying sensitive data
      • Running the Structural sensitivity scan
      • Manually indicating whether a column is sensitive
      • Built-in sensitivity types that Structural detects
      • Creating and managing custom sensitivity rules
    • Table modes
    • Generator information
      • Generator summary
      • Generator reference
        • Address
        • Algebraic
        • Alphanumeric String Key
        • Array Character Scramble
        • Array JSON Mask
        • Array Regex Mask
        • ASCII Key
        • Business Name
        • Categorical
        • Character Scramble
        • Character Substitution
        • Company Name
        • Conditional
        • Constant
        • Continuous
        • Cross Table Sum
        • CSV Mask
        • Custom Categorical
        • Date Truncation
        • Email
        • Event Timestamps
        • File Name
        • Find and Replace
        • FNR
        • Geo
        • HIPAA Address
        • Hostname
        • HStore Mask
        • HTML Mask
        • Integer Key
        • International Address
        • IP Address
        • JSON Mask
        • MAC Address
        • Mongo ObjectId Key
        • Name
        • Noise Generator
        • Null
        • Numeric String Key
        • Passthrough
        • Phone
        • Random Boolean
        • Random Double
        • Random Hash
        • Random Integer
        • Random Timestamp
        • Random UUID
        • Regex Mask
        • Sequential Integer
        • Shipping Container
        • SIN
        • SSN
        • Struct Mask
        • Timestamp Shift Generator
        • Unique Email
        • URL
        • UUID Key
        • XML Mask
      • Generator characteristics
        • Enabling consistency
        • Linking generators
        • Differential privacy
        • Partitioning a column
        • Data-free generators
        • Supporting uniqueness constraints
        • Format-preserving encryption (FPE)
      • Generator types
        • Composite generators
        • Primary key generators
    • Generator assignment and configuration
      • Reviewing and applying recommended generators
      • Assigning and configuring generators
      • Document View for file connector JSON columns
      • Generator hints and tips
      • Managing generator presets
      • Configuring and using Structural data encryption
      • Custom value processors
    • Subsetting data
      • About subsetting
      • Using table filtering for data warehouses and Spark-based data connectors
      • Viewing the current subsetting configuration
      • Subsetting and foreign keys
      • Configuring subsetting
      • Viewing and managing configuration inheritance
      • Viewing the subset creation steps
      • Viewing previous subsetting data generation runs
      • Generating cohesive subset data from related databases
      • Other subsetting hints and tips
    • Viewing and adding foreign keys
    • Viewing and resolving schema changes
    • Tracking changes to workspaces, generator presets, and sensitivity rules
    • Using the Privacy Report to verify data protection
  • Running data generation
    • Running data generation jobs
      • Types of data generation
      • Data generation process
      • Running data generation manually
      • Scheduling data generation
      • Issues that prevent data generation
    • Managing data generation performance
    • Viewing and downloading container artifacts
    • Post-job scripts
    • Webhooks
  • Installing and Administering Structural
    • Structural architecture
    • Using Structural securely
    • Deploying a self-hosted Structural instance
      • Deployment checklist
      • System requirements
      • Deploying with Docker Compose
      • Deploying on Kubernetes with Helm
      • Enabling the option to write output data to a container repository
        • Setting up a Kubernetes cluster to use to write output data to a container repository
        • Required access to write destination data to a container repository
      • Entering and updating your license key
      • Setting up host integration
      • Working with the application database
      • Setting up a secret
      • Setting a custom certificate
    • Using Structural Cloud
      • Structural Cloud notes
      • Setting up and managing a Structural Cloud pay-as-you-go subscription
      • Structural Cloud onboarding
    • Managing user access to Structural
      • Structural organizations
      • Determining whether users can create accounts
      • Creating a new account in an existing organization
      • Single sign-on (SSO)
        • Structural user authentication with SSO
        • Enabling and configuring SSO on Structural Cloud
        • Synchronizing SSO groups with Structural
        • Viewing the list of SSO groups in Tonic Structural
        • AWS IAM Identity Center
        • Duo
        • GitHub
        • Google
        • Keycloak
        • Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure Active Directory)
        • Okta
        • OpenID Connect (OIDC)
        • SAML
      • Managing Structural users
      • Managing permissions
        • About permission sets
        • Built-in permission sets
        • Available permissions
        • Viewing the lists of global and workspace permission sets
        • Configuring custom permission sets
        • Selecting default permission sets
        • Configuring access to global permission sets
        • Setting initial access to all global permissions
        • Granting Account Admin access for a Structural Cloud organization
    • Structural monitoring and logging
      • Monitoring Structural services
      • Performing health checks
      • Downloading the usage report
      • Tracking user access and permissions
      • Redacted and diagnostic (unredacted) logs
      • Data that Tonic.ai collects
      • Verifying and enabling telemetry sharing
    • Configuring environment settings
    • Updating Structural
  • Connecting to your data
    • About data connectors
    • Overview for database administrators
    • Data connector summary
    • Amazon DynamoDB
      • System requirements and limitations for DynamoDB
      • Structural differences and limitations with DynamoDB
      • Before you create a DynamoDB workspace
      • Configuring DynamoDB workspace data connections
    • Amazon EMR
      • Structural process overview for Amazon EMR
      • System requirements for Amazon EMR
      • Structural differences and limitations with Amazon EMR
      • Before you create an Amazon EMR workspace
        • Creating IAM roles for Structural and Amazon EMR
        • Creating Athena workgroups
        • Configuration for cross-account setups
      • Configuring Amazon EMR workspace data connections
    • Amazon Redshift
      • Structural process overview for Amazon Redshift
      • Structural differences and limitations with Amazon Redshift
      • Before you create an Amazon Redshift workspace
        • Required AWS instance profile permissions for Amazon Redshift
        • Setting up the AWS Lambda role for Amazon Redshift
        • AWS KMS permissions for Amazon SQS message encryption
        • Amazon Redshift-specific Structural environment settings
        • Source and destination database permissions for Amazon Redshift
      • Configuring Amazon Redshift workspace data connections
    • Databricks
      • Structural process overview for Databricks
      • System requirements for Databricks
      • Structural differences and limitations with Databricks
      • Before you create a Databricks workspace
        • Granting access to storage
        • Setting up your Databricks cluster
        • Configuring the destination database schema creation
      • Configuring Databricks workspace data connections
    • Db2 for LUW
      • System requirements for Db2 for LUW
      • Structural differences and limitations with Db2 for LUW
      • Before you create a Db2 for LUW workspace
      • Configuring Db2 for LUW workspace data connections
    • File connector
      • Overview of the file connector process
      • Supported file and content types
      • Structural differences and limitations with the file connector
      • Before you create a file connector workspace
      • Configuring the file connector storage type and output options
      • Managing file groups in a file connector workspace
      • Downloading generated file connector files
    • Google BigQuery
      • Structural differences and limitations with Google BigQuery
      • Before you create a Google BigQuery workspace
      • Configuring Google BigQuery workspace data connections
      • Resolving schema changes for de-identified views
    • MongoDB
      • System requirements for MongoDB
      • Structural differences and limitations with MongoDB
      • Configuring MongoDB workspace data connections
      • Other MongoDB hints and tips
    • MySQL
      • System requirements for MySQL
      • Before you create a MySQL workspace
      • Configuring MySQL workspace data connections
    • Oracle
      • Known limitations for Oracle schema objects
      • System requirements for Oracle
      • Structural differences and limitations with Oracle
      • Before you create an Oracle workspace
      • Configuring Oracle workspace data connections
    • PostgreSQL
      • System requirements for PostgreSQL
      • Before you create a PostgreSQL workspace
      • Configuring PostgreSQL workspace data connections
    • Salesforce
      • System requirements for Salesforce
      • Structural differences and limitations with Salesforce
      • Before you create a Salesforce workspace
      • Configuring Salesforce workspace data connections
    • Snowflake on AWS
      • Structural process overviews for Snowflake on AWS
      • Structural differences and limitations with Snowflake on AWS
      • Before you create a Snowflake on AWS workspace
        • Required AWS instance profile permissions for Snowflake on AWS
        • Other configuration for Lambda processing
        • Source and destination database permissions for Snowflake on AWS
        • Configuring whether Structural creates the Snowflake on AWS destination database schema
      • Configuring Snowflake on AWS workspace data connections
    • Snowflake on Azure
      • Structural process overview for Snowflake on Azure
      • Structural differences and limitations with Snowflake on Azure
      • Before you create a Snowflake on Azure workspace
      • Configuring Snowflake on Azure workspace data connections
    • Spark SDK
      • Structural process overview for the Spark SDK
      • Structural differences and limitations with the Spark SDK
      • Configuring Spark SDK workspace data connections
      • Using Spark to run de-identification of the data
    • SQL Server
      • System requirements for SQL Server
      • Before you create a SQL Server workspace
      • Configuring SQL Server workspace data connections
    • Yugabyte
      • System requirements for Yugabyte
      • Structural differences and limitations with Yugabyte
      • Before you create a Yugabyte workspace
      • Configuring Yugabyte workspace data connections
      • Troubleshooting Yugabyte data generation issues
  • Using the Structural API
    • About the Structural API
    • Getting an API token
    • Getting the workspace ID
    • Using the Structural API to perform tasks
      • Configure environment settings
      • Manage generator presets
        • Retrieving the list of generator presets
        • Structure of a generator preset
        • Creating a custom generator preset
        • Updating an existing generator preset
        • Deleting a generator preset
      • Manage custom sensitivity rules
      • Create a workspace
      • Connect to source and destination data
      • Manage file groups in a file connector workspace
      • Assign table modes and filters to source database tables
      • Set column sensitivity
      • Assign generators to columns
        • Getting the generator IDs and available metadata
        • Updating generator configurations
        • Structure of a generator assignment
        • Generator API reference
          • Address (AddressGenerator)
          • Algebraic (AlgebraicGenerator)
          • Alphanumeric String Key (AlphaNumericPkGenerator)
          • Array Character Scramble (ArrayTextMaskGenerator)
          • Array JSON Mask (ArrayJsonMaskGenerator)
          • Array Regex Mask (ArrayRegexMaskGenerator)
          • ASCII Key (AsciiPkGenerator)
          • Business Name (BusinessNameGenerator)
          • Categorical (CategoricalGenerator)
          • Character Scramble (TextMaskGenerator)
          • Character Substitution (StringMaskGenerator)
          • Company Name (CompanyNameGenerator)
          • Conditional (ConditionalGenerator)
          • Constant (ConstantGenerator)
          • Continuous (GaussianGenerator)
          • Cross Table Sum (CrossTableAggregateGenerator)
          • CSV Mask (CsvMaskGenerator)
          • Custom Categorical (CustomCategoricalGenerator)
          • Date Truncation (DateTruncationGenerator)
          • Email (EmailGenerator)
          • Event Timestamps (EventGenerator)
          • File Name (FileNameGenerator)
          • Find and Replace (FindAndReplaceGenerator)
          • FNR (FnrGenerator)
          • Geo (GeoGenerator)
          • HIPAA Address (HipaaAddressGenerator)
          • Hostname (HostnameGenerator)
          • HStore Mask (HStoreMaskGenerator)
          • HTML Mask (HtmlMaskGenerator)
          • Integer Key (IntegerPkGenerator)
          • International Address (InternationalAddressGenerator)
          • IP Address (IPAddressGenerator)
          • JSON Mask (JsonMaskGenerator)
          • MAC Address (MACAddressGenerator)
          • Mongo ObjectId Key (ObjectIdPkGenerator)
          • Name (NameGenerator)
          • Noise Generator (NoiseGenerator)
          • Null (NullGenerator)
          • Numeric String Key (NumericStringPkGenerator)
          • Passthrough (PassthroughGenerator)
          • Phone (USPhoneNumberGenerator)
          • Random Boolean (RandomBooleanGenerator)
          • Random Double (RandomDoubleGenerator)
          • Random Hash (RandomStringGenerator)
          • Random Integer (RandomIntegerGenerator)
          • Random Timestamp (RandomTimestampGenerator)
          • Random UUID (UUIDGenerator)
          • Regex Mask (RegexMaskGenerator)
          • Sequential Integer (UniqueIntegerGenerator)
          • Shipping Container (ShippingContainerGenerator)
          • SIN (SINGenerator)
          • SSN (SsnGenerator)
          • Struct Mask (StructMaskGenerator)
          • Timestamp Shift (TimestampShiftGenerator)
          • Unique Email (UniqueEmailGenerator)
          • URL (UrlGenerator)
          • UUID Key (UuidPkGenerator)
          • XML Mask (XmlMaskGenerator)
      • Configure subsetting
      • Check for and resolve schema changes
      • Run data generation jobs
      • Schedule data generation jobs
    • Example script: Starting a data generation job
    • Example script: Polling for a job status and creating a Docker package
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • When sensitivity scans run
  • Event-based sensitivity scans
  • Manual sensitivity scans
  • Scheduling daily sensitivity scans
  • Configuring parallel processing for sensitivity scans
  • How Structural identifies sensitive values
  • Rule-based data type, column name, and value analysis - High, medium, or low confidence
  • Custom sensitivity rules - Full confidence
  • Model-based analysis - Medium and low confidence
  • Downloading the sensitivity scan log

Was this helpful?

Export as PDF
  1. Configuring data generation
  2. Identifying sensitive data

Running the Structural sensitivity scan

Last updated 20 days ago

Was this helpful?

The Structural sensitivity scan identifies sensitive columns in source data. The scan ignores truncated tables.

When sensitivity scans run

Structural runs sensitivity scans automatically based on specific events. You can also run manual sensitivity scans on demand.

On a self-hosted instance, sensitivity scans can also run automatically at the same time each day.

Event-based sensitivity scans

Structural automatically runs a sensitivity scan when you:

  • Create a completely new workspace and connect a data source.

  • Change the data connection details for the source database.

  • Add a file group to a file connector workspace.

A child workspace always inherits the sensitivity designations from its parent workspace.

When you copy a workspace, Structural runs a new sensitivity scan on the copy to identify sensitive columns. However, it keeps the sensitivity designation for columns that you specifically marked as sensitive or not sensitive.

Manual sensitivity scans

In addition to the automatic scans, from Privacy Hub, you can .

Scheduling daily sensitivity scans

On self-hosted instances, Structural can also run scheduled daily sensitivity scans in the background.

The daily scans only run on the 10 workspaces that had the most recent activity. Activity includes:

  • Data generation jobs.

By default, Structural runs the sensitivity scans each day at midnight.

  • TONIC_ENABLE_SCHEDULED_SENSITIVITY_SCAN - Boolean to indicate whether to enable the scheduled daily sensitivity scans. The default value is true. To disable the scheduled daily scan, set this to false.

  • TONIC_SENSITIVITY_SCAN_HOUR - When scheduled scans are enabled, the hour at which to run the scans. The setting uses the local time zone. The value is an integer between 0 and 23, where 0 is midnight and 23 is 11:00 PM. For example, a value of 14 indicates to run the job at 2:00 PM. The default value is 0.

Configuring parallel processing for sensitivity scans

For improved performance, sensitivity scans can use parallel processing.

For document-based databases such as MongoDB, you use the environment setting TONIC_PII_SCAN_PARALLELISM_DOCUMENTDB. The default value is 1.

How Structural identifies sensitive values

The Structural sensitivity scan uses the following rules and processes to:

  • Identify sensitive columns.

  • Recommend generators for those columns. For information about applying recommended generators to columns, go to Reviewing and applying recommended generators.

  • Indicate its confidence that an identified column is sensitive and is of the detected sensitivity type.

Note that this process cannot guarantee perfect precision and recall. We strongly recommend that a human reviews the sensitivity scan results and the broader dataset to ensure that nothing sensitive was missed.

Rule-based data type, column name, and value analysis - High, medium, or low confidence

This part of the sensitivity scan uses regular expression matching and dictionary lookups. It produces high, medium, or low confidence detections.

When this part of the sensitivity scan determines that a column contains sensitivity data, it:

  • Marks the column as sensitive

  • Assigns the sensitivity type to the column

  • Recommends the generator configuration for the identified sensitivity type. Note that if the recommended generator is not compatible with the column, then Structural discards the recommendation.

  • Marks the sensitivity detection as high, medium, or low confidence. The confidence level is based on a calculation of how well the column matched the applicable rules.

Custom sensitivity rules - Full confidence

The sensitivity scan also looks for any columns that match custom sensitivity types that you define in your custom sensitivity rules.

Custom sensitivity rules are based on the column data type and column name. For more information about custom sensitivity rules, go to Creating and managing custom sensitivity rules.

Custom sensitivity rules always produce full confidence detections.

When a column matches a custom sensitivity rule, Structural:

  • Marks the column as sensitive.

  • Assigns the sensitivity rule name as the sensitivity type.

  • Recommends the generator preset from the sensitivity rule.

  • Marks the sensitivity detection as full confidence.

Model-based analysis - Medium and low confidence

To identify additional sensitive columns that might not be captured by the other parts of the scan, the sensitivity scan uses an artificial intelligence (AI) model. Note that the model is pre-trained. Structural does not use customer data to train the model, and it does not send any customer data externally.

This part of the scan produces medium or low confidence detections for built-in entity types.

The model considers the table and column name. If the combination of table and column name is similar in meaning to a sensitivity type that Structural has a recommended generator for, then Structural:

  • Marks the column as sensitive.

  • Assigns the sensitivity type to the column.

  • Recommends the generator configuration for that sensitivity type.

  • Uses AI to compare the table name and column name combination to the sensitivity type, and produces a semantic similarity score.

  • Based on the semantic similarity score, marks the sensitivity detection as either medium or low confidence.

Downloading the sensitivity scan log

To download the log of the most recent sensitivity scan, either:

  • On the workspace management view, from the download menu, select Download Sensitivity Scan Log.

  • On Privacy Hub, click Reports and Logs, then select Scan Log.

The log tracks the progress of the scan.

User-initiated updates that are included in the .

To enable and configure the daily sensitivity scans, use the following . You can add these settings to the Environment Settings list on Structural Settings.

For relational databases such as PostgreSQL and SQL Server, to configure parallel processing, you use the TONIC_PII_SCAN_PARALLELISM_RDBMS. The default value is 4.

To identify that a column contains sensitive information for a , Structural looks at the data type, column name, and column values.

Protection Audit Trail
environment settings
environment setting
built-in sensitivity type
start a sensitivity scan manually