Configuring synthesis options

For some entity types, when you select the Synthesis option, you can configure additional options for how Tonic Textual generates the replacement values.

To display the available options, click Options.

Configuring location synthesis options

Location values include the following types:

• Location

• Location Address

• Location State

• Location Zip

For each location types other than Location State, you can specify whether to use a realistic replacement value. For Location State, based on HIPAA guidelines, both the Synthesis option and the Off option pass through the value.

For location types that include zip codes, you can also specify how to generate the new zip code values.

Indicating whether to use realistic replacement values

By default, Textual replaces a location value with a realistic corresponding value. For example, "Main Street" might be replaced with "Fourth Avenue".

To instead scramble the values, uncheck Replace with realistic values.

Indicating how to generate replacement zip codes

By default, to generate a new zip code, Textual selects a real zip code that starts with the same three digits as the original zip code. For a low population area, Textual instead selects a random zip code from the United States.

To instead replace the last two digits of the zip code with zeros, uncheck Replace zeroes for zip codes. For a low population area, Textual instead replaces all of the digits in the zip code with zeros.

Configuring datetime synthesis options

By default, when you select the Synthesis option for Date/Time and Date of Birth values, Textual shifts the datetime values to a value that occurs within 7 days before or after the original value.

To customize how Textual sets the new values, you can:

• Set a different range within which Textual sets the new values

• Indicate whether to scramble date values that Textual cannot parse

• Add additional date formats for Textual to recognize

Adjusting the range for the replacement values

By default, Textual adjusts the dates to values that are within 7 days before or after the original date.

To change the range, in the # of Days To Shift +/- field, enter the number of days before and the original date within which the replacement datetime value must occur. For example, if you enter 10, then the replacement datetime value must occur within 10 days before or after the original value.

Indicating how to replace datetime values in unsupported formats

Textual can parse datetime values that use either a format in #synthesis-options-datetime-default-formats or a format that you add.

The Scramble Unrecognized Dates checkbox indicates how Textual should handle datetime values that it does not recognize.

By default, the checkbox is checked, and Textual scrambles those values.

To instead pass through the values without changing them, uncheck Scramble Unrecognized Dates.

Adding datetime formats

By default, Textual is able to recognize datetime values that use a format from #synthesis-options-datetime-default-formats.

Under Additional Date Formats, you can add other datetime formats that you know are present in your data.

The formats must use a Noda Time LocalDateTime pattern.

To add a format, type the format in the field, then click +.

To remove a format, click its delete icon.

Default supported datetime formats in Textual

By default, Textual supports the following datetime formats.

Date only formats

Date and time formats

Time only formats

Configuring age synthesis options

By default, when you select the Synthesis option for Age values, Textual shifts the age value to a value that is within seven years before or after the original value. For age values that it cannot synthesize, it scrambles the value.

To configure the synthesis for Age values:

1. In the Range of Years +/- for the Shifted Age field, enter the number of years before and after the original value to use as the range for the synthesized value.

2. By default, Textual scrambles age values that it cannot parse. To instead pass through the value unchanged, uncheck Scramble Unrecognized Ages.