Encrypted datapools overview

If you want to encrypt confidential information such as a set of passwords or account numbers that are used during a test, you can use an encrypted datapool. Datapool columns are encrypted using the RC4 private-key algorithm. You can use only one password to encrypt columns in any given datapool. Encrypted datapools are not supported on agent computers that are running the z/OS® or AIX® operating systems.

When you run a test that uses a datapool that contains encrypted variables, you are prompted for the datapool password. If the test uses multiple encrypted datapools, you must enter the password for every encrypted datapool that the test uses.

When you run a test that uses a datapool with an encrypted column, the value of the column is decrypted at run time. The column value is sent as a cleartext string in the requests to the server. The actual values of the encrypted datapool variables are not displayed in the test log. The test log displays asterisks for the encrypted datapool variables.

To see the actual values of variables that are sent to the server at run time, use custom code. Send the datapool column value to custom code that writes the value to a file other than the test log. If the custom code writes to the test log using tes.getTestLogManager().reportMessage(), then asterisks are displayed instead of the decrypted variables.