B: Masking or anonymizing sensitive data:
* Data privacy regulations (likeGDPR,HIPAA) mandate thatpersonally identifiable information (PII) is protected, even in non-production environments.
* Cloning a database without masking sensitive data could expose confidential information to unauthorized users.
* Techniques include:
* Data masking:Replacing real data with realistic, but non-sensitive values.
* Data anonymization:Irreversibly removing personally identifiable information.
Why the other options are incorrect:
* A. Matching compute shape:Relevant to performance, not privacy.
* C. Using the same database version:Important for compatibility, but not related to data privacy.
* D. Same NSG rules:Important for network security, but does not directly address data exposure.
* E. Off-peak scheduling:Minimizes disruption but does not address data protection.