How GBase 8a Handles Masked Columns in WHERE, GROUP BY, and Projections

GBase 8a supports data masking to protect sensitive information. But when a masked column appears in a WHERE clause, a GROUP BY, an ORDER BY, or when its data is copied to another column — does the database operate on the original values or the masked values? This article clarifies the behaviour through a set of direct tests.

Test Setup

Create a table with a default masking policy on an integer column and insert sample data:

CREATE TABLE "testmask" (

"id" int(11) DEFAULT NULL MASKED WITH(FUNCTION='DEFAULT()')