diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/pr_tests.yml
index 1780c4a..21ca28c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr_tests.yml
@@ -115,8 +115,8 @@ jobs:
             experimental: false
           - label: 'Puppet 8.x'
             puppet_version: '~> 8.0'
-            ruby_version: 3.1
-            experimental: true
+            ruby_version: '3.2'
+            experimental: false
       fail-fast: false
     env:
       PUPPET_VERSION: ${{matrix.puppet.puppet_version}}
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index e7a65b5..223b5ac 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+#
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#         NOTICE: **This file is maintained with puppetsync**
+#
+# This file is automatically updated as part of a puppet module baseline.
+# The next baseline sync will overwrite any local changes made to this file.
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 require 'puppetlabs_spec_helper/module_spec_helper'
 require 'rspec-puppet'
 require 'simp/rspec-puppet-facts'
@@ -7,47 +16,95 @@
 
 # RSpec Material
 fixture_path = File.expand_path(File.join(__FILE__, '..', 'fixtures'))
-module_name = File.basename(File.expand_path(File.join(__FILE__,'../..')))
+module_name = File.basename(File.expand_path(File.join(__FILE__, '../..')))
+
+if ENV['PUPPET_DEBUG']
+  Puppet::Util::Log.level = :debug
+  Puppet::Util::Log.newdestination(:console)
+end
 
-default_hiera_config =<<-EOM
+default_hiera_config = <<~HIERA_CONFIG
 ---
-:backends:
-  - "rspec"
-  - "yaml"
-:yaml:
-  :datadir: "stub"
-:hierarchy:
-  - "%{custom_hiera}"
-  - "%{spec_title}"
-  - "%{module_name}"
-  - "default"
-EOM
-
-
-['hieradata','modules'].each do |dir|
-  _dir = File.join(fixture_path,dir)
-  FileUtils.mkdir_p(_dir) unless File.directory?(_dir)
+version: 5
+hierarchy:
+  - name: Custom Test Hiera
+    path: "%{custom_hiera}.yaml"
+  - name: "%{module_name}"
+    path: "%{module_name}.yaml"
+  - name: Common
+    path: default.yaml
+defaults:
+  data_hash: yaml_data
+  datadir: "stub"
+HIERA_CONFIG
+
+# This can be used from inside your spec tests to set the testable environment.
+# You can use this to stub out an ENC.
+#
+# Example:
+#
+# context 'in the :foo environment' do
+#   let(:environment){:foo}
+#   ...
+# end
+#
+def set_environment(environment = :production)
+  RSpec.configure { |c| c.default_facts['environment'] = environment.to_s }
+end
+
+# This can be used from inside your spec tests to load custom hieradata within
+# any context.
+#
+# Example:
+#
+# describe 'some::class' do
+#   context 'with version 10' do
+#     let(:hieradata){ "#{class_name}_v10" }
+#     ...
+#   end
+# end
+#
+# Then, create a YAML file at spec/fixtures/hieradata/some__class_v10.yaml.
+#
+# Hiera will use this file as it's base of information stacked on top of
+# 'default.yaml' and <module_name>.yaml per the defaults above.
+#
+# Note: Any colons (:) are replaced with underscores (_) in the class name.
+def set_hieradata(hieradata)
+  RSpec.configure { |c| c.default_facts['custom_hiera'] = hieradata }
+end
+
+unless File.directory?(File.join(fixture_path, 'hieradata'))
+  FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(fixture_path, 'hieradata'))
+end
+
+unless File.directory?(File.join(fixture_path, 'modules', module_name))
+  FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(fixture_path, 'modules', module_name))
 end
 
 RSpec.configure do |c|
   # If nothing else...
   c.default_facts = {
-    :production => {
+    production: {
       #:fqdn           => 'production.rspec.test.localdomain',
-      :path           => '/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin',
-      :concat_basedir => '/tmp'
+      path: '/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin',
+      concat_basedir: '/tmp'
     }
   }
 
   c.mock_framework = :rspec
-  c.mock_with :mocha
+  c.mock_with :rspec
 
   c.module_path = File.join(fixture_path, 'modules')
   c.manifest_dir = File.join(fixture_path, 'manifests') if c.respond_to?(:manifest_dir)
-  c.hiera_config = File.join(fixture_path,'hieradata','hiera.yaml')
+
+  c.hiera_config = File.join(fixture_path, 'hieradata', 'hiera.yaml')
 
   # Useless backtrace noise
-  backtrace_exclusion_patterns = [ /spec_helper/, /gems/ ]
+  backtrace_exclusion_patterns = [
+    %r{spec_helper},
+    %r{gems},
+  ]
 
   if c.respond_to?(:backtrace_exclusion_patterns)
     c.backtrace_exclusion_patterns = backtrace_exclusion_patterns
@@ -55,30 +112,50 @@
     c.backtrace_clean_patterns = backtrace_exclusion_patterns
   end
 
+  # rubocop:disable RSpec/BeforeAfterAll
   c.before(:all) do
-    data = YAML.load(default_hiera_config)
-    data[:yaml][:datadir] = File.join(fixture_path, 'hieradata')
+    data = YAML.safe_load(default_hiera_config)
+    data.each_key do |key|
+      next unless data[key].is_a?(Hash)
+
+      if data[key][:datadir] == 'stub'
+        data[key][:datadir] = File.join(fixture_path, 'hieradata')
+      elsif data[key]['datadir'] == 'stub'
+        data[key]['datadir'] = File.join(fixture_path, 'hieradata')
+      end
+    end
 
     File.open(c.hiera_config, 'w') do |f|
       f.write data.to_yaml
     end
   end
+  # rubocop:enable RSpec/BeforeAfterAll
 
   c.before(:each) do
     @spec_global_env_temp = Dir.mktmpdir('simpspec')
 
     if defined?(environment)
-      FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(@spec_global_env_temp,environment.to_s))
+      set_environment(environment)
+      FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(@spec_global_env_temp, environment.to_s))
     end
 
     # ensure the user running these tests has an accessible environmentpath
+    Puppet[:digest_algorithm] = 'sha256'
     Puppet[:environmentpath] = @spec_global_env_temp
     Puppet[:user] = Etc.getpwuid(Process.uid).name
     Puppet[:group] = Etc.getgrgid(Process.gid).name
+
+    # sanitize hieradata
+    if defined?(hieradata)
+      set_hieradata(hieradata.gsub(':', '_'))
+    elsif defined?(class_name)
+      set_hieradata(class_name.gsub(':', '_'))
+    end
   end
 
   c.after(:each) do
-    FileUtils.rm_rf(@spec_global_env_temp) # clean up the mocked environmentpath
+    # clean up the mocked environmentpath
+    FileUtils.rm_rf(@spec_global_env_temp)
     @spec_global_env_temp = nil
   end
 end
@@ -86,7 +163,7 @@
 Dir.glob("#{RSpec.configuration.module_path}/*").each do |dir|
   begin
     Pathname.new(dir).realpath
-  rescue
-    fail "ERROR: The module '#{dir}' is not installed. Tests cannot continue."
+  rescue StandardError
+    raise "ERROR: The module '#{dir}' is not installed. Tests cannot continue."
   end
 end