How to do database unit testing?

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I have heard that when developing application which uses a database you should do database unit testing.

What are the best practices in database unit testing? What are the primary concerns when doing DB unit testing and how to do it "right"?

8 Answers

The application of unit testing allows you to ensure that once you write something, it can be verified, and then when it needs to change, you can verify that all of the previously passed tests will continue to pass. No matter if you are the only database person in your company or if there are 1000 people in your company. No matter if you have one database or 1000 databases.

That will give you confidence that your changes will be more accurate and less likely to break other things that rely on your code. And after all, that will inevitably help you sleep at night, enjoy your vacations more and be more confident in what you develop.

QA engineers control views, triggers in the database testing, and they can create a blank instance of the database to get started with minimal building blocks.

Here is how testers can perform unit testing on databases:

  • The first step in the process is to create a blank database instance. You can start modifying items and adding new ones until it has everything necessary for your test;
  • It would be best if we could automate testing procedures to ensure that the database is in a known state before every test run and verify its current condition after each one;
  • You can also look for problems like missing references that can happen due to accidentally removing or renaming objects, which is often the result of a failed database update;
  • A test should be conducted to ensure that the database is restored when finished with testing.

Now databases differ significantly from application code – they require heightened precision. They must be tested periodically to avoid breaches of data integrity etc.

What we should remember while performing unit database testing:

  1. Unit tests can be automated, and you can script a set of database operations with the same ease as executing code;
  2. Unit tests are great for testing individual triggers, views, and sprocs. You can test the behavior of each one to make sure that it works just as you want it to;
  3. Unit tests are a fantastic way to create an executable representation of your database testing operations so that you can quickly test and validate new code before rolling it out;
  4. Unit tests can produce consistent results. You will have a clear understanding of what outputs can be expected if everything goes according to plan if every input is mapped as part of the test;
  5. Unit tests should be independent of one another. You will have to manage some setup and teardown, but the test should not have any relationship with other unit tests.

There are many test management and test automation tools that can be helpful while performing unit testing for SQL databases. I use ​​Data Factory, aqua ALM, Mockup Data and DTM Data Test Generator.

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