For unit testing purposes, is it possible to do this: Have test data in some format (XML?) checked into source control When unit tests are run, instantiate some kind of in memory database from this test data Have EF run against this in memory database for the duration of the unit test run ? We don't want our unit tests to rely on a specific external database being present, and in a specific state. We also don't want to maintain two different "worlds" in our code and tests, the real world where EF runs against a real db and a fake work where our tests run against some kind of EF mock.

Entity Framework (code first) in memory database for unit testing

For unit testing purposes, is it possible to do this:

Have test data in some format (XML?) checked into source control
When unit tests are run, instantiate some kind of in memory database from this test data
Have EF run against this in memory database for the duration of the unit test run

We don't want our unit tests to rely on a specific external database being present, and in a specific state.

We also don't want to maintain two different "worlds" in our code and tests, the real world where EF runs against a real db and a fake work where our tests run against some kind of EF mock.

Entity Framework (code first) in memory database for unit testing

1 Answers