Testing with the Open Source DBUnit Framework

Many enterprise applications are tightly coupled to a database. Consequently testing application code that depends on a database is challenging because the act of testing changes the database, often making retesting a problem. When it comes to white box testing, databases present dependency scenarios that are sometimes difficult to set-up. Fortunately, the open source DBUnit framework, which employs XML datasets, provides an elegant solution for controlling database dependencies within applications. It allows both testers and developers to set the state of a database at the beginning of the test and to place the database back into its pre-test state upon completion. Andrew Glover demonstrates component and system testing scenarios using the DBUnit framework and discusses the issues and solutions for database dependent applications.