Using MSTest to test multiple database types

Question

I am currently developing an application that connects to multiple database engines (2 right now, but this will grow in the future) but does similar things on each database. I would like to develop a set of unit tests that I only have to write once, but can be run on a different database engine. This application will be extremely complex, and I predict that I will be writing hundreds if not thousands of tests for it.

For example, I have a method that retrieves all the databases available in a database server, and I have two classes which have the same interface that defines the GetDatabases() method. I would like to develop one method that creates an instance of a class that implements IDatabaseEngine, and call the GetDatabases() method on it.

I then want to call this method once with my MySQLDatabaseEngine class, and once again with my SqlServerDatabaseEngine class and test the output.

I am currently using MSTest, because this is what I am most familiar with, but I am not against switching my test engine if it proves to be unsuitable for this task. As I only started this morning, I have only written three tests for this so far, so switching would not be a problem at all.

It may not even be necessary to do something different with the configuration of MSTest, but to develop some sort of test harness inside MSTest to run a method twice with different parameters. However, I would like to avoid any sort of situation where I have to

I have considered code generation, but I would really like to avoid this.

Were you able to find a solution to this? I'm encountering the same sort of situation. — Rob H
– Rob H, Commented Feb 8, 2013 at 17:52
@RobH: About a few weeks later, I discovered XUnit and paramterised tests. I now don't use MSTest at all. — Steve Rukuts
– Steve Rukuts, Commented Feb 11, 2013 at 10:01

Davide Piras · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-04 11:24:32Z

1

you can also have private test methods which accept the interface implementation as parameter and you call them twice with one or the other class (mySql or SQL Server), this way you have one or two callers ( better two ) but the test in itself is written only once.

Or, you could successfully use dependency injection to get what you need, I don't have very much experience with DI but for what I have heard is great to mock and simplify these usage patterns, among tons of other advantages.

Search about NInject or Unity.

answered Jul 4, 2011 at 11:24

Davide Piras

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Steve Rukuts Over a year ago

I'm quite intrigued by the possibility of using Ninject, I'll look into that, thanks. Also, regarding the private test method ideas, to implement this properly would require some sort of code generation, which I'd really like to avoid if possible.

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