1. ASK TOM – OFFICE
HOURS
Testing in PL/SQL
Jasmin Fluri
Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

2. Architecture of a Unit Test - Concept
Januar 20ASK TOM - Testing in PL/SQL - Jasmin Fluri 2
Test Object
Preconditions
Postconditions
Input Actual Results
Expected Results
Test Case
Test
Result
Setup Teardown

3. Architecture of a Unit Test - Concept
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Test
Case
BeforeEachBeforeAll
AfterAll
Test
Case
Test
Case
Test
Case
Test
Case
Test
Case
Test
Case
Test
Case
Test
Case
AfterEach
BeforeEach
Test
Case
AfterEach
BeforeEach
Test
Case
AfterEach
BeforeEach
Test
Case
AfterEach
BeforeAll
AfterAll
BeforeAll
AfterAll
BeforeAll
AfterAll
BeforeEach
AfterEach

4. Architecture of a Unit Test - Naming
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Package test_package is
--%suite(test_testsuite)
--%beforeall(test_package.setup)
--%context(testcontext)
--%test()
procedure my_first_test;
--%endcontext
end;
/
Package prod_package is
procedure my_first_func;
procedure my_second_func;
end;
/
Productive Procedure / FunctionTest Package
Test
Suite
Test
Case
Test
Context
Tests one
functionality
Test Object
Unit
Under
Test

5. Development and Test Lifecycle / Stages of
Testing
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TEST INT PROD
Development and
Testing of Code
Version
Control
Continuous
Integration
Deployment
• All unit tests and test data belong into version control!
• Automate the execution of your unit tests in CI!
• Don’t deploy unit tests or test data to production!
TEST PROD

6. Management of Test Data
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myproject/
├── docs/
│ ├── documentation.md
├── db/
│ ├── 0_sequences/
│ ├── 1_tables/
│ ├── 2_mviews/
│ ├── 3_views/
│ └── 4_packages/
└── tests/
├── packages/
└── data/
Production
code
Test code
and test data
Sample Project Structure
• Similar naming of test packages and prod
packages makes navigation easier
• Store test code and test data separate
from production code
• Have one test package per production
package you are testing
• Store test data and test functionality
separate from each other

7. Unit Test Development Cycle
Define
Test
Case
Create
Test
Data
Setup
Test
Harness
Implement
Test
Run
Test
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What do you want to test?
What data do you
need to test it?
How does the database need
to look like for the test?
How do I test it?
Does it work?

8. Requirements of test data
• Possibility to review test data during code review in pull requests
• Test data has to be stored per table
• Test data needs to be flexible to be reused by multiple test contexts
• Test data needs to be updated together with new or changed functionality
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9. Test Management Example - DB Schema
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PERSON
ID
FIRSTNAME
LASTNAME
EMAIL
PERSON_ADDRESS
PERSON_ID
ADDRESS_ID
ADDRESS
ID
STREET
NR
ZIP
CITY

10. Testdata Package - Specification
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE testdata AS
PROCEDURE insert_data_into_person;
PROCEDURE insert_data_into_address;
PROCEDURE insert_data_into_person_address;
PROCEDURE setup;
PROCEDURE teardown;
END testdata;
/
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11. Testdata Package - Body
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY testdata AS
PROCEDURE insert_data_into_person IS
BEGIN
INSERT INTO person VALUES (1,'Jasmin', 'Fluri', 'jasmin@schaltstelle.ch');
INSERT INTO person VALUES (2,'Gustav', 'Miller', 'gustav@homedepot.ca');
INSERT INTO person VALUES (3,'Mike', 'Heller', 'mike@heller.com');
END;
PROCEDURE insert_data_into_address IS
BEGIN
INSERT INTO address VALUES (11, 'Main Street', 33, '12345', 'Maine');
INSERT INTO address VALUES (12, 'Hyde Street', 9, '3014', 'Bern');
INSERT INTO address VALUES (13, 'Forest Street', 5, '44393', 'St. Lawrence');
END;
PROCEDURE insert_data_into_person_address IS
BEGIN
INSERT INTO person_address VALUES (1, 12);
INSERT INTO person_address VALUES (2, 13);
INSERT INTO person_address VALUES (3, 11);
INSERT INTO person_address VALUES (3, 12);
END;
...
Januar 20ASK TOM - Testing in PL/SQL - Jasmin Fluri 11
• Have as little test data as
possible
• Stored Procedures for
provisioning tables with test
data
• One procedure per table

12. Testdata Package – Setup and Teardown
...
PROCEDURE setup IS
BEGIN
insert_data_into_person();
insert_data_into_address();
insert_data_into_person_address();
COMMIT;
END;
PROCEDURE teardown IS
BEGIN
execute immediate 'truncate table person';
execute immediate 'truncate table address';
execute immediate 'truncate table person_address’;
COMMIT;
END;
END testdata;
/
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• Setup and Teardown functions
that group the tasks for the unit
tests
• Test data is treated as part of
the application code

13. Unit Test Package
Package test_package is
--%suite(testsuite)
--%beforeall(testdata.setup)
--%context(testcontext)
--%test(checks update of personal data)
procedure check_update_personal_data is
begin
-- test
end;
--%endcontext
--%afterall(testdata.teardown)
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Provisioning of tables with test data
Start of context
First test
End of context
Teardown of test data (truncate)

14. Summary
• Keep your test data where your application code is.
• Separate production logic from test logic and test logic from test data.
• Data collection, maintenance, automation and data management is the job of the
developer.
• Always create a fresh set of data according to the requirements of your test case.
• Sample test data should be consistent and represent the production data.
• Always test on boundaries
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15. @jfluri_
@jasminfluri
jasminfluri
What questions do you have?