ABAP Database preparator

Database preparation for unit testing made simple. Store snapshots (bundles) of your database records for later use in unit tests.

No more breaking unit tests

The snapshots should avoid breaking unit tests after system copies and other database manipulations. This is achieved by providing a wrapper for the OpenSQL replacement service in class cl_osql_replace, that makes huge setups unnecessary.

Good bye huge setups

Replace this huge setup method

METHOD setup.
  DATA: airlines TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF zcarr_fake,
        replaced_tables TYPE cl_osql_replace=>tt_replacement.

  DELETE FROM airlines.
  airlines = VALUE #(
    ( carrid = 'TG' carrname = 'Thai Airways' )
  ).
  INSERT zcarr_fake FROM airlines.

  replaced_tables = VALUE #(
    ( source = 'SCARR' target = 'ZCARR_FAKE' )
  ).
  cl_osql_replace=>activate_replacement( EXPORTING
    replacement_table = replaced_tables ).

ENDMETHOD.

by just two method calls:

METHOD setup.

  DATA(db_preparator) = NEW zimport_bundle_from_tdc( tdc = 'ZAIRLINES'
    tdc_version = 1 variant = 'ECATTDEFAULT' ).
  db_preparator->replace_content_completly( ).
  db_preparator->activate_osql_replacement( ).

ENDMETHOD.

How it works

Bundles are stored either in an ECATT test data container or in a cluster (binary MIME-object in transaction smw0).

Export step

In the first step we can choose the database records, which should be exported into the bundle. The OpenSQL replacement service needs a so called fake table with the same structure as the original table. From this fake table the database records are read or they are written back in this fake table. In the export step we link original and fake table as shown in the picture below. Figure 1 Export step for table scarr in program zexport_gui In figure 1 the original table is named scarr, the fake table zcarr_fake.

Fake tables can be left empty, if the OpenSQL replacement service isn't installed.

FOR ALL ENTRIES IN

The SQL where restriction can be prefixed a FOR ALL ENTRIES IN, which acts like the corresponding ABAP-statement. As internal table any original table from the bundle can be given. Internal table name should be 'X' && table_name. E.g.

Database table	Fake database table	SQL where restriction
SCARR	ZCARR_FAKE	carrid in ('TG', 'AA')
SPFLI	ZSPFLI_FAKE	FOR ALL ENTRIES IN xzcarr_fake WHERE carrid = xzcarr_fake-carrid

JOINS

Joins can be expressed with subqueries. Let's consider the following join:

SELECT * FROM sflight AS f INNER JOIN spfli AS p
  ON p~carrid = f~carrid AND p~connid = f~connid
  WHERE p~airpto = 'BKK' AND f~fldate = '20210420'.

The database records can be picked up in programm zexport_gui with subqueries:

Database table	Fake database table	SQL where restriction
SFLIGHT	ZCARR_SFLIGHT	fldate = '20210420' AND EXISTS ( SELECT * FROM spfli WHERE carrid = sflightcarrid AND connid = sflightconnid AND airpto = 'BKK' )
SPFLI	ZCARR_SPFLI	FOR ALL ENTRIES IN xsflight WHERE carrid = xsflight-carrid AND connid = xsflight-connid

Import step

In the ABAP unit-testclass the database records exported in previous step can be imported in the fake tables or in the original tables, if the corresponding fake table was left empty. The API for the import step is located in class zimport_bundle_from_cluster for clusters or in class zimport_bundle_from_tdc for ECATT test data container.

For testing Rfc-Client- or Rfc-Serverprograms or programs, which interact through the JSON Adapter for ABAP Function Modules a API is located in function-group zimport_bundle.

A example can be found in the listing below.

CLASS test_airlines DEFINITION FOR TESTING DURATION SHORT
  RISK LEVEL HARMLESS.
  
  PRIVATE SECTION.

    " activate replacement service	  
    METHODS setup.

    METHODS thai_should_be_found FOR TESTING.

ENDCLASS.

CLASS test_airlines IMPLEMENTATION.

  METHOD setup.

    DATA(db_preparator) = NEW zimport_bundle_from_tdc( tdc = 'ZAIRLINES'
      tdc_version = 1 variant = 'ECATTDEFAULT' ).
    db_preparator->replace_content_completly( ).
    db_preparator->activate_osql_replacement( ).

  ENDMETHOD.

  METHOD thai_should_be_found.
    DATA: exp_airlines TYPE STANDARD TABLE OF scarr.

    exp_airlines = VALUE #( ( carrid = 'TG' carrname = 'Thai airways'
                              currcode = 'THB' url = 'https://thaiairways.com' ) ).

    SELECT * FROM scarr INTO TABLE @DATA(act_airlines).

    cl_abap_unit_assert=>assert_equals( exp = exp_airlines
      act = act_airlines ).

  ENDMETHOD.

ENDCLASS.

Authorization

The APIs in class zimport_bundle_from_cluster or in class zimport_bundle_from_tdc can only be used in development systems, where dangerous ABAP unit-testclasses are enabled.

Whitelist-check

Content of fake tables listed in the whitelist can be completely overriden. The whitelist is maintained in parameter ZIMPORT_REPLACE_WHITELIST (transaction stvarv, table tvarvc).

Terms

• Bundle: a collection of database records, which are stored outside of the database tables.
• Cluster: a MIME-object in transaction smw0, which contains the bundle
• TDC: abbreviation for ECATT test data container

Cloning this repository

Cloning can be done with abapGit. The code is backwards compatible until release 7.40. The replacement services need higher releases (SAP NetWeaver 7.51 or 7.52).

Further links

Blog entry on SAP community network Repository mirror