Running tsqlt assert inside a cursor - sql-server

Question

I'm writing tsqlt against a proc that can be run against various parameter values. I initially built a proc that populates fake tables - and then 1 tsqlt test per possible value (ended up with 35 tests and they each worked).
What I would like to do is reduce these into 1 test (since they are all really testing the same functionality - just for different values). I thought I could do this with a cursor like so:
---- Declare Sproc Variables
DECLARE #ReviewId INT;
DECLARE #SourceId INT = 1;
CREATE TABLE #Present
(
SubmissionReviewId INT ,
username VARCHAR(50)
);
CREATE TABLE #Expected
(
SubmissionReviewId INT ,
username VARCHAR(50)
);
--Create Cursor to loop through each active value
DECLARE review_id CURSOR
FOR
SELECT ReviewId
FROM reftype.Rev
WHERE IsActive = 1;
OPEN review_id;
FETCH NEXT FROM review_id
INTO #ReviewId;
WHILE ##FETCH_STATUS = 0
BEGIN
--Setup Fake Data according to the specified test condition
EXEC ut_DataSetupProc #ReviewId = #ReviewId;
-- Run set cutover Sproc
EXEC Procbeing Tested #ReviewId = #ReviewId,
#SourceId = 1, #Username = 'blah';
-- Confirm appropriate review is present in Submission Review Active
DELETE FROM #Present;
DELETE FROM #Expected;
INSERT INTO #Present
SELECT SubmissionReviewId ,
LastModifiedBy
FROM review.SubmissionReviewActive
ORDER BY SubmissionReviewId ,
LastModifiedBy;
/**********************Create table holding expected values***************************/
INSERT INTO #Expected
--This confirms active reviews that belong to other sections/sources remain unaffected
SELECT SubmissionReviewId ,
LastModifiedBy
FROM review.SubmissionReviewActive
WHERE ( ReviewId != #ReviewId )
OR ( SourceId != #SourceId )
UNION
SELECT sra.SubmissionReviewId ,
sra.LastModifiedBy
FROM review.SubmissionReviewActive sra
JOIN review.SubmissionReviewFutureActive srfa ON srfa.IssuerId = sra.IssuerId
AND srfa.ReviewId = sra.ReviewId
AND srfa.Version < sra.Version
WHERE sra.ReviewId = #ReviewId
AND sra.SourceId = #SourceId
UNION
SELECT srfa.SubmissionReviewId ,
'jmarina' AS LastModifiedBy
FROM review.SubmissionReviewFutureActive srfa
JOIN review.SubmissionReviewActive sra ON srfa.IssuerId = sra.IssuerId
AND srfa.ReviewId = sra.ReviewId
AND srfa.Version > sra.Version
WHERE sra.ReviewId = #ReviewId
AND srfa.SourceId = #SourceId
UNION
SELECT srfa.SubmissionReviewId ,
'blah' AS LastModifiedBy
FROM review.SubmissionReviewFutureActive srfa
WHERE srfa.ReviewId = #ReviewId
AND srfa.SourceId = #SourceId
AND srfa.IssuerId NOT IN (
SELECT IssuerId
FROM review.SubmissionReviewActive
WHERE ReviewId = #ReviewId
AND SourceId = #SourceId )
UNION
SELECT sra.SubmissionReviewId ,
sra.LastModifiedBy
FROM review.SubmissionReviewActive sra
WHERE sra.ReviewId = #ReviewId
AND sra.SourceId = #SourceId
AND IssuerId NOT IN (
SELECT IssuerId
FROM review.SubmissionReviewFutureActive
WHERE ReviewId = #ReviewId
AND SourceId = #SourceId )
ORDER BY SubmissionReviewId ,
LastModifiedBy;
/*************************************************************/
EXEC tSQLt.AssertEqualsTable #Expected = '#Expected',
#Actual = '#Present', #Message = N'', -- nvarchar(max)
#FailMsg = N'Active Status is not a match'; -- nvarchar(max)
FETCH NEXT FROM review_id
INTO #ReviewId;
END;
CLOSE review_id;
DEALLOCATE review_id;
DROP TABLE #Expected;
DROP TABLE #Present;
END;
However, running this using
EXEC proc name #ReviewId = #ReviewId;
yields a message saying no tests were run. How can I sue a cursor to reduce my number of tests? Or is there another approach I should consider?

Answer 1

I'd suggest you write something called a parameterized test.
tSQLt does not (yet) have native support for that, but there is an easy workaround:
You start by writing one of your tests normally. But instead of hardcoding the pertinent values, you make them parameters of the procedure. (For data sets, you can use table parameters.)
You also name that procedure something that doesn't start with "test" (but lives in the same schema).
Then you write one real test per actual case, each one consisting of one line: the execution of your parameterized procedure.
That will lead to tests that are a lot easier to understand than your current approach. And additionally, if one of them fails, you immediately know which.
As a side note: You always want to hardcode your expected results. Your current code is way complex. You want to minimize things that can go wrong in the test itself. Really, your goal should be tests that can be understood with one glance.

Answer 2

In the end I achieved the end goal in a couple of steps:
1. Move the assert statement outside of the cursor
2. Created 'cased' temp table with pass/fail records
INSERT INTO #ActualAssert
SELECT p.SubmissionReviewId,e.SubmissionReviewId,
CASE WHEN ( e.SubmissionReviewId IS NULL
OR p.SubmissionReviewId IS NULL
) THEN 'Fail'
ELSE 'Pass'
END
FROM #Present p
LEFT JOIN #Expected e ON e.SubmissionReviewId = p.SubmissionReviewId
UNION
SELECT p.SubmissionReviewId,e.SubmissionReviewId ,
CASE WHEN ( e.SubmissionReviewId IS NULL
OR p.SubmissionReviewId IS NULL
) THEN 'Fail'
ELSE 'Pass'
END
FROM #Present p
RIGHT JOIN #Expected e ON e.SubmissionReviewId = p.SubmissionReviewId;
3. Outside of the cursor I set up a new parameter that takes any fails if they exist or 'pass' if they don't
SET #Result = ( SELECT DISTINCT TOP 1
TestStatus
FROM #ActualAssert
ORDER BY TestStatus ASC
);
4. Then I modified the assert to fail if #result is anything other than 'Pass'
EXEC tSQLt.AssertEqualsString #Expected = N'Pass', -- nvarchar(max)
#Actual = #Result, #Message = N''; -- nvarchar(max)
** A note I change previous present and expected temp tables into variable tables