# Rspec fixtures stay in the test db - is this right? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [February 7, 2008, 10:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396 "2008-02-07T10:51:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cmaxvv)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 10:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396/1 "2008-02-07T10:51:28Z")
I have some fixtures set up to put a few records in some of my tables. In some of my rspec describe blocks, i’m _not_ calling the fixtures, and expecting the tables to be empty. But they’re not - the fixture data is in there. Am i using fixtures wrongly? I thought that the db was wiped at the start of every test and the fixtures were only added if asked for. Is that not the case? I’m new to rspec and can’t find much about fixtures in the documentation. thanks max ---
**Author:** ![cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cmaxvv)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396/2 "2008-03-25T20:30:08Z")
Are you by any chance running this with a Sqlite db? I am running into the same problem and I vaguely remember that Sqlite does not support transactions. Which is set in my spec\_helper.rb. Perhaps that throws Rspec off. With kind regards, Harm On Feb 7, 10:51 am, Max W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cmaxvv)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396/3 "2008-03-28T16:38:11Z")
On Thu, Feb 7, 2008 at 5:51 AM, Max W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I have some fixtures set up to put a few records in some of my tables. > In some of my rspec describe blocks, i’m _not_ calling the fixtures, and > expecting the tables to be empty. But they’re not - the fixture data is > in there. > > Am i using fixtures wrongly? I thought that the db was wiped at the > start of every test and the fixtures were only added if asked for. Is > that not the case? I’m new to rspec and can’t find much about fixtures > in the documentation. RSpec just wraps Rails testing infrastructure, so you should see the same behaviour in rspec or test/unit. ---
**Author:** ![cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cmaxvv)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396/4 "2008-03-28T16:46:32Z")
David C. wrote: > On Thu, Feb 7, 2008 at 5:51 AM, Max W. > [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > I have some fixtures set up to put a few records in some of my tables. > > In some of my rspec describe blocks, i’m _not_ calling the fixtures, and > > expecting the tables to be empty. But they’re not - the fixture data is > > in there. > > > > Am i using fixtures wrongly? I thought that the db was wiped at the > > start of every test and the fixtures were only added if asked for. Is > > that not the case? I’m new to rspec and can’t find much about fixtures > > in the documentation. > > RSpec just wraps Rails testing infrastructure, so you should see the > same behaviour in rspec or test/unit. Hi David You actually answered this question in another mailing list a while ago - it was because my fixture data was being loaded in a before :all rather than before :each - and so couldn’t be rolled back out of existence when the describe block finished. So, every time i ran the test the data was stacking up. Just in case anyone else was wondering (sorry, i should have replied to this post myself once i found the answer). thanks max ---
**Author:** ![cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cmaxvv)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396/5 "2008-03-28T16:51:24Z")
On Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 11:46 AM, Max W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > Am i using fixtures wrongly? I thought that the db was wiped at the > > > start of every test and the fixtures were only added if asked for. Is > > > that not the case? I’m new to rspec and can’t find much about fixtures > > > in the documentation. > > > > RSpec just wraps Rails testing infrastructure, so you should see the > > same behaviour in rspec or test/unit. > > Hi David > > You actually answered this question in another mailing list a while ago Ah - difficult to keep track of who is who sometimes! Glad you got it resolved. Cheers, David ---
**Author:** ![cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cmaxvv)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 8:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396/6 "2008-08-20T08:27:54Z")
Max: How are you loading your fixture data from within a before(:each) block? The “fixtures” method isn’t available within that block. Are you doing it manually somehow? Ian On Mar 28, 8:46 am, Max W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@cmaxvv](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cmaxvv)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 10:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/rspec-fixtures-stay-in-the-test-db-is-this-right/128396/7 "2008-08-20T10:16:34Z")
Ian Lesperance wrote: > Max: > > How are you loading your fixture data from within a before(:each) > block? The “fixtures” method isn’t available within that block. Are > you doing it manually somehow? > > Ian > > On Mar 28, 8:46�am, Max W. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) What i’m doing _now_ is having the fixtures call as the first line in a describe block. I can’t remember what i was doing all that time ago (only march? seems like years), probably something dumb 🙂