Pipelining of input/output parameters between application tests written in a DBMS procedural language

A computer-implemented method of executing tests, the method comprising:

• automatically creating, for at least a first test name in a plurality of test names, a first object to invoke a method of a predetermined name to run a first test in a plurality of tests, wherein the first object is comprised among a plurality of objects corresponding to the plurality of test names;
• automatically using the first object to run the first test, by executing a database query to invoke said method in the first test;
• automatically executing an additional database query to invoke an interface procedure defined in the first test, the interface procedure having an additional predetermined name, wherein the interface procedure automatically stores, in a runtime store accessible to the plurality of objects, an array of name-value pairs, each name-value pair comprising a name of an output parameter of the first test and a value of the output parameter;
• and
• automatically using a second object in the plurality of objects to run a second test in the corresponding plurality of tests, while supplying from the runtime store at least a first value output by the first test as a value of an input parameter to the second test, if a first name corresponding to the first value is identical to a second name of the input parameter of the second test.

A computer configured to execute tests, the computer comprising:

• means for automatically preparing and executing an initial database query to invoke an initial interface procedure defined in the container test;
• means, coupled to the means for automatically receiving, for automatically using an output of the initial interface procedure to create an array of the plurality of test names;
• means, coupled to the means for automatically using, for automatically creating, for each test name in the array, an object to invoke a method to run the corresponding test, thereby resulting in a plurality of objects corresponding to the plurality of test names;
• means, coupled to the means for automatically creating, for automatically using a first object in the plurality of objects to run a first test in the corresponding plurality of tests, by executing a first database query to invoke said method to run the first test;
• means, coupled to all aforesaid means, for automatically preparing and executing an additional database query to invoke an additional interface procedure defined in the first test, wherein the additional interface procedure automatically stores, in a runtime store accessible to the plurality of objects, an array of name-value pairs, each name-value pair comprising a name of an output parameter of the first test and a value of the output parameter.