Generation of database deltas and restoration

A computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for controlling a computing device to identify test deltas between an old modified version of a test database resulting from performing an old procedure and a new modified version of the test database resulting from performing a new procedure, by a method comprising:

• providing a delta procedure for identifying deltas between a baseline version and a modified version of the test database, the procedure including, for each table of the test database,
• selecting a first row of the baseline version, the rows of the baseline version being selected in an order based on a key field of the version;
• selecting a first row of the modified version, the rows of the modified version being selected in an order based on the key field of the version;
• and
• repeating the following for the currently selected rows,
• determining whether the key field of the selected row of the baseline version is the same as the key field of the selected row of the modified version;
• upon determining that the key field of the selected row of the baseline version is the same as the key field of the selected row of the modified version,
• when at least one of the fields of the selected row of the baseline version is different from the at least one of the fields of the selected row of the modified version, saving an indication that the selected row of the baseline version has been changed;
• selecting the next row of the baseline version;
• and
• selecting the next row of the modified version;
• and
• upon determining the key field of the selected row of the baseline version is different from the key field of the selected row of the modified version,
• determining whether the key field of the selected row of the baseline version and the key field of the selected row of the modified version indicate that a row has been deleted from the modified version or added to the modified version;
• upon determining the key field of the selected row of the baseline version and the key field of the selected row of the modified version indicate that a row has been deleted from the modified version, saving an indication that the selected row of the baseline version has been deleted and selecting the next row of the baseline version;
• and
• upon determining the key field of the selected row of the baseline version and the key field of the selected row of the modified version indicate that a row has been added to the modified version, saving an indication that the selected row of the modified version has been added and selecting the next row of the modified version;
• wherein the saved indications represent deltas between the baseline version and the modified version and
• wherein a row of each table does not need to be selected multiple times;
• generating a baseline version of the test database;
• performing the old procedure on the test database resulting in the old modified
• version of the test database;
• after performing the old procedure, applying the delta procedure to identify as old deltas the deltas between the baseline version of the test database and the old modified version of the test database;
• restoring the test database by un-applying the old deltas to the old modified version of the test database;
• performing the new procedure on the test database resulting in the new modified version of the test database;
• after performing the new procedure, applying the delta procedure to identify as new deltas the deltas between the baseline version of the test database and the new modified version of the test database;
• and
• applying the delta procedure to identify as test deltas the deltas between the old deltas and the new deltas wherein the old deltas and new deltas represent different versions of the same database.