# GSoC 2026 Project Thread: Backend Integration Testing Standardization and Expansion

**URL:** <https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339>\
**Category:** GSOC\
**Tags:** gsoc2026\
**Created:** [May 11, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339 "2026-05-11T14:13:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 16\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/1 "2026-05-11T14:13:25Z")

</div>

Hello OpenELIS Community!

I will be giving my updates on the [**Backend Integration Testing**](https://uwdigi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/oeg/pages/931594241/GSoC+2026) project for GSoC 2026. Building on the foundation laid during the contributions from the previous couple of years where we established the core infrastructure and reached a **28% coverage** baseline, this year’s project aims to scale up significantly, targeting a **60%+ coverage** goal for all critical backend components.

## Project Goal

This project aims at extending and creating more Integration Tests to achieve a Test Coverage of at least 60% for the Backend Service and Controller Layer

To standardize the backend integration testing workflow, increase test coverage across the 5-layer architecture (Service, DAO, Controller), and implement complex workflow-based integration tests using modern infrastructure (Testcontainers, DBUnit)

## Project Background (Evolved from previous community contributions)

For the 2 last years, we established a **Dataset-Driven Testing Strategy** , ensuring realistic scenarios by using actual data instead of mocks. This year, we are moving beyond simple CRUD tests to focus on deep business logic and cross-component interactions.

## Current Gaps

After an initial analysis of the current state, I’ve identified several key areas for GSoC 2026:

1. **Controller Layer Coverage** : Many REST and Spring MVC controllers are currently excluded from component scanning in the test context (`AppTestConfig`) to prevent circular dependencies. This leaves a gap in testing the web layer’s interaction with the service layer.
2. **Infrastructure Mocking Boundaries** : While we successfully mock external services (FHIR, Odoo, Mail) for isolation, we lack standardized patterns for verifying the _outgoing_ data structure to these systems.
3. **Complex Workflow State** : Most tests reset the database state between methods. This makes it difficult to test multi-step laboratory workflows (e.g., Sample Receipt → Analysis → Result → Validation → Release) as a single cohesive unit.
4. **Data Setup Friction** : Manually creating DBUnit XML datasets for complex entities like Samples and Patients remains a bottleneck.
5. **Standardization** : Some older integration tests do not yet follow the “Gold Standard” (based on [`MenuServiceTest.java`](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/blob/develop/src/test/java/org/openelisglobal/menu/MenuServiceTest.java)), leading to inconsistent test reliability.

## Proposed Implementation Plan

My project will be divided into the following key milestones:

### Milestone 1: Infrastructure & Standardization

- Refactor `AppTestConfig` to support more granular bean registration, allowing more controllers to be tested via `MockMvc`.
- Audit and migrate existing integration tests to the `BaseWebContextSensitiveTest` standard.
- **JaCoCo Integration** : Ensure JaCoCo is strictly measuring and tracking coverage for all newly added tests to maintain data-driven progress.

### Milestone 2: Core Service & Controller Expansion

- Increase integration test coverage for the **Patient** , **Sample** , and **Result** modules.
- Ensure comprehensive coverage of **CRUD operations, data retrieval, business logic validation, and error handling**.
- Goal: Happy-path and error-path integration tests for every REST endpoint in these modules.

### Milestone 3: Complex Workflow Testing

- Implement “Scenario Tests” that simulate full laboratory cycles.
- Develop shared datasets (`full-lab-workflow.xml`) that can be used across multiple test suites to ensure data integrity across the entire stack.

### Milestone 4: Tooling & Documentation

- Explore/Implement a Java-based DSL or Builder pattern for generating test data dynamically.
- Finalize the “OpenELIS Integration Testing Handbook” for future contributors.

## Stay Updated

I will be documenting my journey, technical hurdles, and milestones regularly. You can follow my progress and read detailed deep-dives on my [**Medium**](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18) blog.

## 💡 Discussion Points

I would love to hear from mentors and community members:

- Are there specific “high-risk” modules that you feel are currently under-tested?
- What are the most common “integration bugs” you’ve encountered that unit tests missed?
- Any preferences on data generation tools?

Looking forward to your feedback and ideas  
cc: @Herbert @pmanko @Moses_Mutesasira @reagan @tasksolver @mherman22

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 11:32am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/2 "2026-05-13T11:32:14Z")

</div>

## Milestone 1 Update: Integration Test Dataset Audit Results

Hi everyone  
As promised in **Milestone 1** , I’ve completed the first phase of the audit: identifying which existing integration tests follow the “Gold Standard” ([`MenuServiceTest.java`](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/blob/develop/src/test/java/org/openelisglobal/menu/MenuServiceTest.java)) and which ones still need to be brought in line.

### What I Audited

I scanned every test class that extends `BaseWebContextSensitiveTest` and checked whether it calls `executeDataSetWithStateManagement(...)` in a `@Before` method to seed a known, isolated database state.

The convention is:

```auto
java

@Before

public void init() throws Exception {

executeDataSetWithStateManagement("testdata/<module>.xml");

}

```

### The Finding: 40 Tests Are Missing Datasets

I found **40 integration tests** that inherit the full Spring + Testcontainers + Liquibase context (via `BaseWebContextSensitiveTest`) but **have no dataset loading at all**. This means they run against an unknown or empty database state, making their results unreliable.

Some create data programmatically inside `@Before` or `@Test` (which bypasses isolation), and in one case, `ShippingBoxServiceTest.java` even has a comment in the code itself that says:

> _“Note: This test would require test data setup via @Before method”_

* * *

### Affected Tests (40 total, grouped by module)

#### Analyzer Module (18 tests)

analyzer/AnalyzerColumnMappingTest.java

analyzer/DatabaseSchemaValidationTest.java

analyzer/UnitMappingColumnMappingTest.java

analyzer/controller/AnalyzerDefaultsRestControllerTest.java

analyzer/controller/AnalyzerMappingPreviewRestControllerTest.java

analyzer/controller/AnalyzerPluginConfigRestControllerTest.java

analyzer/controller/AnalyzerRestControllerTest.java

analyzer/controller/AnalyzerSecurityTest.java

analyzer/controller/AuthenticatedAnalyzerControllerTest.java

analyzer/genexpert/GeneXpertFileIntegrationTest.java

analyzer/genexpert/GeneXpertHL7IntegrationTest.java

analyzer/mindray/MindrayBA88AIntegrationTest.java

analyzer/service/AnalyzerErrorServiceIntegrationTest.java

analyzer/service/AnalyzerFieldMappingServiceIntegrationTest.java

analyzer/service/AnalyzerMappingAuditTest.java

analyzer/service/AnalyzerQueryServiceIntegrationTest.java

analyzer/service/AnalyzerQueryServiceStoreFieldsIntegrationTest.java

analyzer/service/CustomFieldTypeValidationIntegrationTest.java

#### AnalyzerImport Module (5 tests)

analyzerimport/action/AnalyzerFhirImportControllerTest.java

analyzerimport/analyzerreaders/ASTMAnalyzerReaderIdentificationTest.java

analyzerimport/analyzerreaders/HL7AnalyzerReaderTest.java

analyzerimport/analyzerreaders/StagoSTart4MessageProcessingIntegrationTest.java

analyzerimport/controller/AnalyzerImportControllerHL7Test.java

#### Patient Module (3 tests)

patient/daoimpl/PatientDAORedirectIntegrationTest.java

patient/merge/dao/PatientMergeAuditDAOTest.java

patient/merge/service/PatientLookupRedirectTest.java

#### Storage Module (DAO Layer 3 tests)

storage/dao/StorageDeviceDAOTest.java

storage/dao/StorageRackDAOTest.java

storage/dao/StorageShelfDAOTest.java

#### Other Modules (11 tests)

alert/service/AlertNotificationServiceTest.java

barcode/BarcodeConfigurationRestControllerTest.java

common/provider/validation/NonConformityRecordNumberValidationProviderTest.java

ocl/OclZipImporterIntegrationTest.java

plugin/StagoSTart4PluginIntegrationTest.java

qc/service/WestgardRuleConfigServiceIntegrationTest.java

reports/controller/BaseReportRestControllerTest.java

shipment/ShippingBoxServiceTest.java

shipment/UnassignedSampleServiceTest.java

sitebranding/controller/rest/SiteBrandingRestControllerTest.java

sitebranding/dao/SiteBrandingDAOTest.java

### Why This Matters Before We Add More Tests

1. **Coverage numbers are misleading** JaCoCo counts these as “tested” code paths even when the test isn’t actually asserting anything meaningful against real data.
2. **No isolation** tests that create data programmatically can leave state that causes other tests to fail intermittently.
3. **Harder to extend** any new test we add on top of these modules will inherit the same fragile patterns if we don’t fix the baseline first.

### My Proposed Plan of Action

I’d like to treat these 40 tests as a **prerequisite cleanup before expanding coverage** (aligns directly with Milestone 1 _“Audit and migrate existing integration tests to the BaseWebContextSensitiveTest standard”_).

**I am taking ownership of:**

- Analyzer module (18 tests)
- AnalyzerImport module (5 tests)

**For each test, the fix is:**

1. Create `src/test/resources/testdata/<module>.xml` (DBUnit Flat XML with minimum required records)
2. Add `@Before public void init()` calling `executeDataSetWithStateManagement("testdata/<module>.xml")`
3. Remove any programmatic data creation and replace with references to seeded records
4. I have created a summurised report of the current structure of our [current tests](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MCxmIZWShztpIZAKoAdTkDcWw2IJEO9ZUYB7bD9-Zy0/edit?tab=t.0)  
@Herbert @Moses_Mutesasira @mherman22 @pmanko  
Happy to answer any questions.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 12:08pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/3 "2026-05-26T12:08:34Z")

</div>

Hello everyone,

**Quick update covering the bonding period and the start of Week 1 of coding.**

## Bonding period

During the bonding period I focused on understanding the testing infrastructure, and working on some early integration testing tasks. I also wrote a short reflection on what I learned during that phase especially around collaboration and how tests are structured in the project.

## [Read the blog post — Agaba Derrick on Medium](https://medium.com/p/bcca352041ab?postPublishedType=initial)

## Week 1 of coding (what’s underway)

We’re now in the first week of the coding period. So far:

- Had a strategy session with my mentor @Herbert on how to approach the testing work going forward.
- Continuing integration testing working on fixture stabilisation and improving dataset consistency.
- Strengthening test coverage across key service-layer components.
- Raised several pull requests around test improvements and codebase cleanup.

* * *

**Pull Requests**

Raised multiple PRs this week targeting test improvements and codebase cleanup:

> <https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3644>
>
> \# Pull Requests Requirements
> 
> \- \[x\] The PR title includes a brief description …of the work done, including the
> Issue number if applicable.
> \- \[\] The PR includes a video showing the changes for the work done.
> \- \[\] The PR title follows conventional commit label standards.
> \- \[x\] The changes confirm to the OpenElis Global x3
> \[Styleguide and Design\](https://uwdigi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OG/pages/621346838/OpenELIS+Global+Style+Guide)
> documentation.
> \- \[x\] The changes include tests or are validated by existing tests.
> \- \[x\] I have read and agree to the Contributing
> \[Guidelines\](https://openelis-global.org/community/get-involved/) of this
> project.
> 
> \## Summary
> Adds comprehensive integration tests for \`SampleTypeRequestService\` and \`SampleTypeRequestServiceImpl\` using a real Spring context and database-backed fixtures.
> 
> \### What was added
> 
> \- Full CRUD integration test coverage for \`SampleTypeRequest\`
> \- Tests for request lifecycle transitions:
> - REQUESTED
> - COLLECTED
> - CANCELLED
> \- Coverage for:
> - request fulfillment
> - cancellation workflows
> - ordering and filtering queries
> - persistence operations
> - invalid state handling
> - exception scenarios
> \- Fixture validation tests for dataset consistency and ordering behavior
> \- Real database interaction testing with DBUnit datasets and Spring-managed transactions
> \- Verification of entity relationships between:
> - \`Sample\`
> - \`SampleTypeRequest\`
> - \`TypeOfSample\`
> - \`SampleItem\`
> 
> \### Additional improvements
> 
> \- Added reusable helper methods to reduce test duplication
> \- Expanded negative-path and edge-case coverage
> \- Ensured tests run without mocks to validate real Hibernate mappings and persistence behavior
> \## Screenshots
> \<img width="717" height="811" alt="Screenshot from 2026-05-22 15-51-46" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/607581bc-1837-462c-8cc4-97bbc9e8c238" /\>
> 
> \## Related Issue
> Closes #3643
> \## Other

> <https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3638>
>
> \# Pull Requests Requirements
> 
> \- \[x\] The PR title includes a brief description …of the work done, including the
> Issue number if applicable.
> \- \[\] The PR includes a video showing the changes for the work done.
> \- \[\] The PR title follows conventional commit label standards.
> \- \[\] The changes confirm to the OpenElis Global x3
> \[Styleguide and Design\](https://uwdigi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OG/pages/621346838/OpenELIS+Global+Style+Guide)
> documentation.
> \- \[\] The changes include tests or are validated by existing tests.
> \- \[\] I have read and agree to the Contributing
> \[Guidelines\](https://openelis-global.org/community/get-involved/) of this
> project.
> 
> \## Summary
> Hardens DBUnit fixture loading for integration tests and fixes invalid or duplicate fixture rows exposed by stricter loading.
> \# What changed
> \## Loader (\`BaseWebContextSensitiveTest\`)
> 
> \- One JDBC transaction:
> - truncate
> - INSERT
> - bootstrap \`system\_user\` (\`id=1\`)
> - commit
> - rollback on failure
> 
> Replaces split-connection truncate + \`REFRESH\`.
> 
> \- Varargs:
> \`\`\`java
> executeDataSetWithStateManagement(String...)
> \`\`\`
> 
> For multi-file loads in one transaction.
> 
> \- \`cleanRowsInCurrentConnection\` closes \`IDatabaseConnection\` in \`finally\` (fixes leak).
> 
> \## Tests / config
> 
> \- \`AppTestConfig\`
> - Removed duplicate \`basicAuthDataService\` bean.
> 
> \- \`BaseStorageTest\` / \`BaseStorageTestValidationTest\`
> - Single varargs fixture load.
> - \`validateTestData()\` re-enabled.
> 
> \- \`ProjectOrganizationServiceTest\`
> - Assertions aligned with fixed fixture IDs/counts.
> 
> \- \`ReferringTestResultServiceTest\`
> - Assertions aligned with fixed fixture IDs/counts.
> 
> \# Fixtures (11 XML files)
> 
> \- Removed no-op \`\<reference\_tables\>\` rows (protected seeds since \`#3603\`).
> 
> \- Fixed duplicate PKs:
> - \`result-facade.xml\` (\`sample\_human\`)
> - \`referring-test-result.xml\` (\`id="6"\`)
> - \`project-organization.xml\` (\`IDs 10001–10004\`)
> \## Related Issue
> Closes #3617
> \## Other

> <https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3612>
>
> \# Pull Requests Requirements
> 
> \- \[x\] The PR title includes a brief description …of the work done, including the
> Issue number if applicable.
> \- \[x\] The PR includes a video showing the changes for the work done.
> \- \[x\] The PR title follows conventional commit label standards.
> \- \[x\] The changes confirm to the OpenElis Global x3
> \[Styleguide and Design\](https://uwdigi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OG/pages/621346838/OpenELIS+Global+Style+Guide)
> documentation.
> \- \[x\] The changes include tests or are validated by existing tests.
> \- \[x\] I have read and agree to the Contributing
> \[Guidelines\](https://openelis-global.org/community/get-involved/) of this
> project.
> 
> \## Summary
> \### 1. Spring Context Component Scanning
> \- \*\*\[AppTestConfig.java\](file:///home/coder/OpenELIS-Global-2/src/test/java/org/openelisglobal/AppTestConfig.java#L107-L109)\*\*: Registered the \`"org.openelisglobal.genericsample"\` package in the test \`@ComponentScan\` configuration to enable real bean discovery and auto-wiring.
> \### 2. Migration to BaseWebContextSensitiveTest (Rename & Refactor)
> \- \*\*\[GenericSampleOrderServiceTest.java\](file:///home/coder/OpenELIS-Global-2/src/test/java/org/openelisglobal/genericsample/service/GenericSampleOrderServiceTest.java)\*\*:
> - Renamed from \`GenericSampleOrderServiceImplTest.java\` to test the interface boundary instead of the concrete implementation class.
> - Extended \`BaseWebContextSensitiveTest\` to bootstrap the full transactional Spring application context and PostgreSQL Testcontainers.
> - Removed all Mockito runner annotations and manual mocks.
> - Preloaded the DBUnit dataset \`testdata/system-user.xml\` to bootstrap the standard audit system user (ID \`"1"\`), avoiding constraint violations.
> - Injected real database-backed \`GenericSampleOrderService\` and \`SampleService\` beans.
> \## Screenshots
> \<img width="947" height="265" alt="Screenshot from 2026-05-17 13-31-56" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8b42a7bc-13e8-426d-aa84-54e3def91a41" /\>
> 
> \## Related Issue
> Closes #3611
> \## Other

> <https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3597>
>
> \# Pull Requests Requirements
> 
> \- \[x\] The PR title includes a brief description …of the work done, including the
> Issue number if applicable.
> \- \[\] The PR includes a video showing the changes for the work done.
> \- \[x\] The PR title follows conventional commit label standards.
> \- \[x\] The changes confirm to the OpenElis Global x3
> \[Styleguide and Design\](https://uwdigi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OG/pages/621346838/OpenELIS+Global+Style+Guide)
> documentation.
> \- \[x\] The changes include tests or are validated by existing tests.
> \- \[x\] I have read and agree to the Contributing
> \[Guidelines\](https://openelis-global.org/community/get-involved/) of this
> project.
> 
> \## Summary
> 
> \- Established Database Isolation: Replaced all manual, programmatic data setup with a dedicated DBUnit dataset (alert.xml). This ensures every test starts with a 100% clean and predictable database state.
> 
> \- Built a Realistic Environment: The new dataset includes all real-world dependencies, including a system\_user for audit trails, site\_information for email/SMS triggers, and notification\_config options.
> 
> \- Expanded Lifecycle Coverage: We went beyond simple "creation" tests. The suite now verifies the entire lifecycle of an alert:
> 
> \- Deduplication: Confirmed that repeat alerts correctly increment counts instead of cluttering the database.
> 
> \- Acknowledgement: Verified the transition from Open to Acknowledged status.
> 
> \- Resolution: Verified that alerts can be closed with mandatory resolution notes and timestamps.
> 
> \- Dashboard Logic: Verified that query methods correctly filter active alerts for the UI.
>  
> \- Standardized Naming: All 8 test methods now follow the human-readable action\_shouldResult\_whenCondition pattern, making the test output self-documenting.
> 
>  
> \- Fixed Versioning Conflicts: Resolved "Optimistic Locking" issues by correctly managing the last\_updated column in the dataset, ensuring the tests are stable and CI-ready.
> 
> \## Screenshots
> \<img width="946" height="246" alt="Screenshot from 2026-05-13 17-15-39" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f0ddef7b-bb36-4fa2-9301-2adf22f27436" /\>
> 
> \## Related Issue
> 
> Closes #3596
> \## Other

> <https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3578>
>
> \# Pull Requests Requirements
> 
> \- \[x\] The PR title includes a brief description …of the work done, including the
> Issue number if applicable.
> \- \[x\] The PR includes a video showing the changes for the work done.
> \- \[x\] The PR title follows conventional commit label standards.
> \- \[x\] The changes confirm to the OpenElis Global x3
> \[Styleguide and Design\](https://uwdigi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OG/pages/621346838/OpenELIS+Global+Style+Guide)
> documentation.
> \- \[x\] The changes include tests or are validated by existing tests.
> \- \[x\] I have read and agree to the Contributing
> \[Guidelines\](https://openelis-global.org/community/get-involved/) of this
> project.
> 
> \## Summary
> \- \*\*New AI Skill\*\*: Created \`.ai/skills/backend-integration-testing/\` directory.
> \- \*\*Canonical Guidance\*\*: Added \`SKILL.md\` to define behavior and triggers for testing help.
> \- \*\*Technical Reference\*\*: Created \`reference/overview.md\` covering Testcontainers, DBUnit, and Bean Isolation (AppTestConfig).
> \- \*\*Standard Template\*\*: Implemented \`templates/integration-test-template.java\` based on the \`MenuServiceTest\` blueprint.
> \- \*\*Automation\*\*: Added \`/write-backend-test\` command definition for AI agents.
> \## Screenshots
> 
> 
> 
> \## Related Issue
> 
> Closes #3577
> 
> \## Other

> <https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3360>
>
> \# Pull Requests Requirements
> 
> \- \[\] The PR title includes a brief description …of the work done, including the
> Issue number if applicable.
> \- \[\] The PR includes a video showing the changes for the work done.
> \- \[\] The PR title follows conventional commit label standards.
> \- \[\] The changes confirm to the OpenElis Global x3
> \[Styleguide and Design\](https://uwdigi.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OG/pages/621346838/OpenELIS+Global+Style+Guide)
> documentation.
> \- \[\] The changes include tests or are validated by existing tests.
> \- \[\] I have read and agree to the Contributing
> \[Guidelines\](https://openelis-global.org/community/get-involved/) of this
> project.
> 
> \## Summary
> \## 🧪 REST Controller Test Fixes
> \- \*\*AnalyzerFieldMappingRestControllerTest\*\*: Updated the \`PUT\` update payload to include missing required fields (\`analyzerFieldId\`, \`openelisFieldType\`, \`mappingType\`) that were causing validation errors (400 Bad Request).
> \- \*\*AnalyzerMappingPreviewRestControllerTest\*\*: Resolved the \`413\` vs \`400\` discrepancy by removing the \`@Size\` validation from \`MappingPreviewForm.astmMessage\`. This allows the controller's manual 10KB check to return the correct \`413 Payload Too Large\` status instead of being short-circuited with a generic \`400\`.
> 
> \## 🛠️ Infrastructure & Database Fixes
> \- \*\*Liquibase Base XML\*\*: Resolved merge conflict markers in \[src/main/resources/liquibase/3.5.x.x/base.xml\](cci:7://file:///home/coder/Documents/OpenELIS-Global-2/src/main/resources/liquibase/3.5.x.x/base.xml:0:0-0:0).
> \- \*\*Panel Backfill Script\*\*: Fixed \[004-backfill-panel-lastupdated.xml\](cci:7://file:///home/coder/Documents/OpenELIS-Global-2/src/main/resources/liquibase/3.5.x.x/004-backfill-panel-lastupdated.xml:0:0-0:0) (renamed from \`003\` to avoid collision) by removing an invalid SQL statement that referenced a non-existent \`last\_updated\` column.
> \- \*\*Formatting\*\*: Applied \`mvn spotless:apply\` for consistent formatting across all modified files.
> 
> \## ✅ Verification Results
> \- \*\*testUpdateMapping\_WithValidData\_ReturnsUpdated\*\*: \`PASSED\`
> \- \*\*testPreviewMapping\_WithLargeMessage\_ReturnsBadRequest\*\*: \`PASSED\` (confirmed 413 response)
> 
> \## Screenshots
> 
> \[Add relevant screenshots here if applicable\]
> 
> \## Related Issue
> 
> Closes #3358
> 
> \## Other
> @pmanko

CC: @Moses_Mutesasira @mherman22 @pmanko

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 10:23am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/4 "2026-06-08T10:23:19Z")

</div>

**Week 2 Update — Test Framework Hardening (Phase 1 complete)**

Hey community

Week 2 is done and I want to share what kept me busy.

**The main focus: `BaseWebContextSensitiveTest`**

Before we can introduce the two-layer hierarchy (Milestone 1), the root class that every integration test inherits from needed to be solid. My mentor(s) Herbert and Herman and I agreed to fix the foundation first, then build on it. That became PR [#3700](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3700).

**5 fixes applied (Phase 1):**

1. `setUp()` was missing `@Before` any subclass that didn’t call `super.setUp()` got a silent `null` MockMvc with no useful error
2. `cleanRowsInCurrentConnection` was leaking a DBUnit wrapper connection on every dataset load in a large suite this quietly exhausts the pool
3. `mapToJson` / `mapFromJson` were creating a new `ObjectMapper` on every call, triggering a full Jackson module scan each time replaced with a single `private static final` instance
4. `buildFhirRequest` hardcoded the integer `1` as system user id replaced with the existing `TEST_SYS_USER_ID` constant
5. DBUnit connection config was inlined extracted to a private `buildDbUnitConnection()` helper so it never needs to be duplicated

**A deeper bug that surfaced during this work:**

`reference_tables` is seeded by Liquibase at DB init with ~136 rows. Every audit-emitting service does a lookup keyed on `ref_table_name`. If any fixture loader truncates that table and only reinserts its own handful of rows, every audit call downstream blows up with _“Reference Table is null”_ order-dependent, masked in isolation, only visible when tests run in sequence. The fix was a `PROTECTED_SEED_TABLES` filter that makes the seed untouchable at load time regardless of what any fixture XML declares. This came out of the PR #3591 audit-emit work and was the trickiest thing to track down this week.

**Other PRs from the week:**

- [#3644](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3644) `SampleTypeRequestServiceTest` approved ✅
- [#3656](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3656) `ShipmentServiceTest`
- [#3657](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3657) JPA field addition to `Shipment.java` needed for the above
- [#3662](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3662) `BoxSampleItemServiceTest`
- [#3638](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3638) Draft: porting fixture violations found across the suite

**Week 3 plan:**

Phase 2 introduce `BaseContextSensitiveTest` as a parent class sitting between the Spring context wiring and the full web-layer class. This separates service-layer tests (no MockMvc needed) from controller-layer tests (full servlet context). Same structure OpenMRS uses. No existing subclass should need to change its `extends` declaration.

Also continuing to expand coverage for service classes that currently have none.

cc: @Herbert @pmanko @Moses_Mutesasira@tasksolver @mherman22

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2026, 8:31am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/5 "2026-06-17T08:31:49Z")

</div>

**Week 3 Update Foundation review (Phase 2 moved to Week 4)**

Hey community, sorry for the delay on this one, I was away over the weekend and couldn’t get it out on schedule.

**The main focus: reviewing #3712, not writing new test infra**

Coming out of Week 2, the plan was to start Phase 2: introducing `BaseContextSensitiveTest` as the parent class sitting between Spring’s context wiring and the full web-layer test class. That didn’t ship this week, and here’s why.

Piotr opened [#3712](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3712), a large rework of how the entire integration suite handles database isolation between tests replacing the hand-built truncate-and-reseed model with real per-test transactional rollback. The core fix is a new `TransactionAwareTestDataSource` that forces JPA, raw JDBC, and the DBUnit fixture loader to share one connection per test instead of quietly fighting over separate ones, which turned out to be the root cause behind a string of flaky, order-dependent CI failures. Result on his branch: 4404 tests, 0 failures, 0 errors.

That PR introduces two new base classes (`BaseWebContextSensitiveTest` and `BaseCommittedFixtureTest`) sitting in exactly the layer my planned `BaseContextSensitiveTest` hierarchy needs to sit on top of. Building it in parallel without fully understanding how #3712 changes that layer risked either duplicating work or shipping something that conflicts with it the moment both land. So most of this week went into reading it closely and giving review feedback instead of writing new test infrastructure on ground that was actively shifting underneath it.

**Two smaller PRs also wrapped up:**

- [#3710](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3710) `Fix: fhir qc and storage dbunit errors` — approved. Fixed a stale `AnalyzerTestNameCache` that was silently dropping valid FHIR QC bundles, moved control-lot setup into the standard DBUnit dataset, and fixed an intermittent CI-only storage location failure caused by a fixture missing a `system_user` row.
- [#3719](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3719) `test: add system user integration test` — opened, still in review.

**Week 4 plan:**

The Week 2 plan still stands, just a week later than hoped. Introducing `BaseContextSensitiveTest` as the parent class between Spring’s context wiring and the full web-layer test class, separating service-layer tests (no MockMvc needed) from controller-layer tests (full servlet context) — same structure OpenMRS uses. Now with a much clearer picture of how it sits on top of the isolation model landing in #3712. Also continuing to expand integration test coverage for service classes that currently have none.

cc: [@Herbert](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/herbert) [@pmanko](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/pmanko) [@Moses\_Mutesasira](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/moses_mutesasira) [@tasksolver](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/tasksolver) [@mherman22](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/mherman22)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/6 "2026-06-23T16:42:32Z")

</div>

Week 4 Update

This week I focused primarily on expanding integration test coverage across OpenELIS and opened the following PRs:

[  
#3760 – SampleEdit Service Integration Test](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3760)  
[#3758 – QC Chart Data Service Integration Test](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3758)  
[#3751 – ResultReportConfiguration Integration Test](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3751)  
[#3747 – ResultCalculationService Integration Test](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3747)  
[#3736 – ResultValidationService Integration Test](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3736)

I also spent time reviewing the ongoing integration-test isolation work to better understand its impact on the existing test framework before making further infrastructure changes of my own.

I wrote a Week 4 blog post summarizing the work completed and lessons learned during the week:

[Medium blog post](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-2026-week-4-back-in-the-test-suite-b48b161bcda9)

Looking forward to continuing test coverage improvements and contributing to the ongoing testing infrastructure discussions.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 10:34am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/7 "2026-06-29T10:34:44Z")

</div>

**Week 5 Update**

This week I continued expanding integration test coverage, opening three new PRs:

- [#3776 – Unassigned Sample Item Service Integration Tests](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3776)
- [#3772 – Sample Transmission Sequence Service Tests](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3772)
- [#3765 – SampleQaChecklist Service Integration Test](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3765)

A highlight from this week was uncovering a production bug in `UnassignedSampleItemService` while writing tests. Several DAO methods attempt to match a `String` parameter against `SampleItem.id`, which is backed by a numeric sequence causing Hibernate to throw an `IllegalArgumentException` that ultimately surfaces as an `UnexpectedRollbackException`. The test suite documents this honestly: broken methods are asserted to throw the exception, and the intended behavioural tests are preserved under `@Ignore` so they can be re-enabled once the underlying issue is fixed.

I also continued monitoring the ongoing integration-test isolation discussions before making further infrastructure changes of my own.

I wrote a Week 5 blog post summarizing the work and what I learned along the way:  
[Medium blog post – Week 5](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-week-5-more-tests-more-discoveries-6e842d5753f2)

Looking forward to working through review feedback on the open PRs and continuing to expand test coverage next week.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/8 "2026-07-12T19:35:40Z")

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Hi community 👋

GSoC Week 6 & 7 update:

Week 6: shipped 2 PRs , TestAddService (clean pass) + TestActivationService (hit a fixture bug: missing `lastupdated` on versioned entities → fixed in the dataset, not the code).

Also kicked off a new workflow: Test / Lab Configuration.  
[https://medium.com/p/f50990207877?postPublishedType=initial](https://medium.com/p/f50990207877?postPublishedType=initial)

[https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-week-6-closing-out-the-sample-workflow-opening-up-lab-configuration-54a06830b688](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-week-6-closing-out-the-sample-workflow-opening-up-lab-configuration-54a06830b688)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2026, 1:01pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/9 "2026-07-20T13:01:33Z")

</div>

Hey community  
This is a blog for my [week 8](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-week-8-back-to-reviews-and-back-on-track-f49483a80c8d)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/10 "2026-07-28T15:59:34Z")

</div>

Hello community  
this is a blog for [my week 9](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-week-9-new-coverage-new-tooling-26d67320bd51)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/11 "2026-08-06T16:43:46Z")

</div>

Hello community  
this is a blog for[my week 10](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-week-10-reviews-and-a-reset-f6c424e6263e)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 11:30am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/12 "2026-08-12T11:30:48Z")

</div>

## GSoC Week 11: Back to New Coverage

Week 11 was about getting back to new integration test coverage after a review-focused Week 10.

I opened **[#3989](https://github.com/DIGI-UW/OpenELIS-Global-2/pull/3989)** to add integration tests for `StatusService`, covering status resolution, localization, and cache refresh behavior.

The review also reminded me that **a passing test isn’t necessarily a good test**. The feedback helped me identify assertions that needed to actually prove the intended behavior.

Next, I’ll address the feedback, get the PR merged, and start measuring the project’s actual coverage as part of the midterm evaluation.

Another week of closing coverage gaps. 🚀  
here is a link to my blog of [week 11](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/gsoc-week-11-back-to-new-coverage-on-statusservice-1071c8699dff)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 11:12am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/13 "2026-08-24T11:12:43Z")

</div>

**Week 12 update**

A quick GSoC progress update: Week 12 focused on strengthening the test suite rather than just adding new coverage.

I worked on fixture reliability and added stricter integration tests for `ReferralSetService`. Both PRs are now under review.

[medium post](https://medium.com/me/stories?tab=posts-published)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 11:14am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/14 "2026-08-24T11:14:00Z")

</div>

**Week 13 update**

Week 13 moved into controller-level integration testing with `SampleRestController`.

While writing the tests, I also uncovered a real HQL bug in the existing codebase — exactly the kind of issue stronger integration coverage should catch.

PRs #4115 and #4119 are under review, and I’m continuing with controller coverage. 🧪🚀  
[medium post](https://medium.com/me/stories?tab=posts-published)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 6:59am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/15 "2026-09-08T06:59:33Z")

</div>

Week 14 [Blog](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/week-14-was-more-of-the-same-push-into-integration-test-coverage-and-once-again-writing-the-tests-14baf64d0f83) 🚀

More integration tests, more bugs uncovered, and more progress. 🧪

Two new PRs, some useful fixes, and plenty of review work.

New blog is up!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/talk.openelis-global.org/agaba_derrick_junior/32/503_2.png) [@Agaba\_Derrick\_Junior](https://talk.openelis-global.org/u/Agaba_Derrick_Junior)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2026, 11:02am UTC](https://talk.openelis-global.org/t/gsoc-2026-project-thread-backend-integration-testing-standardization-and-expansion/2339/16 "2026-09-24T11:02:34Z")

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Week 15 and 16 [Blog](https://medium.com/@agabaderrick18/what-happened-d4200c61652d) 🚀

More integration tests, more bugs uncovered, and more progress.

New blog is up!