afv-library/skills/platform-data-manage/references/test-data-patterns.md

Test Data Patterns Guide

Best practices for creating realistic and effective test data.

Factory Pattern

Standard Implementation

public class TestDataFactory_Account {

    public static List<Account> create(Integer count) {
        return create(count, true);
    }

    public static List<Account> create(Integer count, Boolean doInsert) {
        List<Account> records = new List<Account>();
        for (Integer i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            records.add(buildRecord(i));
        }
        if (doInsert) {
            insert records;
        }
        return records;
    }

    private static Account buildRecord(Integer index) {
        return new Account(
            Name = 'Test Account ' + index,
            Industry = 'Technology'
        );
    }
}

Key Principles

1. Always create in lists - Support bulk operations
2. Provide doInsert parameter - Caller controls insertion
3. Track IDs for cleanup - Return inserted records
4. Use realistic data - Valid picklist values

Record Count Recommendations

Test Scenario	Record Count	Why
Basic unit test	1-10	Quick validation
Trigger testing	201	Batch boundary
Flow testing	200	Single transaction
Batch Apex	500+	Multiple batches
Performance	1000+	Stress testing

Edge Cases to Test

Null Values

account.Industry = null;  // Test null handling

Boundary Values

account.Name = 'A';  // Min length
account.Name = String.valueOf('X').repeat(255);  // Max length

Special Characters

account.Name = 'Test & "Special" <Characters>';

Date Boundaries

opp.CloseDate = Date.today();  // Today
opp.CloseDate = Date.today().addDays(-1);  // Yesterday
opp.CloseDate = Date.newInstance(2000, 1, 1);  // Old date

Relationship Testing

Create Hierarchy

// Create parent first
List<Account> accounts = TestDataFactory_Account.create(10);

// Create children with parent references
List<Contact> contacts = TestDataFactory_Contact.createForAccounts(
    new List<Id>(new Map<Id, Account>(accounts).keySet()),
    5  // 5 contacts per account
);

Best Practices

1. Avoid hardcoded IDs - Use dynamic references
2. Create all required fields - Prevent validation errors
3. Use unique values - Prevent duplicate errors
4. Document patterns - Explain test scenarios