How to deploy a test database for DBIx Class - perl

Question

I have Mojolicious app with a test suite using Test::Class::Moose. Using DBIx::Class to interact with my database, is there a way to setup an in-memory database that I can add fixture data to?
I'd like to use an in memory database because it'll mean that the application will have less setup configuration. I do know how to setup an actual SQLite database for testing but managing that for testing along with a mySQL database for production doesn't sound like easy management (eg "oh no, forgot to rebuild the testing database").
Loading data from fixtures seems ideal, that way you have more control over what is actually in the database. Example, you find a bug with a row that contains certain data, add a row like that to your fixture file and test until successful.
Now how to actually set up an in-memory database using DBIx? :)
Right now this is how I'm building the schema for my Test::Class::Moose suite:
has cats => (
is => 'ro',
isa => 'Test::Mojo::Cats',
default => sub { return Test::Mojo::Cats->new(); }
);
has schema => (
is => 'ro',
lazy => 1,
builder => '_build_schema_and_populate',
);
sub _build_schema_and_populate {
my $test = shift;
my $config = $test->cats->app->config();
my $schema = Cat::Database::Schema->connect(
$config->{db_dsn},
$config->{db_user},
$config->{db_pass},
{
HandleError => DBIx::Error->HandleError,
unsafe => 1
}
);
require DBIx::Class::DeploymentHandler;
my $dh = DBIx::Class::DeploymentHandler->new({
schema => $schema,
sql_translator_args => { add_drop_table => 0 },
schema_version => 3,
});
$dh->prepare_install;
$dh->install;
my $json = read_file $config->{fixture_file};
my $fixtures = JSON::decode_json($json);
$schema->resultset($_)->populate($fixtures->{$_}) for keys %{$fixtures};
return $schema;
}
Where my config specifies dbi:SQLite:dbname=:memory: as the database dsn.
When running the test suite, the tables don't seem to be loaded, as I get errors stating the table does not exist, eg Can't locate object method "id" via package "no such table: cats"
Is there some extra setup that I'm not doing when wanting to deploy to an in-memory database?
Thanks
PS:
Doing the following works in a single script, I don't know if I'm doing something that Test::Class::Moose or Mojo doesn't like with the above
#!/usr/bin/perl
use Cats::Database::Schema;
use File::Slurp;
use JSON;
use Data::Dumper;
my $schema = Cats::Database::Schema->connect(
'dbi:SQLite:dbname=:memory:', '', ''
);
my $json = read_file('../t/fixtures.json');
my $fixtures = JSON::decode_json($json);
$schema->deploy();
$schema->resultset($_)->populate($fixtures->{$_}) for keys %{$fixtures};
# returns fixture data fine
# warn Dumper($schema->resultset('User')->search({}));

Answer 1

I believe I figured it out
The way I use the DBIx schema in the app is to instantiate it within a base controller which all sub controllers inherit. No matter how I built and populated the in memory database in the Test::Class::Moose object, it would not be using the instance specified there, instead it would be using the one specified in the base controller.
the solution was to move the schema construction up one level (from controller to the app root) as an attribute, allowing me to override it in Test Mojo to use the in memory db.