Reversible Data was written out of the desire for an easier way to test ActiveRecord plugins I’d written whilst working for Brown Beagle. At the time, I couldn’t find anything to suit my needs (although alternatives have since been released) so I buckled down and wrote it myself.

In a nutshell, it provides an easy way to define models and tables that exist only within a specific scope – e.g. you can create a user model but completely remove it and it’s table outside of a specific test, making it much easier to test plugins that need ActiveRecord models without writing a full rails application / other assorted hacks.