diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_app.py b/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_app.py
index d6982b7f5..9b4bda27a 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_app.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_app.py
@@ -75,7 +75,8 @@ class TestApp(base.BaseTestCase):
 
 
 class TestPecanApp(FunctionalTest):
-    database_connection = tests_db.MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl()
+
+    db_manager = tests_db.MongoDbManager()
 
     def test_pecan_extension_guessing_unset(self):
         # check Pecan does not assume .jpg is an extension
@@ -85,8 +86,7 @@ class TestPecanApp(FunctionalTest):
 
 class TestApiMiddleware(FunctionalTest):
 
-    # This doesn't really matter
-    database_connection = tests_db.MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl()
+    db_manager = tests_db.MongoDbManager()
 
     no_lang_translated_error = 'No lang translated error'
     en_US_translated_error = 'en-US translated error'
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py b/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py
index 926a27817..c2bb2fb2e 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/api/v2/test_statistics_scenarios.py
@@ -1224,10 +1224,9 @@ class TestGroupBySource(FunctionalTest,
     # tests.
 
     scenarios = [
-        ('mongodb',
-         dict(database_connection=tests_db.MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl())),
-        ('hbase', dict(database_connection=tests_db.HBaseFakeConnectionUrl())),
-        ('db2', dict(database_connection=tests_db.DB2FakeConnectionUrl())),
+        ('mongodb', {'db_manager': tests_db.MongoDbManager()}),
+        ('hbase', {'db_manager': tests_db.HBaseManager()}),
+        ('db2', {'db_manager': tests_db.DB2Manager()}),
     ]
 
     PATH = '/meters/instance/statistics'
@@ -1580,10 +1579,9 @@ class TestUnparameterizedAggregates(FunctionalTest,
     # in the usual way.
 
     scenarios = [
-        ('mongodb',
-         dict(database_connection=tests_db.MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl())),
-        ('hbase', dict(database_connection=tests_db.HBaseFakeConnectionUrl())),
-        ('db2', dict(database_connection=tests_db.DB2FakeConnectionUrl())),
+        ('mongodb', {'db_manager': tests_db.MongoDbManager()}),
+        ('hbase', {'db_manager': tests_db.HBaseManager()}),
+        ('db2', {'db_manager': tests_db.DB2Manager()}),
     ]
 
     PATH = '/meters/instance/statistics'
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/db.py b/ceilometer/tests/db.py
index f03a617e0..d0a8b2c0a 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/db.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/db.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 # under the License.
 
 """Base classes for API tests."""
+import fixtures
 import os
 import uuid
 import warnings
@@ -36,11 +37,10 @@ class TestBase(testscenarios.testcase.WithScenarios, test_base.BaseTestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         super(TestBase, self).setUp()
 
-        if self.database_connection is None:
-            self.skipTest("No connection URL set")
+        self.useFixture(self.db_manager)
 
         self.CONF = self.useFixture(config.Config()).conf
-        self.CONF.set_override('connection', str(self.database_connection),
+        self.CONF.set_override('connection', self.db_manager.connection,
                                group='database')
 
         with warnings.catch_warnings():
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class TestBase(testscenarios.testcase.WithScenarios, test_base.BaseTestCase):
         super(TestBase, self).tearDown()
 
 
-class MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl(object):
+class MongoDbManager(fixtures.Fixture):
 
     def __init__(self):
         self.url = os.environ.get('CEILOMETER_TEST_MONGODB_URL')
@@ -81,11 +81,15 @@ class MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl(object):
                 "No MongoDB test URL set,"
                 "export CEILOMETER_TEST_MONGODB_URL environment variable")
 
-    def __str__(self):
-        return '%(url)s_%(db)s' % dict(url=self.url, db=uuid.uuid4().hex)
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(MongoDbManager, self).setUp()
+        self.connection = '%(url)s_%(db)s' % {
+            'url': self.url,
+            'db': uuid.uuid4().hex
+        }
 
 
-class DB2FakeConnectionUrl(MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl):
+class DB2Manager(MongoDbManager):
     def __init__(self):
         self.url = (os.environ.get('CEILOMETER_TEST_DB2_URL') or
                     os.environ.get('CEILOMETER_TEST_MONGODB_URL'))
@@ -99,25 +103,32 @@ class DB2FakeConnectionUrl(MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl):
             self.url = self.url.replace('mongodb:', 'db2:', 1)
 
 
-class HBaseFakeConnectionUrl(object):
+class HBaseManager(fixtures.Fixture):
     def __init__(self):
         self.url = os.environ.get('CEILOMETER_TEST_HBASE_URL')
         if not self.url:
             self.url = 'hbase://__test__'
 
-    def __str__(self):
-        s = '%s?table_prefix=%s' % (
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(HBaseManager, self).setUp()
+        self.connection = '%s?table_prefix=%s' % (
             self.url,
             uuid.uuid4().hex)
-        return s
+
+
+class SQLiteManager(fixtures.Fixture):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(SQLiteManager, self).setUp()
+        self.connection = 'sqlite://'
 
 
 @six.add_metaclass(test_base.SkipNotImplementedMeta)
 class MixinTestsWithBackendScenarios(object):
 
     scenarios = [
-        ('sqlalchemy', dict(database_connection='sqlite://')),
-        ('mongodb', dict(database_connection=MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl())),
-        ('hbase', dict(database_connection=HBaseFakeConnectionUrl())),
-        ('db2', dict(database_connection=DB2FakeConnectionUrl())),
+        ('sqlite', {'db_manager': SQLiteManager()}),
+        ('mongodb', {'db_manager': MongoDbManager()}),
+        ('hbase', {'db_manager': HBaseManager()}),
+        ('db2', {'db_manager': DB2Manager()})
     ]
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_db2.py b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_db2.py
index c7c587cc7..92a27e760 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_db2.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_db2.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ from ceilometer.tests import db as tests_db
 
 
 class DB2EngineTestBase(tests_db.TestBase):
-    database_connection = tests_db.DB2FakeConnectionUrl()
+    db_manager = tests_db.DB2Manager()
 
 
 class CapabilitiesTest(DB2EngineTestBase):
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_hbase.py b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_hbase.py
index 4d724a582..891ce5146 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_hbase.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_hbase.py
@@ -31,13 +31,13 @@ from ceilometer.tests import db as tests_db
 
 
 class HBaseEngineTestBase(tests_db.TestBase):
-    database_connection = tests_db.HBaseFakeConnectionUrl()
+    db_manager = tests_db.HBaseManager()
 
 
 class ConnectionTest(HBaseEngineTestBase):
 
     def test_hbase_connection(self):
-        self.CONF.database.connection = str(self.database_connection)
+        self.CONF.database.connection = self.db_manager.connection
         conn = hbase.Connection(self.CONF)
         self.assertIsInstance(conn.conn_pool.connection(), hbase.MConnection)
 
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_mongodb.py b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_mongodb.py
index a02f6cef1..a9218acc2 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_mongodb.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_mongodb.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ from ceilometer.tests.storage import test_storage_scenarios
 
 
 class MongoDBEngineTestBase(tests_db.TestBase):
-    database_connection = tests_db.MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl()
+    db_manager = tests_db.MongoDbManager()
 
 
 class MongoDBConnection(MongoDBEngineTestBase):
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class MongoDBConnection(MongoDBEngineTestBase):
     def test_replica_set(self):
         self.CONF.set_override(
             'connection',
-            str(tests_db.MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl()) + '?replicaSet=foobar',
+            self.db_manager.connection + '?replicaSet=foobar',
             group='database')
         conn = impl_mongodb.Connection(self.CONF)
         self.assertTrue(conn.conn)
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_sqlalchemy.py b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_sqlalchemy.py
index 5893818f6..1ead4a907 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_sqlalchemy.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_impl_sqlalchemy.py
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ from ceilometer.tests.storage import test_storage_scenarios as scenarios
 class EventTestBase(tests_db.TestBase):
     # Note: Do not derive from SQLAlchemyEngineTestBase, since we
     # don't want to automatically inherit all the Meter setup.
-    database_connection = 'sqlite://'
+    db_manager = tests_db.SQLiteManager()
 
 
 class CeilometerBaseTest(EventTestBase):
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ class EventTest(EventTestBase):
 class RelationshipTest(scenarios.DBTestBase):
     # Note: Do not derive from SQLAlchemyEngineTestBase, since we
     # don't want to automatically inherit all the Meter setup.
-    database_connection = 'sqlite://'
+    db_manager = tests_db.SQLiteManager()
 
     def test_clear_metering_data_meta_tables(self):
         timeutils.utcnow.override_time = datetime.datetime(2012, 7, 2, 10, 45)
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py
index 22ab28f51..4b5574ad9 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py
@@ -31,10 +31,8 @@ class CompatibilityTest(test_storage_scenarios.DBTestBase,
                         tests_db.MixinTestsWithBackendScenarios):
 
     scenarios = [
-        ('mongodb',
-         dict(database_connection=tests_db.MongoDBFakeConnectionUrl())),
-        ('db2',
-         dict(database_connection=tests_db.DB2FakeConnectionUrl())),
+        ('mongodb', {'db_manager': tests_db.MongoDbManager()}),
+        ('db2', {'db_manager': tests_db.DB2Manager()}),
     ]
 
     def prepare_data(self):