diff --git a/dbaccess/qa/unit/dbtest_base.cxx b/dbaccess/qa/unit/dbtest_base.cxx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4b4e3a32e9f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dbaccess/qa/unit/dbtest_base.cxx
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+/* -*- Mode: C++; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 4 -*- */
+/*
+ * This file is part of the LibreOffice project.
+ *
+ * This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+ * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+ */
+
+#include <comphelper/processfactory.hxx>
+#include <test/bootstrapfixture.hxx>
+#include <unotest/macros_test.hxx>
+
+#include <com/sun/star/frame/XModel.hpp>
+#include <com/sun/star/frame/Desktop.hpp>
+#include <com/sun/star/sdb/XOfficeDatabaseDocument.hpp>
+#include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XConnection.hpp>
+#include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XDataSource.hpp>
+
+using namespace ::com::sun::star;
+using namespace ::com::sun::star::frame;
+using namespace ::com::sun::star::sdb;
+using namespace ::com::sun::star::sdbc;
+using namespace ::com::sun::star::uno;
+
+class DBTestBase
+    : public ::test::BootstrapFixture
+    , public ::unotest::MacrosTest
+{
+private:
+    static OUString our_sFilePath;
+public:
+    virtual void setUp();
+    virtual void tearDown();
+
+    uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument >
+        getDocumentForFileName(OUString sFileName);
+
+    uno::Reference< XConnection >
+        getConnectionForDocument(
+            uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument >& xDocument);
+};
+
+OUString DBTestBase::our_sFilePath("/dbaccess/qa/unit/data/");
+
+uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument >
+    DBTestBase::getDocumentForFileName(OUString sFileName)
+{
+    uno::Reference< lang::XComponent > xComponent =
+        loadFromDesktop(getSrcRootURL() + our_sFilePath + sFileName);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xComponent.is());
+
+    uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument > xDocument(xComponent, UNO_QUERY);
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xDocument.is());
+
+    return xDocument;
+}
+
+uno::Reference< XConnection > DBTestBase::getConnectionForDocument(
+    uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument >& xDocument)
+{
+    uno::Reference< XDataSource > xDataSource = xDocument->getDataSource();
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xDataSource.is());
+
+    uno::Reference< XConnection > xConnection = xDataSource->getConnection("","");
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xConnection.is());
+
+    return xConnection;
+}
+
+
+void DBTestBase::setUp()
+{
+    ::test::BootstrapFixture::setUp();
+
+    mxDesktop = ::com::sun::star::frame::Desktop::create(
+                    ::comphelper::getProcessComponentContext());
+    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(mxDesktop.is());
+}
+
+void DBTestBase::tearDown()
+{
+    test::BootstrapFixture::tearDown();
+}
+
+/* vim:set shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4 expandtab: */
diff --git a/dbaccess/qa/unit/firebird.cxx b/dbaccess/qa/unit/firebird.cxx
index fb8234dc52c9..183d83dfbcd1 100644
--- a/dbaccess/qa/unit/firebird.cxx
+++ b/dbaccess/qa/unit/firebird.cxx
@@ -7,34 +7,24 @@
  * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
  */
 
-#include <comphelper/processfactory.hxx>
-#include <test/bootstrapfixture.hxx>
-#include <unotest/macros_test.hxx>
+#include "dbtest_base.cxx"
 
-#include <com/sun/star/frame/XModel.hpp>
-#include <com/sun/star/frame/Desktop.hpp>
 #include <com/sun/star/sdb/XOfficeDatabaseDocument.hpp>
 #include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XColumnLocate.hpp>
 #include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XConnection.hpp>
-#include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XDataSource.hpp>
 #include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XResultSet.hpp>
 #include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XRow.hpp>
 #include <com/sun/star/sdbc/XStatement.hpp>
 
 using namespace ::com::sun::star;
-using namespace ::com::sun::star::frame;
 using namespace ::com::sun::star::sdb;
 using namespace ::com::sun::star::sdbc;
 using namespace ::com::sun::star::uno;
 
 class FirebirdTest
-    : public ::test::BootstrapFixture
-    , public ::unotest::MacrosTest
+    : public DBTestBase
 {
 public:
-    virtual void setUp();
-    virtual void tearDown();
-
     void testEmptyDBConnection();
     void testIntegerDatabase();
 
@@ -44,28 +34,16 @@ public:
     CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_END();
 };
 
-// TODO: refactor the load file -> get Connection stuff into a separate class
-
 /**
  * Test the loading of an "empty" file, i.e. the embedded database has not yet
  * been initialised (as occurs when a new .odb is created and opened by base).
  */
 void FirebirdTest::testEmptyDBConnection()
 {
-    const OUString sFileName("/dbaccess/qa/unit/data/firebird_empty.odb");
+    uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument > xDocument =
+        getDocumentForFileName("firebird_empty.odb");
 
-    uno::Reference< lang::XComponent > xComponent = loadFromDesktop(
-                                                    getSrcRootURL() + sFileName);
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xComponent.is());
-
-    uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument > xDocument(xComponent, UNO_QUERY);
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xDocument.is());
-
-    uno::Reference< XDataSource > xDataSource = xDocument->getDataSource();
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xDataSource.is());
-
-    uno::Reference< XConnection > xConnection = xDataSource->getConnection("","");
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xConnection.is());
+    getConnectionForDocument(xDocument);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -74,20 +52,11 @@ void FirebirdTest::testEmptyDBConnection()
  */
 void FirebirdTest::testIntegerDatabase()
 {
-    const OUString sFileName("/dbaccess/qa/unit/data/firebird_integer_x64le.odb");
+    uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument > xDocument =
+        getDocumentForFileName("firebird_integer_x64le.odb");
 
-    uno::Reference< lang::XComponent > xComponent = loadFromDesktop(
-                                                    getSrcRootURL() + sFileName);
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xComponent.is());
-
-    uno::Reference< XOfficeDatabaseDocument > xDocument(xComponent, UNO_QUERY);
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xDocument.is());
-
-    uno::Reference< XDataSource > xDataSource = xDocument->getDataSource();
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xDataSource.is());
-
-    uno::Reference< XConnection > xConnection = xDataSource->getConnection("","");
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xConnection.is());
+    uno::Reference< XConnection > xConnection =
+        getConnectionForDocument(xDocument);
 
     uno::Reference< XStatement > xStatement = xConnection->createStatement();
     CPPUNIT_ASSERT(xStatement.is());
@@ -116,20 +85,6 @@ void FirebirdTest::testIntegerDatabase()
     CPPUNIT_ASSERT(!xResultSet->next()); // Should only be one row
 }
 
-void FirebirdTest::setUp()
-{
-    ::test::BootstrapFixture::setUp();
-
-    mxDesktop = ::com::sun::star::frame::Desktop::create(
-                    ::comphelper::getProcessComponentContext());
-    CPPUNIT_ASSERT(mxDesktop.is());
-}
-
-void FirebirdTest::tearDown()
-{
-    test::BootstrapFixture::tearDown();
-}
-
 CPPUNIT_TEST_SUITE_REGISTRATION(FirebirdTest);
 
 CPPUNIT_PLUGIN_IMPLEMENT();