Requirements

• Eclipse IDE 2024-06 or newer, any package (the plugin needs only the Eclipse Platform).
• Java 17 or newer to run Eclipse (every Eclipse release from 2024-06 on already requires it).

Read Installation risk: Eclipse may not start before you install. Installing from an update site with Eclipse’s default settings can leave an Eclipse that cannot start. This is not specific to the dbUnit Eclipse plugin, and clearing one checkbox avoids it.

Install from Eclipse Marketplace

1. In Eclipse, open Help > Eclipse Marketplace…​.
2. Search for dbUnit.
3. Click the Install button.

https://marketplace.eclipse.org/content/dbunit-dataset-editor

Install from the update site

1. In Eclipse, open Help > Install New Software…​.
2. In Work with, enter https://dbunit.github.io/dbunit-eclipse-plugin/updates/ and press Enter.
3. Clear Contact all update sites during install to find required software, below the list of software. Eclipse checks this box by default, and with it checked Eclipse can also replace components you already have with newer ones from its other update sites (see Installation risk: Eclipse may not start).
4. Select dbUnit Dataset Editor in the dbUnit category, then Next.
5. Review the items to install, then Next.
6. Accept the license (GNU LGPL 2.1), then Finish.
7. When Eclipse asks whether to trust the signed content, check the dbUnit PGP key, then Trust Selected.
8. Restart Eclipse when prompted.

The update site is self-contained: the feature includes the Eclipse Nebula NatTable grid widget and Eclipse Collections, so no other update site is needed, and clearing the "Contact all update sites" box costs nothing. They install alongside any other versions of them already present.

Installation risk: Eclipse may not start

Eclipse’s installer, p2, does not only add the software you select. When it contacts all of Eclipse’s update sites, it can also replace components you already have with newer versions that those sites offer. The Eclipse IDE packages enable the Latest Eclipse Simultaneous Release site by default, and that site always offers the newest Eclipse release. If you run an older release, the installer can therefore upgrade some of the libraries that Eclipse itself needs (for example EMF, Jetty, and ASM) but not others that must match them, and then Eclipse cannot start.

This is not specific to the dbUnit Eclipse plugin: installing other plugins that extend the Eclipse user interface has the same effect. It was reproduced with the Eclipse IDE for Enterprise Java and Web Developers 2026-06 after the 2026-09 release: the installer upgraded some of the ASM bundles to 9.10, while the EclEmma code coverage tool held the others at 9.9. The SPI Fly bundle needs one consistent ASM version, so it failed to resolve, and every bundle that depends on it failed with it. Uninstalling the plugin afterwards does not undo the upgrades.

The risk is gone if you do any of these:

• Clear Contact all update sites during install to find required software whenever you install from the dbUnit Eclipse plugin update site. With the box cleared, Eclipse installs dbUnit, NatTable, and Eclipse Collections and changes nothing else.
• Update Eclipse to the newest release first (Help > Check for Updates), then install the dbUnit or other plugins. When you run the newest release, the site has nothing newer to offer.
• Copy the Eclipse installation folder before you install any plugin. If something goes wrong, delete the broken folder and use the copy (see If Eclipse does not start after an installation).

If Eclipse does not start after an installation

Eclipse may open no window at all, or it may report a startup error. The cause is in the log files of the Eclipse installation folder, the folder that contains eclipse.exe (on macOS, Eclipse.app/Contents/Eclipse):

1. Open the newest configuration/NNNN.log file, and the .bak_N.log files next to it if there are any.
2. Search for Uses constraint violation. The problem described on this page names org.apache.aries.spifly.dynamic.bundle and org.objectweb.asm, and many Could not resolve module entries follow it.

Uninstalling the dbUnit Eclipse plugin does not repair this because the upgraded libraries stay installed. Choose one of these instead:

1. Restore your copy. If you copied the Eclipse installation folder before installing, delete the broken folder and use the copy.
2. Install the missing ASM bundle. This repairs the ASM problem described above. In the Eclipse installation folder, run the following command, then start Eclipse:

   eclipsec.exe -nosplash -data @none -application org.eclipse.equinox.p2.director -repository https://download.eclipse.org/releases/2026-09 -installIU org.objectweb.asm.commons/9.10.1

   On Linux and macOS, run the eclipse launcher instead of eclipsec.exe (on macOS it is Eclipse.app/Contents/MacOS/eclipse). The command needs an internet connection, prints Operation completed when it is done, and leaves your plugins in place. It fits the case above, where the log mentions both version 9.10.1 and version 9.9.1 of org.objectweb.asm. If the log names other bundles, use the next option.

3. Start with a new Eclipse. Download the newest Eclipse from https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/, unpack it into a new folder, and open an existing workspace with it; the failed installation does not affect project workspaces. Install the plugins again, this time with Contact all update sites during install to find required software cleared.

Updating and Uninstalling

• Update: Help > Check for Updates.
• Uninstall: Help > About Eclipse IDE > Installation Details, select dbUnit Dataset Editor, Uninstall…​.