My usual fixtures loader

fixtures.js

// TODO comments (lol)

"use strict";

/**
Usage:
- Put your data in data.json
- Require from your test files `var fixtures = require('./path/to/fixtures')
- Load and clear with `before(fixtures.clear)`, `before(fixtures.load)`, `after(fixtures.clear)`

Data format:
{
  "NameOfTheModel": [
    {"field": "value", "otherField": 42},
    {"field": "anotherItem"}
  ],
  "AnotherModel": [
    {"supports": "dbref", "key": {"$ref": "NameOfTheModel", "$idx": 1}}
  ]
}
**/


var models = require('../../lib/models') // A hash of your Mongoose models
  , async = require('async')

  , data = require(__dirname + '/data.json'); // The fixtures


module.exports = {

  load: function (cb) {
    var operations = {};
    Object.keys(data).forEach(function (model) {
      var Model = models[model];
      data[model].forEach(function (object, index) {
        var key = model + ':' + index;
        var deps = getDependedObjects(object);
        operations[key] = deps.concat(function (cb, r) {
          (new Model(injectDependedObjects(object, r))).save(function (err, obj) { cb(err, obj); });
        });
      });
    });
    async.auto(operations, cb);
  },

  clear: function (cb) {
    var operations = Object.keys(data).map(function (model) {
      var Model = models[model];
      return Model.remove.bind(Model, {});
    });
    async.parallel(operations, cb);
  }

};

function getDependedObjects (object) {
  var deps = [];
  Object.keys(object).forEach(function (key) {
    if (!object[key]) {
      return;
    }
    if (object[key].$ref && !isNaN(object[key].$idx)) {
      addDependedObject(deps, object[key]);
    }
    if (Array.isArray(object[key])) {
      object[key].forEach(function (o) {
        deps = deps.concat(getDependedObjects(o));
      });
    }
  });
  return deps;
}

function addDependedObject (deps, ref) {
  var s = ref.$ref + ':' + ref.$idx;
  if (!~deps.indexOf(s)) {
    deps.push(s);
  }
}

function injectDependedObjects (object, deps) {
  var obj = {};
  Object.keys(object).forEach(function (key) {
    var v = object[key];
    if (v && v.$ref && !isNaN(v.$idx)) {
      // direct dependency
      v = deps[v.$ref + ':' + v.$idx];
    } else if (Array.isArray(v)) {
      // sub-documents
      v = v.map(function (subdoc) {
        return injectDependedObjects(subdoc, deps);
      });
    } /*else { // !v
      // v unchanged
    }*/
    obj[key] = v;
  });
  return obj;
}