diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index be400f5..9a1fdfa 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ notifications:
       secure: 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
 
 before_install:
-  - 'if [ "$TRAVIS_PULL_REQUEST" = "false" ]; then openssl aes-256-cbc -K $encrypted_10110adb91b4_key -iv $encrypted_10110adb91b4_iv -in tests/credentials.json.enc -out tests/credentials.json -d; fi'
+  - 'if [ "$TRAVIS_PULL_REQUEST" = "false" ]; then openssl aes-256-cbc -K "$encrypted_8D2E480FC532_key" -iv "$encrypted_8D2E480FC532_iv" -in tests/credentials.json.enc -out tests/credentials.json -d; fi'
   - "./tools/travis/setup.sh"
 install: true
 script:
diff --git a/tests/build.gradle b/tests/build.gradle
index ff6e0fc..537fc62 100644
--- a/tests/build.gradle
+++ b/tests/build.gradle
@@ -38,3 +38,14 @@ dependencies {
 tasks.withType(ScalaCompile) {
     scalaCompileOptions.additionalParameters = gradle.scala.compileFlags
 }
+
+task buildArtifacts(type:Exec) {
+    workingDir 'src/test/resources'
+    commandLine './build.sh'
+}
+
+tasks.withType(Test) {
+    dependsOn buildArtifacts
+}
+
+testClasses.dependsOn(buildArtifacts)
diff --git a/tests/credentials.json.enc b/tests/credentials.json.enc
index 82f3eb9..d0c5ac1 100644
Binary files a/tests/credentials.json.enc and b/tests/credentials.json.enc differ
diff --git a/tests/dat/db2/testDB2Service.py b/tests/dat/db2/testDB2Service.py
index fe3550b..d168a5b 100644
--- a/tests/dat/db2/testDB2Service.py
+++ b/tests/dat/db2/testDB2Service.py
@@ -11,8 +11,18 @@ def main(args):
         print ("Connection failed.")
         return {"error":"Error connecting to db2"}
 
-        # Select from TestTable (the row just inserted)
-    cmd = "SELECT HISP_DESC FROM SAMPLES.HISPANIC_ORIGIN WHERE HISP_CODE='03'"
+    # Select from TestTable (the row just inserted).
+    #
+    # Due to the db2 lite plan we use, the schema name is fixed to be
+    # the same as the username. We cut the value of the UID field
+    # in the ssldsn to get it and insert it in the select statement.
+    # The ssldsn looks like this:
+    # ssldsn="DATABASE=BLUDB;HOSTNAME=dashdb-xxxx.services.dal.bluemix.net;PORT=50001;PROTOCOL=TCPIP;UID=yyyyyyy;PWD=<hidden>;"
+    #
+    ssldsndict = dict(x.split("=") for x in ssldsn.rstrip(";").split(";"))
+    print("user={}".format(ssldsndict["UID"]))
+
+    cmd = "SELECT HISP_DESC FROM {}.HISPANIC_ORIGIN WHERE HISP_CODE='03'".format(ssldsndict["UID"])
     result = ibm_db.exec_immediate(conn, cmd)
 
     if not result:
@@ -27,4 +37,4 @@ def main(args):
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     # execute only if run as a script
     input = {"__bx_creds":{"dashDB":{"ssldsn":"<ssldsn from credentials>"}}}
-    print(main(input))
\ No newline at end of file
+    print(main(input))
diff --git a/tests/dat/watson/testWatsonService.py b/tests/dat/watson/testWatsonService.py
index 2edb64d..164a07d 100644
--- a/tests/dat/watson/testWatsonService.py
+++ b/tests/dat/watson/testWatsonService.py
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ def main(args):
     language_translator = LanguageTranslatorV3(
         version="2018-05-01",
         url=args.get("url"),
-        username=args.get("username"),
-        password=args.get("password"))
+        username="APIKey",
+        password=args.get("apikey"))
 
     translation = language_translator.translate(text='Hello', model_id='en-es')
     if LooseVersion(sdk_version) < LooseVersion('2.0.0'):
@@ -20,6 +20,5 @@ def main(args):
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     # execute only if run as a script
     input = {"url":"<url from credentials>",
-             "username":"<username from credentials>",
-             "password":"<password from credentials>"}
+             "apikey":"<apikey from credentials>"}
     print(main(input))
diff --git a/tests/src/test/resources/build.sh b/tests/src/test/resources/build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..035a9d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/src/test/resources/build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -e
+
+# build the necessary resources for the testcases
+# this is not implemented, yet
+# it will look like this:
+# (cd python-zip && zip ../python.zip -r .)
diff --git a/tests/src/test/resources/python2_virtualenv.zip b/tests/src/test/resources/python2_virtualenv.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4808c8a
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/src/test/resources/python2_virtualenv.zip differ
diff --git a/tests/src/test/resources/python3_virtualenv.zip b/tests/src/test/resources/python3_virtualenv.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3f40a15
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/src/test/resources/python3_virtualenv.zip differ
diff --git a/tests/src/test/resources/python_virtualenv_dir.zip b/tests/src/test/resources/python_virtualenv_dir.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f308fa1
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/src/test/resources/python_virtualenv_dir.zip differ
diff --git a/tests/src/test/resources/python_virtualenv_name.zip b/tests/src/test/resources/python_virtualenv_name.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c6c68a
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/src/test/resources/python_virtualenv_name.zip differ
diff --git a/tests/src/test/scala/actionContainers/IBMPythonActionContainerTests.scala b/tests/src/test/scala/actionContainers/IBMPythonActionContainerTests.scala
index a889202..73d886d 100644
--- a/tests/src/test/scala/actionContainers/IBMPythonActionContainerTests.scala
+++ b/tests/src/test/scala/actionContainers/IBMPythonActionContainerTests.scala
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 package runtime.actionContainers
 
+import java.io.File
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith
 import org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner
 import spray.json.DefaultJsonProtocol._
@@ -24,7 +25,6 @@ import common.WskActorSystem
 import actionContainers.{ActionContainer, BasicActionRunnerTests}
 import actionContainers.ActionContainer.withContainer
 import actionContainers.ResourceHelpers.{readAsBase64, ZipBuilder}
-import common.TestUtils
 import java.nio.file.Paths
 
 @RunWith(classOf[JUnitRunner])
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ class IBMPythonActionContainerTests extends BasicActionRunnerTests with WskActor
       |       "api_key": os.environ['__OW_API_KEY'],
       |       "namespace": os.environ['__OW_NAMESPACE'],
       |       "action_name": os.environ['__OW_ACTION_NAME'],
+      |       "action_version": os.environ['__OW_ACTION_VERSION'],
       |       "activation_id": os.environ['__OW_ACTIVATION_ID'],
       |       "deadline": os.environ['__OW_DEADLINE']
       |    }
@@ -213,9 +214,17 @@ class IBMPythonActionContainerTests extends BasicActionRunnerTests with WskActor
       })
   }
 
+  //
+  // return the full path/filename of a file from the classpath
+  //
+  def testArtifact(name: String): String = {
+    new File(this.getClass.getClassLoader.getResource(name).toURI).toString()
+  }
+
   it should "report error if zipped Python action containing a virtual environment for wrong python version" in {
     val zippedPythonAction = "python2_virtualenv.zip"
-    val zippedPythonActionName = TestUtils.getTestActionFilename(zippedPythonAction)
+    val zippedPythonActionName = testArtifact(zippedPythonAction)
+
     val code = readAsBase64(Paths.get(zippedPythonActionName))
 
     val (out, err) = withActionContainer() { c =>
@@ -242,7 +251,7 @@ class IBMPythonActionContainerTests extends BasicActionRunnerTests with WskActor
   }
 
   it should "report error if zipped Python action has wrong main module name" in {
-    val zippedPythonActionWrongName = TestUtils.getTestActionFilename("python_virtualenv_name.zip")
+    val zippedPythonActionWrongName = testArtifact("python_virtualenv_name.zip")
 
     val code = readAsBase64(Paths.get(zippedPythonActionWrongName))
 
@@ -260,7 +269,7 @@ class IBMPythonActionContainerTests extends BasicActionRunnerTests with WskActor
   }
 
   it should "report error if zipped Python action has invalid virtualenv directory" in {
-    val zippedPythonActionWrongDir = TestUtils.getTestActionFilename("python_virtualenv_dir.zip")
+    val zippedPythonActionWrongDir = testArtifact("python_virtualenv_dir.zip")
 
     val code = readAsBase64(Paths.get(zippedPythonActionWrongDir))
     val (out, err) = withActionContainer() { c =>
diff --git a/tests/src/test/scala/integration/CredentialsIBMPythonWatsonTests.scala b/tests/src/test/scala/integration/CredentialsIBMPythonWatsonTests.scala
index 98237fd..93aa697 100644
--- a/tests/src/test/scala/integration/CredentialsIBMPythonWatsonTests.scala
+++ b/tests/src/test/scala/integration/CredentialsIBMPythonWatsonTests.scala
@@ -41,8 +41,7 @@ class CredentialsIBMPythonWatsonTests extends TestHelpers with WskTestHelpers wi
     JsonParser(ParserInput(vcapString)).asJsObject.fields("language_translator").asInstanceOf[JsArray].elements(0)
   val creds = vcapInfo.asJsObject.fields("credentials").asJsObject
   val url = creds.fields("url").asInstanceOf[JsString]
-  val username = creds.fields("username").asInstanceOf[JsString]
-  val password = creds.fields("password").asInstanceOf[JsString]
+  val apikey = creds.fields("apikey").asInstanceOf[JsString]
 
   /*
     Uses Watson Translation Service to translate the word "Hello" in English, to "Hola" in Spanish.
@@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ class CredentialsIBMPythonWatsonTests extends TestHelpers with WskTestHelpers wi
         file,
         main = Some("main"),
         kind = defaultKind,
-        parameters = Map("url" -> url, "username" -> username, "password" -> password))
+        parameters = Map("url" -> url, "apikey" -> apikey))
     }
 
     withActivation(wsk.activation, wsk.action.invoke(actionName)) { activation =>
diff --git a/tools/travis/build.sh b/tools/travis/build.sh
index d8f39d8..666c6fa 100755
--- a/tools/travis/build.sh
+++ b/tools/travis/build.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,6 @@ docker tag openwhisk/python2action python2action
 
 TERM=dumb ./gradlew install
 
-# Build IBM nodejs runtime
+# Build IBM Python runtime images
 cd $ROOTDIR
 TERM=dumb ./gradlew distDocker -PdockerImagePrefix=${IMAGE_PREFIX}
diff --git a/tools/travis/setup.sh b/tools/travis/setup.sh
index 3b90022..46a555b 100755
--- a/tools/travis/setup.sh
+++ b/tools/travis/setup.sh
@@ -7,9 +7,13 @@ SCRIPTDIR=$(cd $(dirname "$0") && pwd)
 ROOTDIR="$SCRIPTDIR/../.."
 HOMEDIR="$SCRIPTDIR/../../../"
 
-# OpenWhisk stuff
+# clone openWhisk
 cd $HOMEDIR
 git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/apache/openwhisk.git openwhisk
+
+# setup the openwhisk environment
 cd openwhisk
 ./tools/travis/setup.sh
 
+# Also build required test artifacts
+./gradlew :tests:buildArtifacts