diff --git a/armadillo_azure-pipelines.yml b/armadillo_azure-pipelines.yml
index 2fba0a0a..ebca240b 100644
--- a/armadillo_azure-pipelines.yml
+++ b/armadillo_azure-pipelines.yml
@@ -535,7 +535,6 @@ jobs:
       echo 'branch:'$(branchName) >> $(datetime).txt
       echo 'os:'$(lsb_release -ds) >> $(datetime).txt
       echo 'R:'$(R --version | head -n 1) >> $(datetime).txt
-      echo 'opal:'$(opal system --opal localhost:8443 --user administrator --password "datashield_test&" --version) >> $(datetime).txt
 
     workingDirectory: $(Pipeline.Workspace)/logs
     displayName: 'Write versions to file'
diff --git a/tests/testthat.R b/tests/testthat.R
index 389ee66c..b262d97d 100644
--- a/tests/testthat.R
+++ b/tests/testthat.R
@@ -9,5 +9,8 @@
 library(testthat)
 library(dsBaseClient)
 
-if (identical(Sys.getenv("NOT_CRAN"), "true"))
+if (identical(Sys.getenv("NOT_CRAN"), "true")) {
+    ufq_opt <- base::options(useFancyQuotes = FALSE)
     test_check("dsBaseClient")
+    base::options(useFancyQuotes = ufq_opt)
+}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/data_files/obiba_opal-upload_testing_datasets.R b/tests/testthat/data_files/obiba_opal-upload_testing_datasets.R
index ae79d2e6..2913e3ec 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/data_files/obiba_opal-upload_testing_datasets.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/data_files/obiba_opal-upload_testing_datasets.R
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ upload_testing_dataset_table <- function(opal, project_name, table_name, local_f
     opal.table_save(opal, data, project_name, table_name, id.name = "_row_id_", force = TRUE)
 }
 
-# opal <- opal.login('administrator','datashield_test&', url='https://192.168.56.100:8443/', opts = list(ssl_verifyhost=0, ssl_verifypeer=0))
-opal <- opal.login('administrator','datashield_test&', url='https://localhost:8443/', opts = list(ssl_verifyhost=0, ssl_verifypeer=0))
+# opal <- opal.login('administrator','datashield_test&', url='https://192.168.56.100:8/', opts = list(ssl_verifyhost=0, ssl_verifypeer=0))
+opal <- opal.login('administrator','datashield_test&', url='http://localhost:8080/', opts = list())
 
 upload_testing_dataset_table(opal, 'ANTHRO', 'anthro1', 'ANTHRO/anthro1.rda')
 upload_testing_dataset_table(opal, 'ANTHRO', 'anthro2', 'ANTHRO/anthro2.rda')
diff --git a/tests/testthat/perf_files/armadillo_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv b/tests/testthat/perf_files/armadillo_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv
index cd65d3d1..b72b58dd 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/perf_files/armadillo_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv
+++ b/tests/testthat/perf_files/armadillo_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@
 "ds.numNA::perf::combine:0","23.58","0.5","2"
 "ds.sqrt::perf::0","16.83","0.5","2"
 "ds.unique::perf::combine:0","17.04","0.5","2"
-"void::perf::void::0","52590","0.5","2"
+"void::perf::void::0","52590","0.5","2"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/testthat/perf_files/armadillo_hp-laptop-quay_perf-profile.csv b/tests/testthat/perf_files/armadillo_hp-laptop-quay_perf-profile.csv
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..89fe83c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/testthat/perf_files/armadillo_hp-laptop-quay_perf-profile.csv
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+"refer_name","rate","lower_tolerance","upper_tolerance"
+"conndisconn::perf::simple0","0.04918","0.5","2"
+"ds.abs::perf::0","6.327","0.5","2"
+"ds.asCharacter::perf::0","4.048","0.5","2"
+"ds.asDataMatrix::perf::0","4.206","0.5","2"
+"ds.asInteger::perf:0","4.309","0.5","2"
+"ds.asList::perf:0","8.058","0.5","2"
+"ds.asLogical::perf::0","4.793","0.5","2"
+"ds.asMatrix::perf::0","4.840","0.5","2"
+"ds.asNumeric::perf:0","6.555","0.5","2"
+"ds.assign::perf::0","2.745","0.5","2"
+"ds.class::perf::combine:0","3.261","0.5","2"
+"ds.colnames::perf:0","2.404","0.5","2"
+"ds.exists::perf::combine:0","6.342","0.5","2"
+"ds.length::perf::combine:0","7.835","0.5","2"
+"ds.mean::perf::combine:0","8.127","0.5","2"
+"ds.mean::perf::split:0","8.109","0.5","2"
+"ds.sqrt::perf::0","5.569","0.5","2"
+"void::perf::void::0","20280.0","0.5","2"
diff --git a/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv b/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv
index 831ff8e8..b2c08e10 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv
+++ b/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_azure-pipeline_perf-profile.csv
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@
 "ds.numNA::perf::combine:0","8.411","0.5","2"
 "ds.sqrt::perf::0","8.666","0.5","2"
 "ds.unique::perf::combine:0","8.656","0.5","2"
-"void::perf::void::0","46340","0.5","2"
+"void::perf::void::0","46340","0.5","2"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_hp-laptop-quay_perf-profile.csv b/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_hp-laptop-quay_perf-profile.csv
index 181814d3..78fc7157 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_hp-laptop-quay_perf-profile.csv
+++ b/tests/testthat/perf_files/opal_hp-laptop-quay_perf-profile.csv
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@
 "ds.numNA::perf::combine:0","25.46","0.5","2"
 "ds.sqrt::perf::0","2.686","0.5","2"
 "ds.unique::perf::combine:0","2.681","0.5","2"
-"void::perf::void::0","20150","0.5","2"
+"void::perf::void::0","20150","0.5","2"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/testthat/setup.R b/tests/testthat/setup.R
index 5980e9df..02275ef1 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/setup.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/setup.R
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ source("connection_to_datasets/init_testing_datasets.R")
 source("connection_to_datasets/init_studies_datasets.R")
 source("connection_to_datasets/init_discordant_datasets.R")
 source("connection_to_datasets/init_mediation_datasets.R")
-options(datashield.errors.print = FALSE)
+base::options(datashield.errors.print = FALSE)
+base::options(useFancyQuotes = FALSE)
 
 # context("setup - done")
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-smk_dgr-ds.asCharacter.R b/tests/testthat/test-smk_dgr-ds.asCharacter.R
index 965d637a..224c8616 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-smk_dgr-ds.asCharacter.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-smk_dgr-ds.asCharacter.R
@@ -29,7 +29,14 @@ test_that("setup", {
 
 # context("ds.asCharacter::smk_dgr::simple test")
 test_that("simple test", {
-    expect_no_error(ds.asCharacter("D$LAB_TSC"))
+    res <- ds.asCharacter("D$LAB_TSC")
+    expect_equal(length(res), 0)
+
+    newobj <- ds.DANGERvarsEXTRACT('ascharacter.newobj')
+
+    expect_equal(length(newobj), 2)
+    expect_true(all(c("list") %in% class(newobj[[1]])))
+    expect_true(all(c("data.frame") %in% class(newobj[[2]])))
 })
 
 #