SSDT: Creation of localDB instances from project file - Sql Server Unit testing purposes

Question

I have a SqlServer Database Project in my solution (VS2013 Professional) which has a corresponding test project with some stored procedure unit tests. Currently I am using a LocalDB and as far as I understand a local database instance is created in C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Microsoft
SQL Server Local DB\Instances\Projects and the specific .mdf file referenced in the SQL Server Object Explorer is in C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SSDT\[ProjectName]. The unit tests run fine on my local machine which I have developed
the project on.
My issue is we have a box which is configured to check out the project file from our version control, build the project using ms build commands and then run the unit tests using VSTest.Console. Usually with C# Test projects we reference the test project
dll and the unit tests run fine. I have referenced the dll for the test project with the stored procedure unit tests in. 
With the Stored Procedure unit tests however we get this exception: 
Initialization method [project].[spTest].TestInitialize threw exception. System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 50 - Local Database Runtime error occurred. The specified LocalDB instance does not exist.
After some digging I have realised that the localdb instance seems to be created when the project itself is created in VS not when it is built. Specifically when the localdb is first used and if you look into the appData folder of the test machine there
is no corresponding mdf file for the project.  
The question is is there a way to set up a localDB instance on the new machine if all you have the project file? The only purpose of the project on the test machine is to run the unit tests, no other development purposes. VS2013 Professional is installed
on the test machine but a solution only using config file changes or MSBuild/VSTest commands would be preferable.
I realise you could change the connection string to an actual test database and run the unit tests of that but we quite like the localdb approach for the testing. I also realise that you could potentially transfer the mdf file (haven't tested this solution)
as well, though I would prefer if there is a solution to my initial question. 
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh234692.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh309441(v=vs.110).aspx
I have been reading up on LocalDB and I assume a automatic LocalDB is created when you create a sql server database project (ie on localdb first use). I have tried adding the database creation to the test project config file but do not really know where
to go from there. The second link does not really specify when the named localdb will be created if you add the config items and I am not even sure if that is an actual solution.  Here's my test project config file for reference
<configSections>
<section name="system.data.localdb" type="System.Data.LocalDBConfigurationSection,System.Data,Version=4.0.0.0,Culture=neutral,PublicKeyToken=[PublicKeyToken]"/>
<section name="SqlUnitTesting_VS2013" type="Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.UnitTesting.Configuration.SqlUnitTestingSection, Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.UnitTesting, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=[PublicKeyToken]" />
</configSections>
<system.data.localdb>
<localdbinstances>
<add name="SimpleUnitTestingDB" version="11.0" />
</localdbinstances>
</system.data.localdb>
<SqlUnitTesting_VS2013>
<DatabaseDeployment DatabaseProjectFileName="..\..\..\SimpleUnitTestDB\SimpleUnitTestDB.sqlproj"
Configuration="Release" />
<DataGeneration ClearDatabase="true" />
<ExecutionContext Provider="System.Data.SqlClient" ConnectionString="Data Source=(localdb)\Projects;Initial Catalog=SimpleUnitTestDB;Integrated Security=True;Pooling=False;Connect Timeout=30"
CommandTimeout="30" />
<PrivilegedContext Provider="System.Data.SqlClient" ConnectionString="Data Source=(localdb)\Projects;Initial Catalog=SimpleUnitTestDB;Integrated Security=True;Pooling=False;Connect Timeout=30"
CommandTimeout="30" />
</SqlUnitTesting_VS2013>
Thanks in advance for any response. Sorry if there is any misunderstanding, while I have been using VS to develop from the start, this is the first time I have used a Sql Server Database Project. 
Regards,
Christopher. 

Answer 1

Yes, you can create a LocalDB instance manually. You use the SqlLocalDb utility, see here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh212961.aspx
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, [email protected]