diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 82aed1e..78940e6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ on "dev/testsession/start":
    The path should be relative to the webroot.
  * `createDatabase`: Create a temporary database.
  * `createDatabaseTemplate`: Path to a database dump to load into a newly created temporary database.
+ * `requireDefaultRecords`: Include default records as defined on the model classes (in PHP)
  * `database`: Set an alternative database name in the current 
     browser session as a cookie. Does not actually create the database, 
     that's usually handled by `SapphireTest::create_temp_db()`.
diff --git a/code/TestSessionController.php b/code/TestSessionController.php
index 9ee4bf4..34c41b0 100644
--- a/code/TestSessionController.php
+++ b/code/TestSessionController.php
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ class TestSessionController extends Controller {
 			$dropdown->setSource($databaseTemplates)
 				->setEmptyString('Empty database');
 		}
+		$fields->push(new CheckboxField('requireDefaultRecords', 'Create default data?'));
 		$fields->merge($this->getBaseFields());
 		$form = new Form(
 			$this, 
diff --git a/code/TestSessionEnvironment.php b/code/TestSessionEnvironment.php
index e5b869e..afbec73 100644
--- a/code/TestSessionEnvironment.php
+++ b/code/TestSessionEnvironment.php
@@ -197,7 +197,9 @@ class TestSessionEnvironment extends Object {
 				// In case the dump involved CREATE TABLE commands, we need to ensure
 				// the schema is still up to date
 				$dbAdmin = new DatabaseAdmin();
-				$dbAdmin->doBuild(true /*quiet*/, false /*populate*/);
+				$populate = (isset($state->requireDefaultRecords) && $state->requireDefaultRecords);
+				Versioned::set_reading_mode('');
+				$dbAdmin->doBuild(true /*quiet*/, $populate);
 			}
 
 			if(isset($state->createDatabase)) unset($state->createDatabase);