diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDao.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDao.java
index 33981e3bc..0051722c3 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDao.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDao.java
@@ -132,7 +132,9 @@ public class JdbcJobInstanceDao extends AbstractJdbcBatchMetadataDao implements
 		List<String> keys = new ArrayList<String>(props.keySet());
 		Collections.sort(keys);
 		for (String key : keys) {
-			stringBuffer.append(key + "=" + props.get(key).toString() + ";");
+			JobParameter jobParameter = props.get(key);
+			String value = jobParameter.getValue()==null ? "" : jobParameter.toString();
+			stringBuffer.append(key + "=" + value + ";");
 		}
 
 		MessageDigest digest;
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests.java
index e839107bb..9bd11db3f 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests.java
@@ -15,10 +15,9 @@ import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobInstance;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobParameters;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobParametersBuilder;
-import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.AbstractTransactionalJUnit4SpringContextTests;
 import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Transactional;
 
-public abstract class AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests extends AbstractTransactionalJUnit4SpringContextTests {
+public abstract class AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests {
 
 	private static final long DATE = 777;
 
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDaoTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDaoTests.java
index 64ada8692..bc1748e56 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDaoTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/repository/dao/JdbcJobInstanceDaoTests.java
@@ -5,32 +5,61 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import java.math.BigInteger;
 import java.security.MessageDigest;
 
+import javax.sql.DataSource;
+
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobExecution;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobInstance;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobParameters;
 import org.springframework.batch.core.JobParametersBuilder;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.jdbc.core.simple.SimpleJdbcTemplate;
 import org.springframework.test.context.ContextConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
+import org.springframework.test.jdbc.SimpleJdbcTestUtils;
+import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Transactional;
 
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
 @ContextConfiguration(locations = "sql-dao-test.xml")
 public class JdbcJobInstanceDaoTests extends AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests {
+	
+	private SimpleJdbcTemplate jdbcTemplate;
+	
+	@Autowired
+	public void setDataSource(DataSource dataSource) {
+		this.jdbcTemplate = new SimpleJdbcTemplate(dataSource);
+	}
+	
+	@Autowired
+	private JobInstanceDao jobInstanceDao;
+
+	@Autowired
+	private JobExecutionDao jobExecutionDao;
 
 	protected JobInstanceDao getJobInstanceDao() {
-		deleteFromTables("BATCH_JOB_EXECUTION_CONTEXT",
+		SimpleJdbcTestUtils.deleteFromTables(jdbcTemplate, "BATCH_JOB_EXECUTION_CONTEXT",
 				"BATCH_STEP_EXECUTION_CONTEXT", "BATCH_STEP_EXECUTION",
 				"BATCH_JOB_EXECUTION", "BATCH_JOB_PARAMS", "BATCH_JOB_INSTANCE");
-		return (JobInstanceDao) applicationContext.getBean("jobInstanceDao");
+		return jobInstanceDao;
+	}
+
+	@Transactional
+	@Test
+	public void testNullStringParameter() throws Exception {
+
+		JobInstance jobInstance = dao.createJobInstance("testInstance",
+				new JobParametersBuilder().addString("foo", null).toJobParameters());
+
+		JobInstance retrievedInstance = dao.getJobInstance(jobInstance.getId());
+		JobParameters retrievedParams = retrievedInstance.getJobParameters();
+		assertEquals(null, retrievedParams.getString("foo"));
+
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testFindJobInstanceByExecution() {
 
-		JobExecutionDao jobExecutionDao = (JobExecutionDao) applicationContext
-				.getBean("jobExecutionDao");
-
 		JobInstance jobInstance = dao.createJobInstance("testInstance",
 				new JobParameters());
 		JobExecution jobExecution = new JobExecution(jobInstance, 2L);
@@ -51,6 +80,20 @@ public class JdbcJobInstanceDaoTests extends AbstractJobInstanceDaoTests {
 
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testCreateJobKeyWithNullParameter() {
+
+		JdbcJobInstanceDao jdbcDao = (JdbcJobInstanceDao) dao;
+		JobParameters jobParameters1 = new JobParametersBuilder().addString(
+				"foo", "bar").addString("bar", null).toJobParameters();
+		JobParameters jobParameters2 = new JobParametersBuilder().addString(
+				"foo", "bar").addString("bar", "").toJobParameters();
+		String key1 = jdbcDao.createJobKey(jobParameters1);
+		String key2 = jdbcDao.createJobKey(jobParameters2);
+		assertEquals(key1, key2);
+
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testCreateJobKeyOrdering() {