diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/runtime/JobParametersFactory.java b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/runtime/JobParametersFactory.java
index 2d580e4c9..9db981ad9 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/runtime/JobParametersFactory.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/batch/core/runtime/JobParametersFactory.java
@@ -43,4 +43,12 @@ public interface JobParametersFactory {
 	 * @return a {@link JobParameters} properties converted to the correct types.
 	 */
 	public JobParameters getJobParameters(Properties properties);
+
+	/**
+	 * The inverse operation: get a {@link Properties} instance.
+	 * 
+	 * @param params
+	 * @return a representation of the parameters as properties
+	 */
+	public Properties getProperties(JobParameters params);
 }
diff --git a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/domain/JobParametersBuilderTests.java b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/domain/JobParametersBuilderTests.java
index ad47e962e..5b494d119 100644
--- a/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/domain/JobParametersBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-batch-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/core/domain/JobParametersBuilderTests.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 package org.springframework.batch.core.domain;
 
 import java.util.Date;
+import java.util.Iterator;
 
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
 
@@ -13,24 +14,37 @@ import junit.framework.TestCase;
  */
 public class JobParametersBuilderTests extends TestCase {
 
-	JobParametersBuilder parametersBuilder;
+	JobParametersBuilder parametersBuilder = new JobParametersBuilder();
 	
 	Date date = new Date(System.currentTimeMillis());
 	
-	protected void setUp() throws Exception {
-		super.setUp();
-		
-		parametersBuilder = new JobParametersBuilder();
+	public void testToJobRuntimeParamters(){	
 		parametersBuilder.addDate("SCHEDULE_DATE", date);
 		parametersBuilder.addLong("LONG", new Long(1));
 		parametersBuilder.addString("STRING", "string value");
-	}
-	
-	public void testToJobRuntimeParamters(){
-		
 		JobParameters parameters = parametersBuilder.toJobParameters();
-		assertEquals(parameters.getDate("SCHEDULE_DATE"), date);
-		assertEquals(parameters.getLong("LONG"), new Long(1));
-		assertEquals(parameters.getString("STRING"), "string value");
+		assertEquals(date, parameters.getDate("SCHEDULE_DATE"));
+		assertEquals(new Long(1), parameters.getLong("LONG"));
+		assertEquals("string value", parameters.getString("STRING"));
+	}
+
+	public void testOrderedTypes(){	
+		parametersBuilder.addDate("SCHEDULE_DATE", date);
+		parametersBuilder.addLong("LONG", new Long(1));
+		parametersBuilder.addString("STRING", "string value");
+		Iterator parameters = parametersBuilder.toJobParameters().getParameters().keySet().iterator();
+		assertEquals("STRING", parameters.next());
+		assertEquals("LONG", parameters.next());
+		assertEquals("SCHEDULE_DATE", parameters.next());
+	}
+
+	public void testOrderedStrings(){	
+		parametersBuilder.addString("foo", "value foo");
+		parametersBuilder.addString("bar", "value bar");
+		parametersBuilder.addString("spam", "value spam");
+		Iterator parameters = parametersBuilder.toJobParameters().getParameters().keySet().iterator();
+		assertEquals("foo", parameters.next());
+		assertEquals("bar", parameters.next());
+		assertEquals("spam", parameters.next());
 	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-batch-execution/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/support/DefaultJobParametersFactoryTests.java b/spring-batch-execution/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/support/DefaultJobParametersFactoryTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..81721ba47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spring-batch-execution/src/test/java/org/springframework/batch/execution/bootstrap/support/DefaultJobParametersFactoryTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2006-2008 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.batch.execution.bootstrap.support;
+
+import java.text.DateFormat;
+import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
+import java.util.Date;
+import java.util.Properties;
+
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
+
+import org.springframework.batch.core.domain.JobParameters;
+import org.springframework.batch.core.domain.JobParametersBuilder;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+
+/**
+ * @author Dave Syer
+ * 
+ */
+public class DefaultJobParametersFactoryTests extends TestCase {
+
+	DefaultJobParametersFactory factory = new DefaultJobParametersFactory();
+
+	DateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("MM/dd/yyyy");
+
+	public void testGetParameters() throws Exception {
+
+		String jobKey = "job.key=myKey";
+		String scheduleDate = "schedule.date(date)=2008/01/23";
+		String vendorId = "vendor.id(long)=33243243";
+
+		String[] args = new String[] { jobKey, scheduleDate, vendorId };
+
+		JobParameters props = factory.getJobParameters(StringUtils.splitArrayElementsIntoProperties(args, "="));
+		assertNotNull(props);
+		assertEquals("myKey", props.getString("job.key"));
+		assertEquals(new Long(33243243L), props.getLong("vendor.id"));
+		Date date = dateFormat.parse("01/23/2008");
+		assertEquals(date, props.getDate("schedule.date"));
+	}
+
+	public void testGetProperties() throws Exception {
+
+		JobParameters parameters = new JobParametersBuilder().addDate("schedule.date", dateFormat.parse("01/23/2008"))
+				.addString("job.key", "myKey").addLong("vendor.id", new Long(33243243)).toJobParameters();
+
+		Properties props = factory.getProperties(parameters);
+		assertNotNull(props);
+		assertEquals("myKey", props.getProperty("job.key"));
+		assertEquals("33243243", props.getProperty("vendor.id(long)"));
+		assertEquals("2008/01/23", props.getProperty("schedule.date(date)"));
+	}
+
+	public void testEmptyArgs() {
+
+		JobParameters props = factory.getJobParameters(new Properties());
+		assertTrue(props.getParameters().isEmpty());
+	}
+}