A method comprising: a first database system maintaining a primary database that includes a set of data; receiving, at the first database system, a query (402, 624) over one or more query database objects in the set of data in the primary database; the first database system automatically determining whether to offload the query (402, 624) to a second database system that maintains a standby database that replicates the primary database; wherein the standby database includes one or more query database object copies of the one or more query database objects in the primary database; the first database system maintaining object-specific standby information comprising, for each query database object of the one or more query database objects, object-specific information indicating whether a query database object copy of said each query database object in the standby database is up-to-date; wherein said determining whether to offload the query (402, 624) to the second database system is based on whether the one or more query database object copies are indicated as up-to-date in the object-specific standby information; in response to determining to offload the query (402, 624) to the second database system, the first database system automatically offloading the query (402, 624) by submitting, to the second database system, a request to run the query (402, 624) over a copy of the set of data in the standby database; receiving, from the second database system, results of the query (402, 624); and the first database system returning, as results of the query (402, 624), the query results received from the second database system. a first database system maintaining a primary database that includes a set of data; receiving, at the first database system, a query (402, 624) over one or more query database objects in the set of data in the primary database; the first database system automatically determining whether to offload the query (402, 624) to a second database system that maintains a standby database that replicates the primary database; wherein the standby database includes one or more query database object copies of the one or more query database objects in the primary database; the first database system maintaining object-specific standby information comprising, for each query database object of the one or more query database objects, object-specific information indicating whether a query database object copy of said each query database object in the standby database is up-to-date; wherein said determining whether to offload the query (402, 624) to the second database system is based on whether the one or more query database object copies are indicated as up-to-date in the object-specific standby information; in response to determining to offload the query (402, 624) to the second database system, the first database system automatically offloading the query (402, 624) by submitting, to the second database system, a request to run the query (402, 624) over a copy of the set of data in the standby database; receiving, from the second database system, results of the query (402, 624); and the first database system returning, as results of the query (402, 624), the query results received from the second database system.