Patent ID: 7412456

Claim:
A method for providing database schema information comprising: reading, by a database driver, a configuration file having default instructions for retrieving the database schema information, the default instructions being one of instructions to execute a query on a database and instructions to retrieve hard-coded information from within the configuration file; if the default instructions are overridden, then retrieving, by the database driver, the database schema information from a designated file that is external to the database driver and to the database, whereby the designated file is generated and is updatable without altering the database driver, and whereby the designated file is accessible without accessing the database; and if the default instructions are not overridden, then retrieving, by the database driver, the database schema information according to the default instructions wherein retrieving the database schema information according to the default instructions comprises retrieving the database schema information according to a population mechanism node in the configuration file, the population mechanism node having one of a command to execute the query on the database and a command to retrieve the hard-coded information, and wherein retrieving the database schema information according to the default instructions comprises retrieving the database schema information according to a population string node in the configuration file, the population string node identifying a string with which to retrieve the database schema information.