diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 8c3d6223..6641daf1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         os: ['ubuntu-latest', 'macos-latest']
         python-version: ['3.7', '3.8', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11']
-        cratedb-version: ['5.1.1']
-        sqla-version: ['1.3.24', '1.4.44']
+        cratedb-version: ['5.1.2']
+        sqla-version: ['1.3.24', '1.4.45']
         # To save resources, only use the most recent Python version on macOS.
         exclude:
           - os: 'macos-latest'
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ jobs:
             python-version: '3.9'
           - os: 'macos-latest'
             python-version: '3.10'
-      fail-fast: true
+      fail-fast: false
     env:
       CRATEDB_VERSION: ${{ matrix.cratedb-version }}
       SQLALCHEMY_VERSION: ${{ matrix.sqla-version }}
@@ -60,11 +60,14 @@ jobs:
           # Report about the test matrix slot.
           echo "Invoking tests with CrateDB ${CRATEDB_VERSION} and SQLAlchemy ${SQLALCHEMY_VERSION}"
 
-          # Invoke validation tasks.
+          # Run linter.
           flake8 src bin
-          coverage run bin/test -vv1
+          
+          # Run tests.
+          export SQLALCHEMY_WARN_20=1
+          coverage run bin/test -vvv
 
-          # Set the stage for the Codecov step.
+          # Set the stage for uploading the coverage report.
           coverage xml
 
       # https://github.com/codecov/codecov-action
diff --git a/bootstrap.sh b/bootstrap.sh
index 60d05f4f..613373a1 100644
--- a/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/bootstrap.sh
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@
 
 # Default variables.
 BUILDOUT_VERSION=${BUILDOUT_VERSION:-2.13.7}
-CRATEDB_VERSION=${CRATEDB_VERSION:-5.1.1}
-SQLALCHEMY_VERSION=${SQLALCHEMY_VERSION:-1.4.44}
+CRATEDB_VERSION=${CRATEDB_VERSION:-5.1.2}
+SQLALCHEMY_VERSION=${SQLALCHEMY_VERSION:-1.4.45}
 
 
 function print_header() {
diff --git a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/advanced-querying.rst b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/advanced-querying.rst
index 026ef635..863373e4 100644
--- a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/advanced-querying.rst
+++ b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/advanced-querying.rst
@@ -21,8 +21,11 @@ Introduction
 Import the relevant symbols:
 
     >>> import sqlalchemy as sa
-    >>> from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
     >>> from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
+    >>> try:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+    ... except ImportError:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
     >>> from uuid import uuid4
 
 Establish a connection to the database, see also :ref:`sa:engines_toplevel`
@@ -237,8 +240,8 @@ Let's add a task to the ``Todo`` table:
 Now, let's use ``insert().from_select()`` to archive the task into the
 ``ArchivedTasks`` table:
 
-    >>> sel = select([Todos.id, Todos.content]).where(Todos.status == "done")
-    >>> ins = insert(ArchivedTasks).from_select(['id','content'], sel)
+    >>> sel = select(Todos.id, Todos.content).where(Todos.status == "done")
+    >>> ins = insert(ArchivedTasks).from_select(['id', 'content'], sel)
     >>> result = session.execute(ins)
     >>> session.commit()
 
@@ -250,7 +253,7 @@ This will emit the following ``INSERT`` statement to the database:
 Now, verify that the data is present in the database:
 
     >>> _ = connection.execute(sa.text("REFRESH TABLE archived_tasks"))
-    >>> pprint([str(r) for r in session.execute("SELECT content FROM archived_tasks")])
+    >>> pprint([str(r) for r in session.execute(sa.text("SELECT content FROM archived_tasks"))])
     ["('Write Tests',)"]
 
 
diff --git a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/crud.rst b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/crud.rst
index a84404f3..d2840c52 100644
--- a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/crud.rst
+++ b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/crud.rst
@@ -27,8 +27,11 @@ Import the relevant symbols:
     >>> import sqlalchemy as sa
     >>> from datetime import datetime
     >>> from sqlalchemy import delete, func, text
-    >>> from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
     >>> from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
+    >>> try:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+    ... except ImportError:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
     >>> from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import ObjectArray
 
 Establish a connection to the database, see also :ref:`sa:engines_toplevel`
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ and :ref:`connect`:
 Define the ORM schema for the ``Location`` entity using SQLAlchemy's
 :ref:`sa:orm_declarative_mapping`:
 
-    >>> Base = declarative_base(bind=engine)
+    >>> Base = declarative_base()
 
     >>> class Location(Base):
     ...     __tablename__ = 'locations'
@@ -74,7 +77,7 @@ Insert a new location:
 
 Refresh "locations" table:
 
-    >>> _ = connection.execute("REFRESH TABLE locations")
+    >>> _ = connection.execute(text("REFRESH TABLE locations"))
 
 Inserted location is available:
 
@@ -175,7 +178,7 @@ The datetime and date can be set using an update statement:
 
 Refresh "locations" table:
 
-    >>> _ = connection.execute("REFRESH TABLE locations")
+    >>> _ = connection.execute(text("REFRESH TABLE locations"))
 
 Boolean values get set natively:
 
@@ -196,8 +199,9 @@ And verify that the date and datetime was persisted:
 
 Update a record using SQL:
 
-    >>> result = connection.execute("update locations set kind='Heimat' where name='Earth'")
-    >>> result.rowcount
+    >>> with engine.begin() as conn:
+    ...     result = conn.execute(text("update locations set kind='Heimat' where name='Earth'"))
+    ...     result.rowcount
     1
 
 Update multiple records:
@@ -211,27 +215,29 @@ Update multiple records:
 
 Refresh table:
 
-    >>> _ = connection.execute("REFRESH TABLE locations")
+    >>> _ = connection.execute(text("REFRESH TABLE locations"))
 
 Update multiple records using SQL:
 
-    >>> result = connection.execute("update locations set flag=true where kind='Update'")
-    >>> result.rowcount
+    >>> with engine.begin() as conn:
+    ...     result = conn.execute(text("update locations set flag=true where kind='Update'"))
+    ...     result.rowcount
     10
 
 Update all records using SQL, and check that the number of documents affected
 of an update without ``where-clause`` matches the number of all documents in
 the table:
 
-    >>> result = connection.execute(u"update locations set kind='Überall'")
-    >>> result.rowcount == connection.execute("select * from locations limit 100").rowcount
+    >>> with engine.begin() as conn:
+    ...     result = conn.execute(text(u"update locations set kind='Überall'"))
+    ...     result.rowcount == conn.execute(text("select * from locations limit 100")).rowcount
     True
 
     >>> session.commit()
 
 Refresh "locations" table:
 
-    >>> _ = connection.execute("REFRESH TABLE locations")
+    >>> _ = connection.execute(text("REFRESH TABLE locations"))
 
 Objects can be used within lists, too:
 
@@ -282,7 +288,7 @@ Deleting a record with SQLAlchemy works like this.
     >>> session.commit()
     >>> session.flush()
 
-    >>> _ = connection.execute("REFRESH TABLE locations")
+    >>> _ = connection.execute(text("REFRESH TABLE locations"))
 
     >>> session.query(Location).count()
     23
diff --git a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/getting-started.rst b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/getting-started.rst
index f3fa34cb..c64964dc 100644
--- a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/getting-started.rst
+++ b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/getting-started.rst
@@ -28,8 +28,11 @@ Introduction
 Import the relevant symbols:
 
     >>> import sqlalchemy as sa
-    >>> from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
     >>> from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
+    >>> try:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+    ... except ImportError:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 Establish a connection to the database, see also :ref:`sa:engines_toplevel`
 and :ref:`connect`:
diff --git a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/inspection-reflection.rst b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/inspection-reflection.rst
index 1d811a17..bb291157 100644
--- a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/inspection-reflection.rst
+++ b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/inspection-reflection.rst
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ Create a SQLAlchemy table object:
     >>> meta = sa.MetaData()
     >>> table = sa.Table(
     ...     "characters", meta,
-    ...     autoload=True,
     ...     autoload_with=engine)
 
 Reflect column data types from the table metadata:
diff --git a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/working-with-types.rst b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/working-with-types.rst
index 1016c439..bcddf8f8 100644
--- a/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/working-with-types.rst
+++ b/docs/by-example/sqlalchemy/working-with-types.rst
@@ -26,9 +26,12 @@ Import the relevant symbols:
     >>> from datetime import datetime
     >>> from geojson import Point, Polygon
     >>> from sqlalchemy import delete, func, text
-    >>> from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
     >>> from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
     >>> from sqlalchemy.sql import operators
+    >>> try:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+    ... except ImportError:
+    ...     from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
     >>> from uuid import uuid4
     >>> from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import Object, ObjectArray
     >>> from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import Geopoint, Geoshape
@@ -156,7 +159,7 @@ Update nested dictionary
 
 Refresh and query "characters" table:
 
-    >>> _ = connection.execute("REFRESH TABLE characters")
+    >>> _ = connection.execute(text("REFRESH TABLE characters"))
     >>> session.refresh(char_nested)
 
     >>> char_nested = session.query(Character).filter_by(id='1234id').one()
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/__init__.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/__init__.py
index a0241e99..52864719 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/__init__.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/__init__.py
@@ -19,7 +19,13 @@
 # with Crate these terms will supersede the license and you may use the
 # software solely pursuant to the terms of the relevant commercial agreement.
 
+from .compat.api13 import monkeypatch_add_exec_driver_sql
 from .dialect import CrateDialect
+from .sa_version import SA_1_4, SA_VERSION
+
+# SQLAlchemy 1.3 does not have the `exec_driver_sql` method.
+if SA_VERSION < SA_1_4:
+    monkeypatch_add_exec_driver_sql()
 
 __all__ = [
     CrateDialect,
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/compat/__init__.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/compat/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/compat/api13.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/compat/api13.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..16f53393
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/compat/api13.py
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8; -*-
+#
+# Licensed to CRATE Technology GmbH ("Crate") under one or more contributor
+# license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with this work for
+# additional information regarding copyright ownership.  Crate licenses
+# this file to you 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
+#
+#   https://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.
+#
+# However, if you have executed another commercial license agreement
+# with Crate these terms will supersede the license and you may use the
+# software solely pursuant to the terms of the relevant commercial agreement.
+
+"""
+Compatibility module for running a subset of SQLAlchemy 2.0 programs on
+SQLAlchemy 1.3. By using monkey-patching, it can do two things:
+
+1. Add the `exec_driver_sql` method to SA's `Connection` and `Engine`.
+2. Amend the `sql.select` function to accept the calling semantics of
+   the modern variant.
+
+Reason: `exec_driver_sql` gets used within the CrateDB dialect already,
+and the new calling semantics of `sql.select` already get used within
+many of the test cases already. Please note that the patch for
+`sql.select` is only applied when running the test suite.
+"""
+
+import collections.abc as collections_abc
+
+from sqlalchemy import exc
+from sqlalchemy.sql import Select
+from sqlalchemy.sql import select as original_select
+from sqlalchemy.util import immutabledict
+
+
+# `_distill_params_20` copied from SA14's `sqlalchemy.engine.{base,util}`.
+_no_tuple = ()
+_no_kw = immutabledict()
+
+
+def _distill_params_20(params):
+    if params is None:
+        return _no_tuple, _no_kw
+    elif isinstance(params, list):
+        # collections_abc.MutableSequence): # avoid abc.__instancecheck__
+        if params and not isinstance(params[0], (collections_abc.Mapping, tuple)):
+            raise exc.ArgumentError(
+                "List argument must consist only of tuples or dictionaries"
+            )
+
+        return (params,), _no_kw
+    elif isinstance(
+        params,
+        (tuple, dict, immutabledict),
+        # only do abc.__instancecheck__ for Mapping after we've checked
+        # for plain dictionaries and would otherwise raise
+    ) or isinstance(params, collections_abc.Mapping):
+        return (params,), _no_kw
+    else:
+        raise exc.ArgumentError("mapping or sequence expected for parameters")
+
+
+def exec_driver_sql(self, statement, parameters=None, execution_options=None):
+    """
+    Adapter for `exec_driver_sql`, which is available since SA14, for SA13.
+    """
+    if execution_options is not None:
+        raise ValueError(
+            "SA13 backward-compatibility: "
+            "`exec_driver_sql` does not support `execution_options`"
+        )
+    args_10style, kwargs_10style = _distill_params_20(parameters)
+    return self.execute(statement, *args_10style, **kwargs_10style)
+
+
+def monkeypatch_add_exec_driver_sql():
+    """
+    Transparently add SA14's `exec_driver_sql()` method to SA13.
+
+    AttributeError: 'Connection' object has no attribute 'exec_driver_sql'
+    AttributeError: 'Engine' object has no attribute 'exec_driver_sql'
+    """
+    from sqlalchemy.engine.base import Connection, Engine
+
+    # Add `exec_driver_sql` method to SA's `Connection` and `Engine` classes.
+    Connection.exec_driver_sql = exec_driver_sql
+    Engine.exec_driver_sql = exec_driver_sql
+
+
+def select_sa14(*columns, **kw) -> Select:
+    """
+    Adapt SA14/SA20's calling semantics of `sql.select()` to SA13.
+
+    With SA20, `select()` no longer accepts varied constructor arguments, only
+    the "generative" style of `select()` will be supported. The list of columns
+    / tables to select from should be passed positionally.
+
+    Derived from https://github.com/sqlalchemy/alembic/blob/b1fad6b6/alembic/util/sqla_compat.py#L557-L558
+
+    sqlalchemy.exc.ArgumentError: columns argument to select() must be a Python list or other iterable
+    """
+    if isinstance(columns, tuple) and isinstance(columns[0], list):
+        if "whereclause" in kw:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "SA13 backward-compatibility: "
+                "`whereclause` is both in kwargs and columns tuple"
+            )
+        columns, whereclause = columns
+        kw["whereclause"] = whereclause
+    return original_select(columns, **kw)
+
+
+def monkeypatch_amend_select_sa14():
+    """
+    Make SA13's `sql.select()` transparently accept calling semantics of SA14
+    and SA20, by swapping in the newer variant of `select_sa14()`.
+
+    This supports the test suite of `crate-python`, because it already uses the
+    modern calling semantics.
+    """
+    import sqlalchemy
+
+    sqlalchemy.select = select_sa14
+    sqlalchemy.sql.select = select_sa14
+    sqlalchemy.sql.expression.select = select_sa14
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/dialect.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/dialect.py
index 903a803c..80ab2c20 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/dialect.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/dialect.py
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ def has_table(self, connection, table_name, schema=None):
 
     @reflection.cache
     def get_schema_names(self, connection, **kw):
-        cursor = connection.execute(
+        cursor = connection.exec_driver_sql(
             "select schema_name "
             "from information_schema.schemata "
             "order by schema_name asc"
@@ -237,21 +237,21 @@ def get_schema_names(self, connection, **kw):
 
     @reflection.cache
     def get_table_names(self, connection, schema=None, **kw):
-        cursor = connection.execute(
+        cursor = connection.exec_driver_sql(
             "SELECT table_name FROM information_schema.tables "
             "WHERE {0} = ? "
             "AND table_type = 'BASE TABLE' "
             "ORDER BY table_name ASC, {0} ASC".format(self.schema_column),
-            [schema or self.default_schema_name]
+            (schema or self.default_schema_name, )
         )
         return [row[0] for row in cursor.fetchall()]
 
     @reflection.cache
     def get_view_names(self, connection, schema=None, **kw):
-        cursor = connection.execute(
+        cursor = connection.exec_driver_sql(
             "SELECT table_name FROM information_schema.views "
             "ORDER BY table_name ASC, {0} ASC".format(self.schema_column),
-            [schema or self.default_schema_name]
+            (schema or self.default_schema_name, )
         )
         return [row[0] for row in cursor.fetchall()]
 
@@ -262,11 +262,11 @@ def get_columns(self, connection, table_name, schema=None, **kw):
                 "WHERE table_name = ? AND {0} = ? " \
                 "AND column_name !~ ?" \
                 .format(self.schema_column)
-        cursor = connection.execute(
+        cursor = connection.exec_driver_sql(
             query,
-            [table_name,
+            (table_name,
              schema or self.default_schema_name,
-             r"(.*)\[\'(.*)\'\]"]  # regex to filter subscript
+             r"(.*)\[\'(.*)\'\]")  # regex to filter subscript
         )
         return [self._create_column_info(row) for row in cursor.fetchall()]
 
@@ -301,9 +301,9 @@ def result_fun(result):
                 rows = result.fetchone()
                 return set(rows[0] if rows else [])
 
-        pk_result = engine.execute(
+        pk_result = engine.exec_driver_sql(
             query,
-            [table_name, schema or self.default_schema_name]
+            (table_name, schema or self.default_schema_name)
         )
         pks = result_fun(pk_result)
         return {'constrained_columns': pks,
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/__init__.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/__init__.py
index 81f1ba2a..61a2669b 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/__init__.py
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
+from ..compat.api13 import monkeypatch_amend_select_sa14
+from ..sa_version import SA_1_4, SA_VERSION
+
+# `sql.select()` of SQLAlchemy 1.3 uses old calling semantics,
+# but the test cases already need the modern ones.
+if SA_VERSION < SA_1_4:
+    monkeypatch_amend_select_sa14()
+
 from unittest import TestSuite, makeSuite
 from .connection_test import SqlAlchemyConnectionTest
 from .dict_test import SqlAlchemyDictTypeTest
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/array_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/array_test.py
index c65a2d9d..6d663327 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/array_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/array_test.py
@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@
 import sqlalchemy as sa
 from sqlalchemy.sql import operators
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
 
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ class SqlAlchemyArrayTypeTest(TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.engine = sa.create_engine('crate://')
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        Base = declarative_base()
         self.metadata = sa.MetaData()
 
         class User(Base):
@@ -51,7 +54,7 @@ class User(Base):
             scores = sa.Column(sa.ARRAY(sa.Integer))
 
         self.User = User
-        self.session = Session()
+        self.session = Session(bind=self.engine)
 
     def assertSQL(self, expected_str, actual_expr):
         self.assertEqual(expected_str, str(actual_expr).replace('\n', ''))
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/bulk_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/bulk_test.py
index c9d60319..95bc1ddd 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/bulk_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/bulk_test.py
@@ -24,7 +24,10 @@
 
 import sqlalchemy as sa
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
 
@@ -38,7 +41,7 @@ class SqlAlchemyBulkTest(TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.engine = sa.create_engine('crate://')
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        Base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(Base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
@@ -47,7 +50,7 @@ class Character(Base):
             age = sa.Column(sa.Integer)
 
         self.character = Character
-        self.session = Session()
+        self.session = Session(bind=self.engine)
 
     @patch('crate.client.connection.Cursor', FakeCursor)
     def test_bulk_save(self):
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/compiler_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/compiler_test.py
index c49e14b3..47317db7 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/compiler_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/compiler_test.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.compiler import crate_before_execute
 
 import sqlalchemy as sa
-from sqlalchemy.sql import update, text
+from sqlalchemy.sql import text, Update
 
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.sa_version import SA_VERSION, SA_1_4
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import Craty
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ def setUp(self):
                                 sa.Column('name', sa.String),
                                 sa.Column('data', Craty))
 
-        self.update = update(self.mytable, text('where name=:name'))
+        self.update = Update(self.mytable).where(text('name=:name'))
         self.values = [{'name': 'crate'}]
         self.values = (self.values, )
 
@@ -75,9 +75,8 @@ def test_select_with_offset(self):
         """
         Verify the `CrateCompiler.limit_clause` method, with offset.
         """
-        self.metadata.bind = self.crate_engine
         selectable = self.mytable.select().offset(5)
-        statement = str(selectable.compile())
+        statement = str(selectable.compile(bind=self.crate_engine))
         if SA_VERSION >= SA_1_4:
             self.assertEqual(statement, "SELECT mytable.name, mytable.data \nFROM mytable\n LIMIT ALL OFFSET ?")
         else:
@@ -87,16 +86,14 @@ def test_select_with_limit(self):
         """
         Verify the `CrateCompiler.limit_clause` method, with limit.
         """
-        self.metadata.bind = self.crate_engine
         selectable = self.mytable.select().limit(42)
-        statement = str(selectable.compile())
+        statement = str(selectable.compile(bind=self.crate_engine))
         self.assertEqual(statement, "SELECT mytable.name, mytable.data \nFROM mytable \n LIMIT ?")
 
     def test_select_with_offset_and_limit(self):
         """
         Verify the `CrateCompiler.limit_clause` method, with offset and limit.
         """
-        self.metadata.bind = self.crate_engine
         selectable = self.mytable.select().offset(5).limit(42)
-        statement = str(selectable.compile())
+        statement = str(selectable.compile(bind=self.crate_engine))
         self.assertEqual(statement, "SELECT mytable.name, mytable.data \nFROM mytable \n LIMIT ? OFFSET ?")
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/connection_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/connection_test.py
index b1dc5d85..8344adc1 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/connection_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/connection_test.py
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ def test_default_connection(self):
         conn = engine.raw_connection()
         self.assertEqual("<Connection <Client ['http://127.0.0.1:4200']>>",
                          repr(conn.connection))
+        conn.close()
+        engine.dispose()
 
     def test_connection_server_uri_http(self):
         engine = sa.create_engine(
@@ -42,6 +44,8 @@ def test_connection_server_uri_http(self):
         conn = engine.raw_connection()
         self.assertEqual("<Connection <Client ['http://otherhost:19201']>>",
                          repr(conn.connection))
+        conn.close()
+        engine.dispose()
 
     def test_connection_server_uri_https(self):
         engine = sa.create_engine(
@@ -49,6 +53,8 @@ def test_connection_server_uri_https(self):
         conn = engine.raw_connection()
         self.assertEqual("<Connection <Client ['https://otherhost:19201']>>",
                          repr(conn.connection))
+        conn.close()
+        engine.dispose()
 
     def test_connection_server_uri_invalid_port(self):
         with self.assertRaises(ValueError) as context:
@@ -63,6 +69,8 @@ def test_connection_server_uri_https_with_trusted_user(self):
                          repr(conn.connection))
         self.assertEqual(conn.connection.client.username, "foo")
         self.assertEqual(conn.connection.client.password, None)
+        conn.close()
+        engine.dispose()
 
     def test_connection_server_uri_https_with_credentials(self):
         engine = sa.create_engine(
@@ -72,6 +80,8 @@ def test_connection_server_uri_https_with_credentials(self):
                          repr(conn.connection))
         self.assertEqual(conn.connection.client.username, "foo")
         self.assertEqual(conn.connection.client.password, "bar")
+        conn.close()
+        engine.dispose()
 
     def test_connection_multiple_server_http(self):
         engine = sa.create_engine(
@@ -84,6 +94,8 @@ def test_connection_multiple_server_http(self):
             "<Connection <Client ['http://localhost:4201', " +
             "'http://localhost:4202']>>",
             repr(conn.connection))
+        conn.close()
+        engine.dispose()
 
     def test_connection_multiple_server_https(self):
         engine = sa.create_engine(
@@ -97,3 +109,5 @@ def test_connection_multiple_server_https(self):
             "<Connection <Client ['https://localhost:4201', " +
             "'https://localhost:4202']>>",
             repr(conn.connection))
+        conn.close()
+        engine.dispose()
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/create_table_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/create_table_test.py
index 595f2aa8..7eca2628 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/create_table_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/create_table_test.py
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@
 # software solely pursuant to the terms of the relevant commercial agreement.
 
 import sqlalchemy as sa
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import Object, ObjectArray, Geopoint
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
@@ -39,7 +42,7 @@ class SqlAlchemyCreateTableTest(TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.engine = sa.create_engine('crate://')
-        self.Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        self.Base = declarative_base()
 
     def test_table_basic_types(self):
         class User(self.Base):
@@ -57,7 +60,7 @@ class User(self.Base):
             float_col = sa.Column(sa.Float)
             double_col = sa.Column(sa.DECIMAL)
 
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE users (\n\tstring_col STRING NOT NULL, '
              '\n\tunicode_col STRING, \n\ttext_col STRING, \n\tint_col INT, '
@@ -74,7 +77,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             __tablename__ = 'dummy'
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             obj_col = sa.Column(Object)
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE dummy (\n\tpk STRING NOT NULL, \n\tobj_col OBJECT, '
              '\n\tPRIMARY KEY (pk)\n)\n\n'),
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             }
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             p = sa.Column(sa.String)
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'pk STRING NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -102,7 +105,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             __tablename__ = 't'
             ts = sa.Column(sa.BigInteger, primary_key=True)
             p = sa.Column(sa.BigInteger, sa.Computed("date_trunc('day', ts)"))
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'ts LONG NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -117,7 +120,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             ts = sa.Column(sa.BigInteger, primary_key=True)
             p = sa.Column(sa.BigInteger, sa.Computed("date_trunc('day', ts)", persisted=False))
         with self.assertRaises(sa.exc.CompileError):
-            self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+            self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
 
     def test_table_partitioned_by(self):
         class DummyTable(self.Base):
@@ -128,7 +131,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             }
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             p = sa.Column(sa.String)
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'pk STRING NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -146,7 +149,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             }
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
 
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'pk STRING NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -163,7 +166,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             }
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             p = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'pk STRING NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -178,7 +181,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             tags = sa.Column(ObjectArray)
 
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'pk STRING NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -192,7 +195,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             a = sa.Column(sa.Integer, nullable=True)
             b = sa.Column(sa.Integer, nullable=False)
 
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'pk STRING NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -205,7 +208,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             __tablename__ = 't'
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True, nullable=True)
         with self.assertRaises(sa.exc.CompileError):
-            self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+            self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
 
     def test_column_crate_index(self):
         class DummyTable(self.Base):
@@ -214,7 +217,7 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             a = sa.Column(sa.Integer, crate_index=False)
             b = sa.Column(sa.Integer, crate_index=True)
 
-        self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
         fake_cursor.execute.assert_called_with(
             ('\nCREATE TABLE t (\n\t'
              'pk STRING NOT NULL, \n\t'
@@ -228,4 +231,4 @@ class DummyTable(self.Base):
             pk = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             a = sa.Column(Geopoint, crate_index=False)
         with self.assertRaises(sa.exc.CompileError):
-            self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+            self.Base.metadata.create_all(bind=self.engine)
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/datetime_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/datetime_test.py
index 0e85e3ef..07e98ede 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/datetime_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/datetime_test.py
@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@
 import sqlalchemy as sa
 from sqlalchemy.exc import DBAPIError
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
 
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ class SqlAlchemyDateAndDateTimeTest(TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.engine = sa.create_engine('crate://')
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        Base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(Base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
@@ -66,7 +69,7 @@ class Character(Base):
             ('characters_name', None, None, None, None, None, None),
             ('characters_date', None, None, None, None, None, None)
         )
-        self.session = Session()
+        self.session = Session(bind=self.engine)
         self.Character = Character
 
     def test_date_can_handle_datetime(self):
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dialect_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dialect_test.py
index 51922c84..a6669df4 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dialect_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dialect_test.py
@@ -28,8 +28,11 @@
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import Object
 from sqlalchemy import inspect
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 from sqlalchemy.testing import eq_, in_
 
 FakeCursor = MagicMock(name='FakeCursor', spec=Cursor)
@@ -48,13 +51,14 @@ def setUp(self):
         FakeCursor.return_value = self.fake_cursor
 
         self.engine = sa.create_engine('crate://')
+
         self.executed_statement = None
 
         self.connection = self.engine.connect()
 
         self.fake_cursor.execute = self.execute_wrapper
 
-        self.base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        self.base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(self.base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
@@ -64,12 +68,10 @@ class Character(self.base):
             obj = sa.Column(Object)
             ts = sa.Column(sa.DateTime, onupdate=datetime.utcnow)
 
-        self.character = Character
-        self.session = Session()
+        self.session = Session(bind=self.engine)
 
     def test_primary_keys_2_3_0(self):
-        meta = self.character.metadata
-        insp = inspect(meta.bind)
+        insp = inspect(self.session.bind)
         self.engine.dialect.server_version_info = (2, 3, 0)
 
         self.fake_cursor.rowcount = 3
@@ -84,8 +86,7 @@ def test_primary_keys_2_3_0(self):
         in_("table_catalog = ?", self.executed_statement)
 
     def test_primary_keys_3_0_0(self):
-        meta = self.character.metadata
-        insp = inspect(meta.bind)
+        insp = inspect(self.session.bind)
         self.engine.dialect.server_version_info = (3, 0, 0)
 
         self.fake_cursor.rowcount = 3
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ def test_get_table_names(self):
         )
         self.fake_cursor.fetchall = MagicMock(return_value=[["t1"], ["t2"]])
 
-        insp = inspect(self.character.metadata.bind)
+        insp = inspect(self.session.bind)
         self.engine.dialect.server_version_info = (2, 0, 0)
         eq_(insp.get_table_names(schema="doc"),
             ['t1', 't2'])
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@ def test_get_view_names(self):
         )
         self.fake_cursor.fetchall = MagicMock(return_value=[["v1"], ["v2"]])
 
-        insp = inspect(self.character.metadata.bind)
+        insp = inspect(self.session.bind)
         self.engine.dialect.server_version_info = (2, 0, 0)
         eq_(insp.get_view_names(schema="doc"),
             ['v1', 'v2'])
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dict_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dict_test.py
index 7f4464c0..2324591e 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dict_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/dict_test.py
@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@
 import sqlalchemy as sa
 from sqlalchemy.sql import select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import Craty, ObjectArray
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
@@ -46,19 +49,20 @@ def setUp(self):
                                 sa.Column('name', sa.String),
                                 sa.Column('data', Craty))
 
-    def assertSQL(self, expected_str, actual_expr):
+    def assertSQL(self, expected_str, selectable):
+        actual_expr = selectable.compile(bind=self.engine)
         self.assertEqual(expected_str, str(actual_expr).replace('\n', ''))
 
     def test_select_with_dict_column(self):
         mytable = self.mytable
         self.assertSQL(
             "SELECT mytable.data['x'] AS anon_1 FROM mytable",
-            select([mytable.c.data['x']], bind=self.engine)
+            select(mytable.c.data['x'])
         )
 
     def test_select_with_dict_column_where_clause(self):
         mytable = self.mytable
-        s = select([mytable.c.data], bind=self.engine).\
+        s = select(mytable.c.data).\
             where(mytable.c.data['x'] == 1)
         self.assertSQL(
             "SELECT mytable.data FROM mytable WHERE mytable.data['x'] = ?",
@@ -67,7 +71,7 @@ def test_select_with_dict_column_where_clause(self):
 
     def test_select_with_dict_column_nested_where(self):
         mytable = self.mytable
-        s = select([mytable.c.name], bind=self.engine)
+        s = select(mytable.c.name)
         s = s.where(mytable.c.data['x']['y'] == 1)
         self.assertSQL(
             "SELECT mytable.name FROM mytable " +
@@ -77,7 +81,7 @@ def test_select_with_dict_column_nested_where(self):
 
     def test_select_with_dict_column_where_clause_gt(self):
         mytable = self.mytable
-        s = select([mytable.c.data], bind=self.engine).\
+        s = select(mytable.c.data).\
             where(mytable.c.data['x'] > 1)
         self.assertSQL(
             "SELECT mytable.data FROM mytable WHERE mytable.data['x'] > ?",
@@ -86,7 +90,7 @@ def test_select_with_dict_column_where_clause_gt(self):
 
     def test_select_with_dict_column_where_clause_other_col(self):
         mytable = self.mytable
-        s = select([mytable.c.name], bind=self.engine)
+        s = select(mytable.c.name)
         s = s.where(mytable.c.data['x'] == mytable.c.name)
         self.assertSQL(
             "SELECT mytable.name FROM mytable " +
@@ -96,7 +100,7 @@ def test_select_with_dict_column_where_clause_other_col(self):
 
     def test_update_with_dict_column(self):
         mytable = self.mytable
-        stmt = mytable.update(bind=self.engine).\
+        stmt = mytable.update().\
             where(mytable.c.name == 'Arthur Dent').\
             values({
                 "data['x']": "Trillian"
@@ -114,7 +118,7 @@ def set_up_character_and_cursor(self, return_value=None):
             ('characters_data', None, None, None, None, None, None)
         )
         fake_cursor.rowcount = 1
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        Base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(Base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
@@ -123,7 +127,7 @@ class Character(Base):
             data = sa.Column(Craty)
             data_list = sa.Column(ObjectArray)
 
-        session = Session()
+        session = Session(bind=self.engine)
         return session, Character
 
     def test_assign_null_to_object_array(self):
@@ -266,7 +270,7 @@ def test_partial_dict_update_with_delitem_setitem(self):
             return_value=[('Trillian', {'x': 1})]
         )
 
-        session = Session()
+        session = Session(bind=self.engine)
         char = Character(name='Trillian')
         char.data = {'x': 1}
         session.add(char)
@@ -339,14 +343,14 @@ def set_up_character_and_cursor_data_list(self, return_value=None):
 
         )
         fake_cursor.rowcount = 1
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        Base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(Base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
             name = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             data_list = sa.Column(ObjectArray)
 
-        session = Session()
+        session = Session(bind=self.engine)
         return session, Character
 
     def _setup_object_array_char(self):
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/function_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/function_test.py
index 1b4a1983..072ab43a 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/function_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/function_test.py
@@ -23,12 +23,15 @@
 
 import sqlalchemy as sa
 from sqlalchemy.sql.sqltypes import TIMESTAMP
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 
 class SqlAlchemyFunctionTest(TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=sa.create_engine("crate://"))
+        Base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(Base):
             __tablename__ = "characters"
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/insert_from_select_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/insert_from_select_test.py
index 0c5ba73f..692dfa55 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/insert_from_select_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/insert_from_select_test.py
@@ -24,9 +24,12 @@
 from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
 
 import sqlalchemy as sa
-from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 from sqlalchemy import select, insert
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
 
@@ -44,7 +47,7 @@ def assertSQL(self, expected_str, actual_expr):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.engine = sa.create_engine('crate://')
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        Base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(Base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
@@ -64,7 +67,7 @@ class CharacterArchive(Base):
 
         self.character = Character
         self.character_archived = CharacterArchive
-        self.session = Session()
+        self.session = Session(bind=self.engine)
 
     @patch('crate.client.connection.Cursor', FakeCursor)
     def test_insert_from_select_triggered(self):
@@ -72,11 +75,11 @@ def test_insert_from_select_triggered(self):
         self.session.add(char)
         self.session.commit()
 
-        sel = select([self.character.name, self.character.age]).where(self.character.status == "Archived")
+        sel = select(self.character.name, self.character.age).where(self.character.status == "Archived")
         ins = insert(self.character_archived).from_select(['name', 'age'], sel)
         self.session.execute(ins)
         self.session.commit()
         self.assertSQL(
             "INSERT INTO characters_archive (name, age) SELECT characters.name, characters.age FROM characters WHERE characters.status = ?",
-            ins
+            ins.compile(bind=self.engine)
         )
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/match_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/match_test.py
index 71b79d0d..fdd5b7d0 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/match_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/match_test.py
@@ -25,7 +25,10 @@
 
 import sqlalchemy as sa
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.types import Craty
 from crate.client.sqlalchemy.predicates import match
@@ -52,14 +55,14 @@ def assertSQL(self, expected_str, actual_expr):
         self.assertEqual(expected_str, str(actual_expr).replace('\n', ''))
 
     def set_up_character_and_session(self):
-        Base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        Base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(Base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
             name = sa.Column(sa.String, primary_key=True)
             info = sa.Column(Craty)
 
-        session = Session()
+        session = Session(bind=self.engine)
         return session, Character
 
     def test_simple_match(self):
diff --git a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/update_test.py b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/update_test.py
index 394163aa..00aeef0a 100644
--- a/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/update_test.py
+++ b/src/crate/client/sqlalchemy/tests/update_test.py
@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@
 
 import sqlalchemy as sa
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
-from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
+try:
+    from sqlalchemy.orm import declarative_base
+except ImportError:
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base
 
 from crate.client.cursor import Cursor
 
@@ -42,7 +45,7 @@ class SqlAlchemyUpdateTest(TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
         self.engine = sa.create_engine('crate://')
-        self.base = declarative_base(bind=self.engine)
+        self.base = declarative_base()
 
         class Character(self.base):
             __tablename__ = 'characters'
@@ -53,7 +56,7 @@ class Character(self.base):
             ts = sa.Column(sa.DateTime, onupdate=datetime.utcnow)
 
         self.character = Character
-        self.session = Session()
+        self.session = Session(bind=self.engine)
 
     @patch('crate.client.connection.Cursor', FakeCursor)
     def test_onupdate_is_triggered(self):
diff --git a/src/crate/testing/layer.py b/src/crate/testing/layer.py
index 3c5ed939..5fd6d8fd 100644
--- a/src/crate/testing/layer.py
+++ b/src/crate/testing/layer.py
@@ -321,12 +321,12 @@ def start(self):
             sys.stderr.write('\nCrate instance ready.\n')
 
     def stop(self):
+        self.conn_pool.clear()
         if self.process:
             self.process.terminate()
             self.process.communicate(timeout=10)
             self.process.stdout.close()
             self.process = None
-        self.conn_pool.clear()
         self.monitor.stop()
         self._clean()