diff --git a/group_vars/aws_node_local.yml b/group_vars/aws_node_local.yml
index 5f5dc16..24d8b21 100644
--- a/group_vars/aws_node_local.yml
+++ b/group_vars/aws_node_local.yml
@@ -100,6 +100,11 @@ atl_db_engine_to_db_type_map:
   rds_postgres: "postgres72"
   rds_mysql: "mysql57"
 atl_db_type: "{{ atl_db_engine_to_db_type_map[atl_db_engine] | default('postgres72') }}"
+atl_db_general_type_map:
+  aurora_postgres: "postgres"
+  rds_postgres: "postgres"
+  rds_mysql: "mysql"
+atl_db_general_type: "{{ atl_db_general_type_map[atl_db_engine] }}"
 
 atl_jdbc_db_name: "{{ lookup('env', 'ATL_JDBC_DB_NAME') }}"
 atl_jdbc_user: "{{ lookup('env', 'ATL_JDBC_USER') }}"
@@ -111,11 +116,7 @@ atl_jdbc_template: "{{ lookup('env', 'ATL_JDBC_TEMPLATE') or 'template1' }}"
 atl_jdbc_query_params_for_engine:
   aurora_postgres: "?targetServerType=master"
   rds_mysql: "?useUnicode=true&characterEncoding=UTF8&sessionVariables=default_storage_engine=InnoDB"
-atl_jdbc_engine_map:
-  aurora_postgres: "postgres"
-  rds_postgres: "postgres"
-  rds_mysql: "mysql"
-atl_jdbc_url: "jdbc:{{ atl_jdbc_engine_map[atl_db_engine] }}://{{ atl_db_host }}:{{ atl_db_port }}/{{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}{{ atl_jdbc_query_params_for_engine[atl_db_engine]| default('') }}"
+atl_jdbc_url: "jdbc:{{ atl_db_general_type }}://{{ atl_db_host }}:{{ atl_db_port }}/{{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}{{ atl_jdbc_query_params_for_engine[atl_db_engine]| default('') }}"
 
 atl_jvm_heap: "{{ lookup('env', 'ATL_JVM_HEAP') or '2048m' }}"
 atl_jvm_opts: "{{ lookup('env', 'ATL_JVM_OPTS') or '' }}"
diff --git a/roles/database_init/tasks/main.yml b/roles/database_init/tasks/main.yml
index 832d24a..0eee13d 100644
--- a/roles/database_init/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/database_init/tasks/main.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 ---
 
+- name: Include database specific configuration
+  include_vars:
+    file: 
+
 - name: Initialise database 
-  include_tasks: "{{ atl_jdbc_engine_map[atl_db_engine] }}.yml" # TODO this is done to have same tasks for aurora and postgres
+  include_tasks: "{{ atl_db_general_type }}.yml" # TODO this is done to have same tasks for aurora and postgres
+  
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/roles/database_init/tasks/mysql.yml b/roles/database_init/tasks/mysql.yml
index 533d3bc..7ebb7ad 100644
--- a/roles/database_init/tasks/mysql.yml
+++ b/roles/database_init/tasks/mysql.yml
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@
 
 - name: Download and unzip MySQL driver
   unarchive:
-    src: https://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/Connector-J/mysql-connector-java-8.0.21.tar.gz
+    src: "{{ mysql_jdbc_connector_url }}"
     dest: /tmp
     remote_src: yes
 
 - name: Copy the MySQL driver
   copy:
-    src: /tmp/mysql-connector-java-8.0.21/mysql-connector-java-8.0.21.jar
+    src: "/tmp/{{ mysql_jdbc_connector }}/{{ mysql_jdbc_connector }}.jar"
     dest: "{{ atl_product_installation_versioned }}/lib"
 
 - name: Create application DB user
@@ -42,34 +42,16 @@
         login_password: "{{ atl_db_root_password }}"
         login_port: "{{ atl_db_port }}"
         name: "{{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}"
-        encoding: "utf8" # TODO "{{ atl_jdbc_encoding }}"
-        collation: "utf8_bin" # TODO "{{ atl_jdbc_collation }}"
+        encoding: utf8mb4 # TODO "{{ atl_jdbc_encoding }}"
+        collation: "utf8mb4_bin" # TODO "{{ atl_jdbc_collation }}"
       register: db_created 
 
     - name: Assert ownership of public schema
       command: >
         mysql --user={{ atl_db_root_user }} --password={{ atl_db_root_password }} {{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}
         --host={{ atl_db_host }} --port={{ atl_db_port }} --batch --skip-column-names
-        --execute="GRANT SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE,CREATE,DROP,ALTER,INDEX on {{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}.* TO '{{ atl_jdbc_user }}'@'{{ atl_db_host }}' IDENTIFIED BY '{{ atl_jdbc_password }}'; flush privileges;"
+        --execute="GRANT SELECT,INSERT,UPDATE,DELETE,CREATE,DROP,ALTER,INDEX,REFERENCES on {{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}.* TO '{{ atl_jdbc_user }}'@'{{ atl_db_host }}' IDENTIFIED BY '{{ atl_jdbc_password }}'; flush privileges;"
       no_log: true
 
   tags:
     - new_only
-
-
-
-# - name: Grant privs to root user on public schema
-#   postgresql_query:
-#     login_host: "{{ atl_db_host }}"
-#     login_user: "{{ atl_db_root_user }}"
-#     login_password: "{{ atl_db_root_password }}"
-#     db: "{{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}"
-#     query: "GRANT ALL ON SCHEMA public TO {{ atl_db_root_user }};"
-
-# - name: Grant privs to application user on public schema
-#   postgresql_query:
-#     login_host: "{{ atl_db_host }}"
-#     login_user: "{{ atl_db_root_user }}"
-#     login_password: "{{ atl_db_root_password }}"
-#     db: "{{ atl_jdbc_db_name }}"
-#     query: "GRANT ALL ON SCHEMA public TO {{ atl_jdbc_user }};"
diff --git a/roles/database_init/vars/mysql.yml b/roles/database_init/vars/mysql.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..90132f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/database_init/vars/mysql.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+
+atl_db_port: '5432'
+atl_db_root_user: 'root'
+atl_jdbc_encoding: 'utf8mb4'
+atl_jdbc_collation: 'utf8mb4_bin'
+atl_jdbc_ctype: 'utf8mb4_bin'
+
+mysql_jdbc_connector: 'mysql-connector-java-8.0.21'
+mysql_jdbc_connector_url: "https://dev.mysql.com/get/Downloads/Connector-J/{{ mysql_jdbc_connector }}.tar.gz"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/roles/database_init/defaults/main.yml b/roles/database_init/vars/postgres.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from roles/database_init/defaults/main.yml
rename to roles/database_init/vars/postgres.yml
diff --git a/roles/jira_config/templates/dbconfig.xml.j2 b/roles/jira_config/templates/dbconfig.xml.j2
index 992a3f6..dd480f5 100644
--- a/roles/jira_config/templates/dbconfig.xml.j2
+++ b/roles/jira_config/templates/dbconfig.xml.j2
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
   <name>defaultDS</name>
   <delegator-name>default</delegator-name>
   <database-type>{{ atl_db_type }}</database-type>
+  {% if atl_db_general_type == 'postgres' %}}
   <schema-name>public</schema-name>
+  {% endif %}}
   <jdbc-datasource>
     <url>{{ atl_jdbc_url }}</url>
     <username>{{ atl_jdbc_user }}</username>