diff --git a/manifests/identity.pp b/manifests/identity.pp
index ae050720..a4d37ada 100644
--- a/manifests/identity.pp
+++ b/manifests/identity.pp
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ class cloud::identity (
     debug            => $debug,
     idle_timeout     => 60,
     log_facility     => $log_facility,
-    sql_connection   => "mysql://${encoded_user}:${encoded_password}@${keystone_db_host}/keystone",
+    sql_connection   => "mysql://${encoded_user}:${encoded_password}@${keystone_db_host}/keystone?charset=utf8",
     token_provider   => 'keystone.token.providers.uuid.Provider',
     use_syslog       => $use_syslog,
     verbose          => $verbose,
diff --git a/manifests/image/api.pp b/manifests/image/api.pp
index d82e6c33..0d79fba1 100644
--- a/manifests/image/api.pp
+++ b/manifests/image/api.pp
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ class cloud::image::api(
   $encoded_glance_password = uriescape($glance_db_password)
 
   class { 'glance::api':
-    database_connection   => "mysql://${encoded_glance_user}:${encoded_glance_password}@${glance_db_host}/glance",
+    database_connection   => "mysql://${encoded_glance_user}:${encoded_glance_password}@${glance_db_host}/glance?charset=utf8",
     registry_host         => $openstack_vip,
     registry_port         => $ks_glance_registry_internal_port,
     verbose               => $verbose,
diff --git a/manifests/image/registry.pp b/manifests/image/registry.pp
index be83ab9e..98bd81ba 100644
--- a/manifests/image/registry.pp
+++ b/manifests/image/registry.pp
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ class cloud::image::registry(
   $encoded_glance_password = uriescape($glance_db_password)
 
   class { 'glance::registry':
-    database_connection => "mysql://${encoded_glance_user}:${encoded_glance_password}@${glance_db_host}/glance",
+    database_connection => "mysql://${encoded_glance_user}:${encoded_glance_password}@${glance_db_host}/glance?charset=utf8",
     verbose             => $verbose,
     debug               => $debug,
     auth_host           => $ks_keystone_internal_host,
diff --git a/manifests/orchestration.pp b/manifests/orchestration.pp
index 7d91cb4f..85bae889 100644
--- a/manifests/orchestration.pp
+++ b/manifests/orchestration.pp
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ class cloud::orchestration(
     keystone_protocol => $ks_keystone_admin_proto,
     keystone_password => $ks_heat_password,
     auth_uri          => "${ks_keystone_internal_proto}://${ks_keystone_internal_host}:${ks_keystone_internal_port}/v2.0",
-    sql_connection    => "mysql://${encoded_user}:${encoded_password}@${heat_db_host}/heat",
+    sql_connection    => "mysql://${encoded_user}:${encoded_password}@${heat_db_host}/heat?charset=utf8",
     rabbit_hosts      => $rabbit_hosts,
     rabbit_password   => $rabbit_password,
     rabbit_userid     => 'heat',
diff --git a/spec/classes/cloud_identity_spec.rb b/spec/classes/cloud_identity_spec.rb
index 04149229..6f094117 100644
--- a/spec/classes/cloud_identity_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/cloud_identity_spec.rb
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ describe 'cloud::identity' do
         :verbose             => true,
         :idle_timeout        => '60',
         :log_facility        => 'LOG_LOCAL0',
-        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://keystone:secrete@10.0.0.1/keystone',
+        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://keystone:secrete@10.0.0.1/keystone?charset=utf8',
         :token_driver        => 'keystone.token.backends.sql.Token',
         :token_provider      => 'keystone.token.providers.uuid.Provider',
         :use_syslog          => true,
diff --git a/spec/classes/cloud_image_spec.rb b/spec/classes/cloud_image_spec.rb
index 61eee37e..da28fdf4 100644
--- a/spec/classes/cloud_image_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/cloud_image_spec.rb
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ describe 'cloud::image' do
 
     it 'configure glance-api' do
       should contain_class('glance::api').with(
-        :database_connection   => 'mysql://glance:secrete@10.0.0.1/glance',
+        :database_connection   => 'mysql://glance:secrete@10.0.0.1/glance?charset=utf8',
         :keystone_password     => 'secrete',
         :registry_host         => '10.0.0.42',
         :registry_port         => '9191',
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ describe 'cloud::image' do
 
     it 'configure glance-registry' do
       should contain_class('glance::registry').with(
-        :database_connection   => 'mysql://glance:secrete@10.0.0.1/glance',
+        :database_connection   => 'mysql://glance:secrete@10.0.0.1/glance?charset=utf8',
         :keystone_password     => 'secrete',
         :keystone_tenant       => 'services',
         :keystone_user         => 'glance',
diff --git a/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_api_spec.rb b/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_api_spec.rb
index f4c332b8..9448c88c 100644
--- a/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_api_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_api_spec.rb
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ describe 'cloud::orchestration::api' do
           :keystone_protocol       => 'http',
           :keystone_password       => 'secrete',
           :auth_uri                => 'http://10.0.0.1:5000/v2.0',
-          :sql_connection          => 'mysql://heat:secrete@10.0.0.1/heat',
+          :sql_connection          => 'mysql://heat:secrete@10.0.0.1/heat?charset=utf8',
           :log_dir                 => false
         )
     end
diff --git a/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_engine_spec.rb b/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_engine_spec.rb
index 79f6ec43..237410a7 100644
--- a/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_engine_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/cloud_orchestration_engine_spec.rb
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ describe 'cloud::orchestration::engine' do
           :keystone_protocol       => 'http',
           :keystone_password       => 'secrete',
           :auth_uri                => 'http://10.0.0.1:5000/v2.0',
-          :sql_connection          => 'mysql://heat:secrete@10.0.0.1/heat',
+          :sql_connection          => 'mysql://heat:secrete@10.0.0.1/heat?charset=utf8',
           :log_dir                 => false
         )
     end