diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 26c1edc..9b2c7c0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -555,6 +555,8 @@ has the following know backwards incompatible breaking changes from 1.x.
 
 * the cinder parameter has been removed (b/c support for nova-volumes has been removed).
   The manage_volumes parameter indicates is cinder volumes should be managed.
+* the names of the sql connection parameters of the openstack::compute class have changed
+  from sql_connetion to individual parameters for the db user,name,password,host.
 
 ## Future features:
 
diff --git a/manifests/compute.pp b/manifests/compute.pp
index 8923b6e..9ab4401 100644
--- a/manifests/compute.pp
+++ b/manifests/compute.pp
@@ -23,7 +23,11 @@ class openstack::compute (
   # Required Rabbit
   $rabbit_password,
   # DB
-  $sql_connection,
+  $nova_db_password,
+  $db_host                       = '127.0.0.1',
+  # Nova Database
+  $nova_db_user                  = 'nova',
+  $nova_db_name                  = 'nova',
   # Network
   $public_interface              = undef,
   $private_interface             = undef,
@@ -63,7 +67,9 @@ class openstack::compute (
   $vncserver_listen              = false,
   # cinder / volumes
   $manage_volumes                = true,
-  $cinder_sql_connection         = false,
+  $cinder_db_password            = false,
+  $cinder_db_user                = 'cinder',
+  $cinder_db_name                = 'cinder',
   $volume_group                  = 'cinder-volumes',
   $iscsi_ip_address              = '127.0.0.1',
   $setup_test_volume             = false,
@@ -98,8 +104,10 @@ class openstack::compute (
     }
   }
 
+  $nova_sql_connection = "mysql://${nova_db_user}:${nova_db_password}@${db_host}/${nova_db_name}"
+
   class { 'nova':
-    sql_connection      => $sql_connection,
+    sql_connection      => $nova_sql_connection,
     rabbit_userid       => $rabbit_user,
     rabbit_password     => $rabbit_password,
     image_service       => 'nova.image.glance.GlanceImageService',
@@ -220,10 +228,12 @@ class openstack::compute (
 
   if $manage_volumes {
 
-    if ! $cinder_sql_connection {
-      fail('cinder sql connection must be set when cinder is being configured by openstack::compute')
+    if ! $cinder_db_password {
+      fail('cinder_db_password must be set when cinder is being configured')
     }
 
+    $cinder_sql_connection = "mysql://${cinder_db_user}:${cinder_db_password}@${db_host}/${cinder_db_name}"
+
     class { 'openstack::cinder::storage':
       sql_connection      => $cinder_sql_connection,
       rabbit_password     => $rabbit_password,
diff --git a/spec/classes/openstack_compute_spec.rb b/spec/classes/openstack_compute_spec.rb
index 046404f..fb2ef6b 100644
--- a/spec/classes/openstack_compute_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/openstack_compute_spec.rb
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ describe 'openstack::compute' do
       :nova_admin_tenant_name    => 'services',
       :nova_admin_user           => 'nova',
       :enabled_apis              => 'ec2,osapi_compute,metadata',
-      :sql_connection            => 'mysql://user:pass@host/dbname',
-      :cinder_sql_connection     => 'mysql://user:pass@host/dbcinder',
+      :nova_db_password          => 'pass',
+      :cinder_db_password        => 'cinder_pass',
       :quantum                   => false,
       :fixed_range               => '10.0.0.0/16'
     }
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe 'openstack::compute' do
   describe "when using default class parameters" do
     it {
       should contain_class('nova').with(
-        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://user:pass@host/dbname',
+        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://nova:pass@127.0.0.1/nova',
         :rabbit_host         => '127.0.0.1',
         :rabbit_userid       => 'openstack',
         :rabbit_password     => 'rabbit_pw',
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ describe 'openstack::compute' do
         :install_service   => false
       })
       should contain_class('openstack::cinder::storage').with(
-        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://user:pass@host/dbcinder',
+        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://cinder:cinder_pass@127.0.0.1/cinder',
         :rabbit_password     => 'rabbit_pw',
         :rabbit_userid       => 'openstack',
         :rabbit_host         => '127.0.0.1',
@@ -88,8 +88,9 @@ describe 'openstack::compute' do
         :private_interface   => 'eth1',
         :internal_address    => '127.0.0.1',
         :public_interface    => 'eth2',
-        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://user:passwd@host/name',
         :nova_user_password  => 'nova_pass',
+        :nova_db_user        => 'nova_user',
+        :nova_db_name        => 'novadb',
         :rabbit_host         => 'my_host',
         :rabbit_password     => 'my_rabbit_pw',
         :rabbit_user         => 'my_rabbit_user',
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ describe 'openstack::compute' do
     end
     it do
       should contain_class('nova').with(
-        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://user:passwd@host/name',
+        :sql_connection      => 'mysql://nova_user:pass@127.0.0.1/novadb',
         :rabbit_host         => 'my_host',
         :rabbit_userid       => 'my_rabbit_user',
         :rabbit_password     => 'my_rabbit_pw',