diff --git a/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/actions/RDBMSQueryAction.java b/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/actions/RDBMSQueryAction.java
index 8bcb81b2..f39ab0f2 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/actions/RDBMSQueryAction.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/actions/RDBMSQueryAction.java
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables.QTableMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.CollectionUtils;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.Pair;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.module.rdbms.jdbc.QueryManager;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.module.rdbms.model.metadata.RDBMSBackendMetaData;
 import static com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.logging.LogUtils.logPair;
 
 
@@ -356,18 +357,29 @@ public class RDBMSQueryAction extends AbstractRDBMSAction implements QueryInterf
     *******************************************************************************/
    private PreparedStatement createStatement(Connection connection, String sql, QueryInput queryInput) throws SQLException
    {
-      if(connection.getClass().getName().startsWith("com.mysql"))
+      /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // if we're allowed to use the mysqlResultSetOptimization, and we have //
+      // the query hint of "potentially large no of results", then check if  //
+      // our backend is indeed mysql, and if so, then apply those settings.  //
+      /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      if(mysqlResultSetOptimizationEnabled && queryInput.hasQueryHint(QueryHint.POTENTIALLY_LARGE_NUMBER_OF_RESULTS))
       {
-         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-         // if we're allowed to use the mysqlResultSetOptimization, and we have the query hint of "expected large result set", then do it. //
-         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-         if(mysqlResultSetOptimizationEnabled && queryInput.getQueryHints() != null && queryInput.getQueryHints().contains(QueryHint.POTENTIALLY_LARGE_NUMBER_OF_RESULTS))
+         RDBMSBackendMetaData rdbmsBackendMetaData = (RDBMSBackendMetaData) queryInput.getBackend();
+
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         // todo - remove "aurora" - it's a legacy value here for a staged rollout //
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         if(RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_MYSQL.equals(rdbmsBackendMetaData.getVendor()) || RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_AURORA_MYSQL.equals(rdbmsBackendMetaData.getVendor()) || "aurora".equals(rdbmsBackendMetaData.getVendor()))
          {
-            /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-            // mysql "optimization", presumably here - from Result Set section of https://dev.mysql.com/doc/connector-j/en/connector-j-reference-implementation-notes.html //
-            // without this change, we saw ~10 seconds of "wait" time, before results would start to stream out of a large query (e.g., > 1,000,000 rows).                 //
-            // with this change, we start to get results immediately, and the total runtime also seems lower...                                                            //
-            /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+            //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+            // mysql "optimization", presumably here - from Result Set section of                               //
+            // https://dev.mysql.com/doc/connector-j/en/connector-j-reference-implementation-notes.html without //
+            // this change, we saw ~10 seconds of "wait" time, before results would start to stream out of a    //
+            // large query (e.g., > 1,000,000 rows).                                                            //
+            // with this change, we start to get results immediately, and the total runtime also seems lower... //
+            // perhaps more importantly, without this change, the whole result set goes into memory - but with  //
+            // this change, it is streamed.                                                                     //
+            //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
             PreparedStatement statement = connection.prepareStatement(sql, ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.CONCUR_READ_ONLY);
             statement.setFetchSize(Integer.MIN_VALUE);
             return (statement);
diff --git a/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/jdbc/ConnectionManager.java b/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/jdbc/ConnectionManager.java
index 8068e725..084e5df1 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/jdbc/ConnectionManager.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/jdbc/ConnectionManager.java
@@ -150,8 +150,11 @@ public class ConnectionManager
 
       return switch(backend.getVendor())
       {
-         case "mysql", "aurora" -> "com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver";
-         case "h2" -> "org.h2.Driver";
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         // todo - remove "aurora" - it's a legacy value here for a staged rollout //
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         case RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_MYSQL, RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_AURORA_MYSQL, "aurora" -> "com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver";
+         case RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_H2 -> "org.h2.Driver";
          default -> throw (new IllegalStateException("We do not know what jdbc driver to use for vendor name [" + backend.getVendor() + "].  Try setting jdbcDriverClassName in your backend meta data."));
       };
    }
@@ -170,11 +173,17 @@ public class ConnectionManager
 
       return switch(backend.getVendor())
       {
-         // TODO aws-mysql-jdbc driver not working when running on AWS
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         // TODO aws-mysql-jdbc driver not working when running on AWS //
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
          // jdbcURL = "jdbc:mysql:aws://" + backend.getHostName() + ":" + backend.getPort() + "/" + backend.getDatabaseName() + "?rewriteBatchedStatements=true&zeroDateTimeBehavior=CONVERT_TO_NULL";
-         case "aurora" -> "jdbc:mysql://" + backend.getHostName() + ":" + backend.getPort() + "/" + backend.getDatabaseName() + "?rewriteBatchedStatements=true&zeroDateTimeBehavior=convertToNull&useSSL=false";
-         case "mysql" -> "jdbc:mysql://" + backend.getHostName() + ":" + backend.getPort() + "/" + backend.getDatabaseName() + "?rewriteBatchedStatements=true&zeroDateTimeBehavior=convertToNull";
-         case "h2" -> "jdbc:h2:" + backend.getHostName() + ":" + backend.getDatabaseName() + ";MODE=MySQL;DB_CLOSE_DELAY=-1";
+
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         // todo - remove "aurora" - it's a legacy value here for a staged rollout //
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         case RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_AURORA_MYSQL, "aurora" -> "jdbc:mysql://" + backend.getHostName() + ":" + backend.getPort() + "/" + backend.getDatabaseName() + "?rewriteBatchedStatements=true&zeroDateTimeBehavior=convertToNull&useSSL=false";
+         case RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_MYSQL -> "jdbc:mysql://" + backend.getHostName() + ":" + backend.getPort() + "/" + backend.getDatabaseName() + "?rewriteBatchedStatements=true&zeroDateTimeBehavior=convertToNull";
+         case RDBMSBackendMetaData.VENDOR_H2 -> "jdbc:h2:" + backend.getHostName() + ":" + backend.getDatabaseName() + ";MODE=MySQL;DB_CLOSE_DELAY=-1";
          default -> throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unsupported rdbms backend vendor: " + backend.getVendor());
       };
    }
diff --git a/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/model/metadata/RDBMSBackendMetaData.java b/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/model/metadata/RDBMSBackendMetaData.java
index aa93d363..110db12d 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/model/metadata/RDBMSBackendMetaData.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-module-rdbms/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/rdbms/model/metadata/RDBMSBackendMetaData.java
@@ -49,6 +49,13 @@ public class RDBMSBackendMetaData extends QBackendMetaData
 
    private RDBMSBackendMetaData readOnlyBackendMetaData;
 
+   ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+   // define well-known (and fully supported) vendor values //
+   ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+   public static final String VENDOR_MYSQL        = "mysql";
+   public static final String VENDOR_H2           = "h2";
+   public static final String VENDOR_AURORA_MYSQL = "aurora-mysql";
+
 
 
    /*******************************************************************************