diff --git a/lib/mysql.js b/lib/mysql.js
index b34d178..7527ff6 100644
--- a/lib/mysql.js
+++ b/lib/mysql.js
@@ -31,9 +31,15 @@ exports.initialize = function initializeDataSource(dataSource, callback) {
 
   dataSource.EnumFactory = EnumFactory; // factory for Enums. Note that currently Enums can not be registered.
 
-  process.nextTick(function() {
-    callback && callback();
-  });
+  if(callback) {
+    if(dataSource.settings.lazyConnect) {
+      process.nextTick(function() {
+        callback();
+      });
+    } else{
+      dataSource.connector.connect(callback);
+    }
+  }
 };
 
 exports.MySQL = MySQL;
@@ -60,7 +66,41 @@ function defineMySQLTypes(dataSource) {
  */
 function MySQL(settings) {
   SqlConnector.call(this, 'mysql', settings);
+}
 
+require('util').inherits(MySQL, SqlConnector);
+
+MySQL.prototype.connect = function(callback) {
+  var self = this;
+  var options = generateOptions(this.settings);
+  var s = self.settings || {};
+
+  if (this.client) {
+    if (callback) {
+      process.nextTick(function() {
+        callback(null, self.client);
+      });
+    }
+  } else {
+    this.client = mysql.createPool(options);
+    this.client.getConnection(function(err, connection) {
+      var conn = connection;
+      if (!err) {
+        if (self.debug) {
+          debug('MySQL connection is established: ' + self.settings || {});
+        }          
+        connection.release();
+      } else {
+        if (self.debug || !callback) {
+          console.error('MySQL connection is failed: ' + self.settings || {}, err);
+        }
+      }
+      callback && callback(err, conn);
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+function generateOptions (settings) {
   var s = settings || {};
   if (s.collation) {
     // Charset should be first 'chunk' of collation.
@@ -110,22 +150,8 @@ function MySQL(settings) {
       }
     }
   }
-
-  this.client = mysql.createPool(options);
-
-  this.client.on('error', function(err) {
-    dataSource.emit('error', err);
-    dataSource.connected = false;
-    dataSource.connecting = false;
-  });
-
-  if (debug.enabled) {
-    debug('Settings: %j', s);
-  }
+  return options;
 }
-
-require('util').inherits(MySQL, SqlConnector);
-
 /**
  * Execute the sql statement
  *
@@ -250,7 +276,7 @@ MySQL.prototype._modifyOrCreate = function(model, data, options, fields, cb) {
       cb(err, data, meta);
     });
   };
-  
+
 /**
  * Replace if the model instance exists with the same id or create a new instance
  *
@@ -274,7 +300,7 @@ MySQL.prototype.replaceOrCreate = function(model, data, options, cb) {
  */
 MySQL.prototype.save =
 MySQL.prototype.updateOrCreate = function(model, data, options, cb) {
-  var fields =  this.buildFields(model, data);  
+  var fields =  this.buildFields(model, data);
   this._modifyOrCreate(model, data, options, fields, cb);
 };
 
diff --git a/test/connection.test.js b/test/connection.test.js
index cad94ff..9dcda97 100644
--- a/test/connection.test.js
+++ b/test/connection.test.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 require('./init.js');
 var assert = require('assert');
+var should = require('should');
 var DataSource = require('loopback-datasource-juggler').DataSource;
 var mysqlConnector = require('../');
 var url = require('url');
@@ -76,6 +77,39 @@ describe('connections', function () {
       });
     });
   });
+
+  describe('lazyConnect', function() {
+    it('should skip connect phase (lazyConnect = true)', function(done) {
+      var dbConfig = {
+        host: '127.0.0.1',
+        port: 4,
+        lazyConnect: true,
+      };
+      var ds = new DataSource(mysqlConnector, dbConfig);
+
+      var errTimeout = setTimeout(function() {
+        done();
+      }, 2000);
+      ds.on('error', function(err) {
+        clearTimeout(errTimeout);
+        done(err);
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should report connection error (lazyConnect = false)', function(done) {
+      var dbConfig = {
+        host: '127.0.0.1',
+        port: 4,
+        lazyConnect: false,
+      };
+      var ds = new DataSource(mysqlConnector, dbConfig);
+
+      ds.on('error', function(err) {
+        err.message.should.containEql('ECONNREFUSED');
+        done();
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 function charsetTest(test_set, test_collo, test_set_str, test_set_collo, done) {