diff --git a/docs/datasource-connector.md b/docs/datasource-connector.md
index de3b64f8..f2770534 100644
--- a/docs/datasource-connector.md
+++ b/docs/datasource-connector.md
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ can be used to build LoopBack models.
 You can also discover and build model classes in one shot:
 
     // Start with INVENTORY table and follow the primary/foreign relationships to discover associated tables
-    ds.discoverAndBuildModels('INVENTORY', {visited: {}, associations: true}, function (err, models) {
+    ds.discoverAndBuildModels('INVENTORY', {visited: {}, relations: true}, function (err, models) {
 
         // Now we have an object of models keyed by the model name
         // Find the 1st record for Inventory
diff --git a/examples/schemas.json b/examples/schemas.json
index 447726b4..0ca01ff5 100644
--- a/examples/schemas.json
+++ b/examples/schemas.json
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@
             "id": "string",
             "customer": {
                 "type": "Customer",
-                "association": {
+                "relation": {
                     "type": "belongsTo",
-                    "inverse": "account"
+                    "as": "account"
                 }
             },
             "balance": "number"
diff --git a/lib/datasource.js b/lib/datasource.js
index 1e53dbeb..70040a28 100644
--- a/lib/datasource.js
+++ b/lib/datasource.js
@@ -872,7 +872,7 @@ function fromDBName(dbName, camelCase) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Discover one schema from the given model without following the associations
+ * Discover one schema from the given model without following the relations
  *
  * @param {String} modelName The model name
  * @param {Object} [options] The options
@@ -886,7 +886,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchema = function (modelName, options, cb) {
         options = {};
     }
     options.visited = {};
-    options.associations = false;
+    options.relations = false;
 
     this.discoverSchemas(modelName, options, function(err, schemas) {
         if(err) {
@@ -906,7 +906,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchema = function (modelName, options, cb) {
  * `options`
  *
  *      {String} owner/schema - The database owner/schema name
- *      {Boolean} associations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
+ *      {Boolean} relations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
  *      {Boolean} all - If all owners are included
  *      {Boolean} views - If views are included
  *
@@ -929,7 +929,8 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchemas = function (modelName, options, cb) {
         this.discoverModelProperties.bind(this, modelName, options),
         this.discoverPrimaryKeys.bind(this, modelName, options) ];
 
-    if (options.associations) {
+    var followingRelations = options.associations || options.relations;
+    if (followingRelations) {
         tasks.push(this.discoverForeignKeys.bind(this, modelName, options));
     }
 
@@ -1007,7 +1008,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchemas = function (modelName, options, cb) {
         }
 
         var otherTables = {};
-        if (options.associations) {
+        if (followingRelations) {
             // Handle foreign keys
             var fks = {};
             var foreignKeys = results[2];
@@ -1033,7 +1034,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchemas = function (modelName, options, cb) {
                 var propName = fromDBName(fk.pkTableName, true);
                 schema.properties[propName] = {
                   type: fromDBName(fk.pkTableName, false),
-                  association: {
+                  relation: {
                       type: 'belongsTo',
                       foreignKey: fromDBName(fk.pkColumnName, true)
                   }
@@ -1077,7 +1078,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchemas = function (modelName, options, cb) {
  * `options`
  *
  *      {String} owner/schema - The database owner/schema name
- *      {Boolean} associations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
+ *      {Boolean} relations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
  *      {Boolean} all - If all owners are included
  *      {Boolean} views - If views are included
  *
@@ -1154,7 +1155,8 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchemasSync = function (modelName, options) {
     }
 
     var otherTables = {};
-    if (options.associations) {
+    var followingRelations = options.associations || options.relations;
+    if (followingRelations) {
         // Handle foreign keys
         var fks = {};
         var foreignKeys = this.discoverForeignKeysSync(modelName, options);
@@ -1180,7 +1182,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchemasSync = function (modelName, options) {
             var propName = fromDBName(fk.pkTableName, true);
             schema.properties[propName] = {
                 type: fromDBName(fk.pkTableName, false),
-                association: {
+                relation: {
                     type: 'belongsTo',
                     foreignKey: fromDBName(fk.pkColumnName, true)
                 }
@@ -1219,7 +1221,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverSchemasSync = function (modelName, options) {
  *  `options`
  *
  *      {String} owner/schema - The database owner/schema name
- *      {Boolean} associations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
+ *      {Boolean} relations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
  *      {Boolean} all - If all owners are included
  *      {Boolean} views - If views are included
  *
@@ -1252,7 +1254,7 @@ DataSource.prototype.discoverAndBuildModels = function (modelName, options, cb)
  * `options`
  *
  *      {String} owner/schema - The database owner/schema name
- *      {Boolean} associations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
+ *      {Boolean} relations - If relations (primary key/foreign key) are navigated
  *      {Boolean} all - If all owners are included
  *      {Boolean} views - If views are included
  *
diff --git a/lib/model-builder.js b/lib/model-builder.js
index af8f2bcb..b152bbf6 100644
--- a/lib/model-builder.js
+++ b/lib/model-builder.js
@@ -568,23 +568,23 @@ ModelBuilder.prototype.buildModels = function (schemas) {
         }
     }
 
-    var associations = [];
+    var relations = [];
     for (var s in schemas) {
         var name = this.getSchemaName(schemas[s].name);
         schemas[s].name = name;
         var model = this.define(schemas[s].name, schemas[s].properties, schemas[s].options);
         models[name] = model;
-        associations = associations.concat(model.definition.associations);
+        relations = relations.concat(model.definition.relations);
     }
 
-    // Connect the models based on the associations
-    for (var i = 0; i < associations.length; i++) {
-        var association = associations[i];
-        var sourceModel = models[association.source];
-        var targetModel = models[association.target];
+    // Connect the models based on the relations
+    for (var i = 0; i < relations.length; i++) {
+        var relation = relations[i];
+        var sourceModel = models[relation.source];
+        var targetModel = models[relation.target];
         if (sourceModel && targetModel) {
-            if(typeof sourceModel[association.relation] === 'function') {
-                sourceModel[association.relation](targetModel, {as: association.as});
+            if(typeof sourceModel[relation.type] === 'function') {
+                sourceModel[relation.type](targetModel, {as: relation.as});
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/lib/model-definition.js b/lib/model-definition.js
index fb16dc2a..c13d1cf1 100644
--- a/lib/model-definition.js
+++ b/lib/model-definition.js
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ function ModelDefinition(modelBuilder, name, properties, settings) {
         this.rawProperties = properties || {}; // Keep the raw property definitions
         this.settings = settings || {};
     }
-    this.associations = [];
+    this.relations = [];
     this.properties = null;
     this.build();
 }
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ ModelDefinition.prototype.indexes = function () {
 ModelDefinition.prototype.build = function (forceRebuild) {
     if(forceRebuild) {
         this.properties = null;
-        this.associations = [];
+        this.relations = [];
         this._ids = null;
     }
     if (this.properties) {
@@ -219,10 +219,10 @@ ModelDefinition.prototype.build = function (forceRebuild) {
         var prop = this.rawProperties[p];
         var type = this.modelBuilder.resolveType(prop);
         if (typeof type === 'string') {
-            this.associations.push({
+            this.relations.push({
                 source: this.name,
                 target: type,
-                relation: Array.isArray(prop) ? 'hasMany' : 'belongsTo',
+                type: Array.isArray(prop) ? 'hasMany' : 'belongsTo',
                 as: p
             });
         } else {
diff --git a/test/test2-schemas.json b/test/test2-schemas.json
index 447726b4..0ca01ff5 100644
--- a/test/test2-schemas.json
+++ b/test/test2-schemas.json
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@
             "id": "string",
             "customer": {
                 "type": "Customer",
-                "association": {
+                "relation": {
                     "type": "belongsTo",
-                    "inverse": "account"
+                    "as": "account"
                 }
             },
             "balance": "number"