diff --git a/lib/dao.js b/lib/dao.js
index 65cbcf97..c8911985 100644
--- a/lib/dao.js
+++ b/lib/dao.js
@@ -43,11 +43,12 @@ function DataAccessObject() {
 }
 
 function idName(m) {
-    return m.dataSource.idName ? m.dataSource.idName(m.modelName) : 'id';
+    return m.getDataSource().idName 
+    ? m.getDataSource().idName(m.modelName) : 'id';
 }
 
 function getIdValue(m, data) {
-    return data && data[m.dataSource.idName(m.modelName)];
+    return data && data[m.getDataSource().idName(m.modelName)];
 }
 
 function setIdValue(m, data, value) {
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ function setIdValue(m, data, value) {
 }
 
 DataAccessObject._forDB = function (data) {
-    if(!(this.dataSource.isRelational && this.dataSource.isRelational())) {
+    if(!(this.getDataSource().isRelational && this.getDataSource().isRelational())) {
         return data;
     }
     var res = {};
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ DataAccessObject._forDB = function (data) {
  *   - instance (null or Model)
  */
 DataAccessObject.create = function (data, callback) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     var Model = this;
     var modelName = Model.modelName;
@@ -213,13 +214,13 @@ function stillConnecting(dataSource, obj, args) {
  * @param {Function} [callback] The callback function
  */
 DataAccessObject.upsert = DataAccessObject.updateOrCreate = function upsert(data, callback) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     var Model = this;
     if (!getIdValue(this, data)) return this.create(data, callback);
-    if (this.dataSource.connector.updateOrCreate) {
+    if (this.getDataSource().connector.updateOrCreate) {
         var inst = new Model(data);
-        this.dataSource.connector.updateOrCreate(Model.modelName, inst.toObject(true), function (err, data) {
+        this.getDataSource().connector.updateOrCreate(Model.modelName, inst.toObject(true), function (err, data) {
             var obj;
             if (data) {
                 inst._initProperties(data, false);
@@ -286,7 +287,7 @@ DataAccessObject.findOrCreate = function findOrCreate(query, data, callback) {
  * @param {Function} cb - callbacl called with (err, exists: Bool)
  */
 DataAccessObject.exists = function exists(id, cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     if (id !== undefined && id !== null && id !== '') {
         this.dataSource.connector.exists(this.modelName, id, cb);
@@ -310,9 +311,9 @@ setRemoting(DataAccessObject.exists, {
  * @param {Function} cb - callback called with (err, instance)
  */
 DataAccessObject.findById = function find(id, cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
-    this.dataSource.connector.find(this.modelName, id, function (err, data) {
+    this.getDataSource().connector.find(this.modelName, id, function (err, data) {
         var obj = null;
         if (data) {
             if (!getIdValue(this, data)) {
@@ -358,7 +359,7 @@ DataAccessObject.all = function () {
  */
 
 DataAccessObject.find = function find(params, cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     if (arguments.length === 1) {
         cb = params;
@@ -369,7 +370,7 @@ DataAccessObject.find = function find(params, cb) {
     params = params || {};
     var fields = params.fields;
     var near = params && geo.nearFilter(params.where);
-    var supportsGeo = !!this.dataSource.connector.buildNearFilter;
+    var supportsGeo = !!this.getDataSource().connector.buildNearFilter;
     
     // normalize fields as array of included property names
     if(fields) {
@@ -380,11 +381,11 @@ DataAccessObject.find = function find(params, cb) {
     if(near) {
       if(supportsGeo) {
         // convert it
-        this.dataSource.connector.buildNearFilter(params, near);
+        this.getDataSource().connector.buildNearFilter(params, near);
       } else if(params.where) {
         // do in memory query
         // using all documents
-        this.dataSource.connector.all(this.modelName, {}, function (err, data) {
+        this.getDataSource().connector.all(this.modelName, {}, function (err, data) {
           var memory = new Memory();
           var modelName = constr.modelName;
           
@@ -414,7 +415,7 @@ DataAccessObject.find = function find(params, cb) {
       }
     }
     
-    this.dataSource.connector.all(this.modelName, params, function (err, data) {
+    this.getDataSource().connector.all(this.modelName, params, function (err, data) {
         if (data && data.forEach) {
             data.forEach(function (d, i) {
                 var obj = new constr();
@@ -456,7 +457,7 @@ setRemoting(DataAccessObject.find, {
  * @param {Function} cb - callback called with (err, instance)
  */
 DataAccessObject.findOne = function findOne(params, cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     if (typeof params === 'function') {
         cb = params;
@@ -486,20 +487,20 @@ setRemoting(DataAccessObject.findOne, {
 DataAccessObject.remove =
 DataAccessObject.deleteAll =
 DataAccessObject.destroyAll = function destroyAll(where, cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     if(!cb && 'function' === typeof where) {
         cb = where;
         where = undefined;
     }
     if(!where) {
-        this.dataSource.connector.destroyAll(this.modelName, function (err, data) {
+        this.getDataSource().connector.destroyAll(this.modelName, function (err, data) {
             cb && cb(err, data);
         }.bind(this));
     } else {
         // Support an optional where object
         where = removeUndefined(where);
-        this.dataSource.connector.destroyAll(this.modelName, where, function (err, data) {
+        this.getDataSource().connector.destroyAll(this.modelName, where, function (err, data) {
             cb && cb(err, data);
         }.bind(this));
     }
@@ -513,9 +514,9 @@ DataAccessObject.destroyAll = function destroyAll(where, cb) {
 DataAccessObject.removeById =
 DataAccessObject.deleteById =
     DataAccessObject.destroyById = function deleteById(id, cb) {
-        if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+        if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
-        this.dataSource.connector.destroy(this.modelName, id, function (err) {
+        this.getDataSource().connector.destroy(this.modelName, id, function (err) {
             if ('function' === typeof cb) {
                 cb(err);
             }
@@ -537,14 +538,14 @@ setRemoting(DataAccessObject.deleteById, {
  * @param {Function} cb - callback, called with (err, count)
  */
 DataAccessObject.count = function (where, cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     if (typeof where === 'function') {
         cb = where;
         where = null;
     }
     where = removeUndefined(where);
-    this.dataSource.connector.count(this.modelName, cb, where);
+    this.getDataSource().connector.count(this.modelName, cb, where);
 };
 
 
@@ -564,7 +565,7 @@ setRemoting(DataAccessObject.count, {
  * @param callback(err, obj)
  */
 DataAccessObject.prototype.save = function (options, callback) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.constructor.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     if (typeof options == 'function') {
         callback = options;
@@ -638,7 +639,7 @@ DataAccessObject.prototype.isNewRecord = function () {
  * @private
  */
 DataAccessObject.prototype._adapter = function () {
-    return this.dataSource.connector;
+    return this.getDataSource().connector;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -649,7 +650,7 @@ DataAccessObject.prototype._adapter = function () {
 DataAccessObject.prototype.remove =
 DataAccessObject.prototype.delete =
 DataAccessObject.prototype.destroy = function (cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.constructor.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     this.trigger('destroy', function (destroyed) {
         this._adapter().destroy(this.constructor.modelName, getIdValue(this.constructor, this), function (err) {
@@ -690,7 +691,7 @@ DataAccessObject.prototype.updateAttribute = function updateAttribute(name, valu
  * @param {Function} callback - callback called with (err, instance)
  */
 DataAccessObject.prototype.updateAttributes = function updateAttributes(data, cb) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.constructor.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     var inst = this;
     var model = this.constructor.modelName;
@@ -757,7 +758,7 @@ setRemoting(DataAccessObject.prototype.updateAttributes, {
  * @param {Function} callback - called with (err, instance) arguments
  */
 DataAccessObject.prototype.reload = function reload(callback) {
-    if (stillConnecting(this.constructor.dataSource, this, arguments)) return;
+    if (stillConnecting(this.getDataSource(), this, arguments)) return;
 
     this.constructor.findById(getIdValue(this.constructor, this), callback);
 };
diff --git a/lib/datasource.js b/lib/datasource.js
index 113f7b37..9a4c5d08 100644
--- a/lib/datasource.js
+++ b/lib/datasource.js
@@ -1316,7 +1316,6 @@ DataSource.prototype.copyModel = function copyModel(Master) {
     var md = Master.dataSource.definitions[className];
     var Slave = function SlaveModel() {
         Master.apply(this, [].slice.call(arguments));
-        this.dataSource = dataSource;
     };
 
     util.inherits(Slave, Master);
diff --git a/lib/model-builder.js b/lib/model-builder.js
index 3519e943..7fa9b91c 100644
--- a/lib/model-builder.js
+++ b/lib/model-builder.js
@@ -110,8 +110,8 @@ ModelBuilder.prototype.define = function defineClass(className, properties, sett
             return new ModelConstructor(data, dataSource);
         }
         ModelBaseClass.apply(this, arguments);
-        if(!this.dataSource) {
-          hiddenProperty(this, 'dataSource', dataSource || this.constructor.dataSource);
+        if(dataSource) {
+          hiddenProperty(this, '__dataSource', dataSource);
         }
     };
 
@@ -397,7 +397,6 @@ ModelBuilder.prototype.copyModel = function copyModel(Master) {
     var md = Master.dataSource.definitions[className];
     var Slave = function SlaveModel() {
         Master.apply(this, [].slice.call(arguments));
-        this.dataSource = dataSource;
     };
 
     util.inherits(Slave, Master);
diff --git a/lib/model.js b/lib/model.js
index 88a8ceb3..ec8ec90e 100644
--- a/lib/model.js
+++ b/lib/model.js
@@ -289,5 +289,12 @@ ModelBaseClass.mixin = function(anotherClass, options) {
     return jutil.mixin(this, anotherClass, options);
 };
 
+ModelBaseClass.prototype.getDataSource = function () {
+  return this.__dataSource || this.constructor.dataSource;
+}
+ModelBaseClass.getDataSource = function () {
+  return this.dataSource;
+}
+
 jutil.mixin(ModelBaseClass, Hookable);
 jutil.mixin(ModelBaseClass, validations.Validatable);
diff --git a/test/schema.test.js b/test/schema.test.js
index 1a0d8f8c..2f9be1a4 100644
--- a/test/schema.test.js
+++ b/test/schema.test.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ describe('dataSource', function() {
         Model = db.define('Model');
         Model.dataSource.should.eql(db);
         var m = new Model;
-        m.dataSource.should.eql(db);
+        m.getDataSource().should.eql(db);
     });
 
     it('should clone existing model', function() {
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ describe('dataSource', function() {
         slave.should.not.eql(db);
         var sm = new SlaveModel;
         sm.should.be.instanceOf(Model);
-        sm.dataSource.should.not.eql(db);
-        sm.dataSource.should.eql(slave);
+        sm.getDataSource().should.not.eql(db);
+        sm.getDataSource().should.eql(slave);
     });
 
     it('should automigrate', function(done) {