diff --git a/gradle.properties b/gradle.properties
index 123a3e584..048d3317c 100644
--- a/gradle.properties
+++ b/gradle.properties
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ org.gradle.java.installations.auto-download=false
 
 # The database type to use (key insensitive and support aliases):
 # Db2, MySql, PostgreSQL, CockroachDB, SqlServer
-#db = MSSQL
+db = H2
 
 # Enable the SonatypeOS maven repository (mainly for Vert.x snapshots) when present (value ignored)
 #enableSonatypeOpenSourceSnapshotsRep = true
diff --git a/hibernate-reactive-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/reactive/pool/impl/H2SqlClientPool.java b/hibernate-reactive-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/reactive/pool/impl/H2SqlClientPool.java
index aba2c4cc4..1825096a8 100644
--- a/hibernate-reactive-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/reactive/pool/impl/H2SqlClientPool.java
+++ b/hibernate-reactive-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/reactive/pool/impl/H2SqlClientPool.java
@@ -6,12 +6,19 @@
 package org.hibernate.reactive.pool.impl;
 
 
+import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles;
 import java.net.URI;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.concurrent.CompletionStage;
 
+import org.hibernate.HibernateError;
 import org.hibernate.engine.jdbc.spi.JdbcServices;
 import org.hibernate.engine.jdbc.spi.SqlStatementLogger;
+import org.hibernate.internal.util.config.ConfigurationHelper;
+import org.hibernate.reactive.logging.impl.Log;
+import org.hibernate.reactive.logging.impl.LoggerFactory;
 import org.hibernate.reactive.pool.ReactiveConnection;
+import org.hibernate.reactive.provider.Settings;
 import org.hibernate.reactive.vertx.VertxInstance;
 import org.hibernate.service.spi.ServiceRegistryAwareService;
 import org.hibernate.service.spi.ServiceRegistryImplementor;
@@ -27,6 +34,8 @@
 
 public class H2SqlClientPool extends SqlClientPool implements ServiceRegistryAwareService {
 
+	private static final Log LOG = LoggerFactory.make( Log.class, MethodHandles.lookup() );
+
 	//Asynchronous shutdown promise: we can't return it from #close as we implement a
 	//blocking interface.
 	private volatile Future<Void> closeFuture = Future.succeededFuture();
@@ -45,22 +54,29 @@ public void injectServices(ServiceRegistryImplementor serviceRegistry) {
 		sqlStatementLogger = serviceRegistry.getService( JdbcServices.class ).getSqlStatementLogger();
 	}
 
+	public void configure(Map configuration) {
+		uri = jdbcUrl( configuration );
+	}
+
 	public void start() {
 		if ( pools == null ) {
 			pools = createPool( uri );
 		}
 	}
 
-	public void stop() {
-		if ( pools != null ) {
-			this.closeFuture = pools.close();
-		}
+	@Override
+	public CompletionStage<Void> getCloseFuture() {
+		return closeFuture.toCompletionStage();
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	protected Pool getPool() {
+		return pools;
 	}
 
 	private Pool createPool(URI uri) {
 		SqlClientPoolConfiguration configuration = serviceRegistry.getService( SqlClientPoolConfiguration.class );
 		VertxInstance vertx = serviceRegistry.getService( VertxInstance.class );
-
 		return createPool( uri, configuration.connectOptions( uri ), configuration.poolOptions(), vertx.getVertx() );
 	}
 
@@ -73,19 +89,36 @@ private Pool createPool(URI uri, SqlConnectOptions connectOptions, PoolOptions p
 		return pool;
 	}
 
-	@Override
-	protected Pool getPool() {
-		return pools;
+	private URI jdbcUrl(Map<?, ?> configurationValues) {
+		String url = ConfigurationHelper.getString( Settings.URL, configurationValues );
+		LOG.sqlClientUrl( url );
+		return parse( url );
 	}
 
-	@Override
-	protected SqlStatementLogger getSqlStatementLogger() {
-		return sqlStatementLogger;
+	public void stop() {
+		if ( pools != null ) {
+			this.closeFuture = pools.close();
+		}
+	}
+
+	public static URI parse(String url) {
+
+		if ( url == null || url.trim().isEmpty() ) {
+			throw new HibernateError(
+					"The configuration property '" + Settings.URL + "' was not provided, or is in invalid format. This is required when using the default DefaultSqlClientPool: " +
+							"either provide the configuration setting or integrate with a different SqlClientPool implementation" );
+		}
+
+		if ( url.startsWith( "jdbc:" ) ) {
+			return URI.create( url.substring( 5 ) );
+		}
+
+		return URI.create( url );
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public CompletionStage<Void> getCloseFuture() {
-		return closeFuture.toCompletionStage();
+	protected SqlStatementLogger getSqlStatementLogger() {
+		return sqlStatementLogger;
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/hibernate-reactive-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/reactive/containers/H2Database.java b/hibernate-reactive-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/reactive/containers/H2Database.java
index a9b15a8bf..f3ecbc6a7 100644
--- a/hibernate-reactive-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/reactive/containers/H2Database.java
+++ b/hibernate-reactive-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/reactive/containers/H2Database.java
@@ -18,16 +18,15 @@ private String getRegularJdbcUrl() {
 
 	@Override
 	public String getJdbcUrl() {
-		return getRegularJdbcUrl();
+		return "jdbc:h2:~/test";
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	public String getUri() {
-		{
-			return "h2:~/test";
-		}
+		return "h2:~/test";
 	}
 
+
 	@Override
 	public String getScheme() {
 		return "h2";
@@ -50,12 +49,12 @@ public String createJdbcUrl(String host, int port, String database, Map<String,
 
 	@Override
 	public String jdbcStartQuery() {
-		throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
+		return ";";
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	public String jdbcParamDelimiter() {
-		throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
+		return ";";
 	}
 
 	private H2Database() {