diff --git a/datajoint/base.py b/datajoint/base.py
index 96a34859d..d9ca80581 100644
--- a/datajoint/base.py
+++ b/datajoint/base.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 from . import DataJointError
 from .table import Table
 import logging
+from .declare import declare
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -42,16 +43,19 @@ def __init__(self):
         self.class_name = self.__class__.__name__
         module = self.__module__
         mod_obj = importlib.import_module(module)
+        use_package = False
         try:
             conn = mod_obj.conn
         except AttributeError:
             try:
+                # check if database bound at the package level instead
                 pkg_obj = importlib.import_module(mod_obj.__package__)
                 conn = pkg_obj.conn
                 use_package = True
             except AttributeError:
                 raise DataJointError(
                     "Please define object 'conn' in '{}' or in its containing package.".format(self.__module__))
+        self.conn = conn
         try:
             if use_package:
                 pkg_name = '.'.join(module.split('.')[:-1])
@@ -61,7 +65,8 @@ def __init__(self):
         except KeyError:
             raise DataJointError(
                 'Module {} is not bound to a database. See datajoint.connection.bind'.format(self.__module__))
-        super().__init__(self, conn=conn, dbname=dbname, class_name=self.__class__.__name__)
+        declare(self.conn, self.definition, self.full_class_name)
+        super().__init__(conn=conn, dbname=dbname, class_name=self.__class__.__name__)
 
 
     @classmethod
diff --git a/datajoint/declare.py b/datajoint/declare.py
index af09334ae..d95468e8e 100644
--- a/datajoint/declare.py
+++ b/datajoint/declare.py
@@ -14,14 +14,15 @@ def declare(conn, definition, class_name):
     """
     Declares the table in the data base if no table in the database matches this object.
     """
-    table_info, parents, referenced, field_definitions, index_definitions = parse_declaration(definition)
+    table_info, parents, referenced, field_definitions, index_definitions = _parse_declaration(conn, definition)
     defined_name = table_info['module'] + '.' + table_info['className']
-    if not defined_name == class_name:
-        raise DataJointError('Table name {} does not match the declared'
-                             'name {}'.format(class_name, defined_name))
+    # TODO: clean up this mess... currently just ignoring the name used to define the table
+    #if not defined_name == class_name:
+    #    raise DataJointError('Table name {} does not match the declared'
+    #                         'name {}'.format(class_name, defined_name))
 
     # compile the CREATE TABLE statement
-    table_name = role_to_prefix[table_info['tier']] + from_camel_case(class_name)
+    table_name = role_to_prefix[table_info['tier']] + from_camel_case(defined_name)
     sql = 'CREATE TABLE `%s`.`%s` (\n' % (self.dbname, table_name)
 
     # add inherited primary key fields
@@ -88,7 +89,8 @@ def declare(conn, definition, class_name):
         sql[:-2], table_info['comment'])
 
     # make sure that the table does not alredy exist
-    self.conn.load_headings(self.dbname, force=True)
+    # TODO: there will be a problem with resolving the module here...
+    conn.load_headings(self.dbname, force=True)
     if not self.is_declared:
         # execute declaration
         logger.debug('\n<SQL>\n' + sql + '</SQL>\n\n')
@@ -96,7 +98,7 @@ def declare(conn, definition, class_name):
         self.conn.load_headings(self.dbname, force=True)
 
 
-def _parse_declaration(self):
+def _parse_declaration(conn, definition):
     """
     Parse declaration and create new SQL table accordingly.
     """
@@ -104,7 +106,7 @@ def _parse_declaration(self):
     referenced = []
     index_defs = []
     field_defs = []
-    declaration = re.split(r'\s*\n\s*', self.definition.strip())
+    declaration = re.split(r'\s*\n\s*', definition.strip())
 
     # remove comment lines
     declaration = [x for x in declaration if not x.startswith('#')]
@@ -205,11 +207,11 @@ def parse_attribute_definition(line, in_key=False):  # todo add docu for in_key
     assert (not re.match(r'^bigint', attr_info['type'], re.I) or not attr_info['nullable']), \
         'BIGINT attributes cannot be nullable in "%s"' % line
 
-    attr_info['isKey'] = in_key
-    attr_info['isAutoincrement'] = None
-    attr_info['isNumeric'] = None
-    attr_info['isString'] = None
-    attr_info['isBlob'] = None
+    attr_info['in_key'] = in_key
+    attr_info['autoincrement'] = None
+    attr_info['numeric'] = None
+    attr_info['string'] = None
+    attr_info['is_blob'] = None
     attr_info['computation'] = None
     attr_info['dtype'] = None
 
diff --git a/datajoint/heading.py b/datajoint/heading.py
index 18e75df62..507fdd38c 100644
--- a/datajoint/heading.py
+++ b/datajoint/heading.py
@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@ def values(self):
     def items(self):
         return self.attributes.items()
 
+    def __iter__(self):
+        return iter(self.attributes)
+
     @classmethod
     def init_from_database(cls, conn, dbname, table_name):
         """
diff --git a/datajoint/relational.py b/datajoint/relational.py
index f72bd1369..3e8fc42bf 100644
--- a/datajoint/relational.py
+++ b/datajoint/relational.py
@@ -65,9 +65,8 @@ def project(self, *selection, **aliases):
         Each attribute can only be used once in attributes or renames.  Therefore, the projected
         relation cannot have more attributes than the original relation.
         """
-        return self.aggregate(
-            group=selection.pop[0] if selection and isinstance(selection[0], Relation) else None,
-            *selection, **aliases)
+        group = selection.pop[0] if selection and isinstance(selection[0], Relation) else None
+        return self.aggregate(group, *selection, **aliases)
 
     def aggregate(self, group, *selection, **aliases):
         """
@@ -79,8 +78,9 @@ def aggregate(self, group, *selection, **aliases):
         if group is not None and not isinstance(group, Relation):
             raise DataJointError('The second argument of aggregate must be a relation')
         # convert the string notation for aliases to
-
-        return Projection(group=group, *attriutes, **aliases)
+        # handling of the variable group is unclear here
+        # and thus ommitted
+        return Projection(self, *selection, **aliases)
 
     def __iand__(self, restriction):
         """
@@ -121,6 +121,9 @@ def count(self):
         cur = self.conn.query(sql)
         return cur.fetchone()[0]
 
+    def fetch(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        return self(*args, **kwargs)
+
     def __call__(self, offset=0, limit=None, order_by=None, descending=False):
         """
         fetches the relation from the database table into an np.array and unpacks blob attributes.
@@ -131,7 +134,7 @@ def __call__(self, offset=0, limit=None, order_by=None, descending=False):
         :return: the contents of the relation in the form of a structured numpy.array
         """
         cur = self.cursor(offset, limit, order_by, descending)
-        ret = np.array(list(cur), dtype=self.heading.asdtype)
+        ret = np.array(list(cur), dtype=self.heading.as_dtype)
         for f in self.heading.blobs:
             for i in range(len(ret)):
                 ret[i][f] = unpack(ret[i][f])
@@ -160,12 +163,12 @@ def cursor(self, offset=0, limit=None, order_by=None, descending=False):
         return self.conn.query(sql)
 
     def __repr__(self):
-        limit = 13
+        limit = 13 #TODO: move some of these display settings into the config
         width = 12
         template = '%%-%d.%ds' % (width, width)
-        repr_string = ' '.join([template % column for column in header]) + '\n'
-        repr_string += ' '.join(['+' + '-' * (width - 2) + '+' for _ in header]) + '\n'
-        tuples = self.pro(*self.heading.non_blobs).fetch(limit=limit)
+        repr_string = ' '.join([template % column for column in self.heading]) + '\n'
+        repr_string += ' '.join(['+' + '-' * (width - 2) + '+' for _ in self.heading]) + '\n'
+        tuples = self.project(*self.heading.non_blobs).fetch(limit=limit)
         for tup in tuples:
             repr_string += ' '.join([template % column for column in tup]) + '\n'
         if self.count > limit:
@@ -177,7 +180,7 @@ def __iter__(self):
         """
         iterator  yields primary key tuples
         """
-        cur, h = self.pro().cursor()
+        cur, h = self.project().cursor()
         q = cur.fetchone()
         while q:
             yield np.array([q, ], dtype=h.asdtype)
@@ -266,11 +269,11 @@ def __init__(self, relation, *attributes, **renames):
 
     @property 
     def sql(self):
-        return self._rel.sql
+        return self._relation.sql
         
     @property
     def heading(self):
-        return self._rel.heading.pro(*self._selection, **self._renames)
+        return self._relation.heading.pro(*self._projection_attributes, **self._renamed_attributes)
 
 
 class Subquery(Relation):
diff --git a/datajoint/table.py b/datajoint/table.py
index d1c6c3bb9..14971e868 100644
--- a/datajoint/table.py
+++ b/datajoint/table.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import logging
 from . import DataJointError
 from .relational import Relation
-from .declare import declare
+from .declare import (declare, parse_attribute_definition)
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
diff --git a/tests/schemata/schema1/test1.py b/tests/schemata/schema1/test1.py
index add1d39a4..fbc215864 100644
--- a/tests/schemata/schema1/test1.py
+++ b/tests/schemata/schema1/test1.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 
 class Subjects(dj.Base):
-    _table_def = """
+    definition = """
     test1.Subjects (manual)     # Basic subject info
 
     subject_id       : int      # unique subject id
diff --git a/tests/schemata/schema1/test2.py b/tests/schemata/schema1/test2.py
index 775c716e4..f25b8d2a1 100644
--- a/tests/schemata/schema1/test2.py
+++ b/tests/schemata/schema1/test2.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 
 
 class Experiments(dj.Base):
-    _table_def = """
+    definition = """
     test2.Experiments (manual)     # Basic subject info
     -> test1.Subjects
     experiment_id       : int      # unique experiment id
diff --git a/tests/schemata/schema1/test3.py b/tests/schemata/schema1/test3.py
index bb764c5cb..7551854c1 100644
--- a/tests/schemata/schema1/test3.py
+++ b/tests/schemata/schema1/test3.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 
 class Subjects(dj.Base):
-    _table_def = """
+    definition = """
     test3.Subjects (manual)     # Basic subject info
 
     subject_id       : int      # unique subject id