updating the metadata table to indicate a new location for all of the migrated data the process then passes back to block 302 fig4 depicts a high level flow chart that illustrates a gateway retrieving data from multiple databases and combining the retrieved data into a response that includes a complete result set in accordance with the present invention the process starts as depicted by block 400 and thereafter passes to block 402 which illustrates the gateway receiving a database request from an application this database request is in a primary database specific format the gateway is capable of processing requests in any of multiple different formats next block 404 depicts the gateway searching the metadata table to determine where the requested data is currently located the process then passes to block 406 which illustrates a determination of whether all of the data is located in a primary database if a determination is made that all of the data is located in a primary database the process passes to block 408 which depicts the gateway passing the request through the gateway directly on to the requested primary database without modification thus in this case the gateway acts as a pass through device that receives and then forwards the application 39 s request without modifying the request thereafter block 410 illustrates the gateway receiving a response from the primary database that includes the complete result set that satisfies the application 39.