""" 17. Custom column/table names If your database column name is different than your model attribute, use the ``db_column`` parameter. Note that you'll use the field's name, not its column name, in API usage. If your database table name is different than your model name, use the ``db_table`` Meta attribute. This has no effect on the API used to query the database. If you need to use a table name for a many-to-many relationship that differs from the default generated name, use the ``db_table`` parameter on the ``ManyToManyField``. This has no effect on the API for querying the database. """ from django.db import models class Author(models.Model): first_name = models.CharField(max_length=30, db_column='firstname') last_name = models.CharField(max_length=30, db_column='last') def __unicode__(self): return u'%s %s' % (self.first_name, self.last_name) class Meta: db_table = 'my_author_table' ordering = ('last_name','first_name') class Article(models.Model): headline = models.CharField(max_length=100) authors = models.ManyToManyField(Author, db_table='my_m2m_table') def __unicode__(self): return self.headline class Meta: ordering = ('headline',)