diff --git a/basis/db/db.factor b/basis/db/db.factor
index 0b18044f2b..eb06f0c894 100644
--- a/basis/db/db.factor
+++ b/basis/db/db.factor
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: arrays assocs classes continuations destructors kernel math
 namespaces sequences classes.tuple words strings
-tools.walker accessors combinators fry ;
+tools.walker accessors combinators fry db.errors ;
 IN: db
 
 <PRIVATE
@@ -77,7 +77,11 @@ GENERIC: bind-tuple ( tuple statement -- )
 GENERIC: execute-statement* ( statement type -- )
 
 M: object execute-statement* ( statement type -- )
-    drop query-results dispose ;
+    '[
+        _ _ drop query-results dispose
+    ] [
+        parse-db-error rethrow
+    ] recover ;
 
 : execute-one-statement ( statement -- )
     dup type>> execute-statement* ;
diff --git a/basis/db/errors/errors.factor b/basis/db/errors/errors.factor
index da6301639f..1d48012cf9 100644
--- a/basis/db/errors/errors.factor
+++ b/basis/db/errors/errors.factor
@@ -1,10 +1,20 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2008 Doug Coleman.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
-USING: kernel ;
+USING: kernel db.private ;
 IN: db.errors
 
+HOOK: parse-db-error db-connection ( error -- error' )
+
 ERROR: db-error ;
 ERROR: sql-error ;
 
 ERROR: table-exists ;
 ERROR: bad-schema ;
+
+ERROR: sql-syntax-error error ;
+
+ERROR: sql-table-exists table ;
+C: <sql-table-exists> sql-table-exists
+
+ERROR: sql-table-missing table ;
+C: <sql-table-missing> sql-table-missing
diff --git a/basis/db/errors/postgresql/authors.txt b/basis/db/errors/postgresql/authors.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b4bd0e7b35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/db/errors/postgresql/authors.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Doug Coleman
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/db/errors/postgresql/postgresql-tests.factor b/basis/db/errors/postgresql/postgresql-tests.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..59b9bfe4a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/db/errors/postgresql/postgresql-tests.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+! Copyright (C) 2009 Doug Coleman.
+! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
+USING: tools.test db.errors.postgresql ;
+IN: db.errors.postgresql.tests
diff --git a/basis/db/errors/postgresql/postgresql.factor b/basis/db/errors/postgresql/postgresql.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9d88c96cb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/db/errors/postgresql/postgresql.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+! Copyright (C) 2009 Doug Coleman.
+! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
+USING: ;
+IN: db.errors.postgresql
+
+M: postgresql-db-connection parse-db-error
+    ;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/db/errors/sqlite/authors.txt b/basis/db/errors/sqlite/authors.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b4bd0e7b35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/db/errors/sqlite/authors.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Doug Coleman
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/db/errors/sqlite/sqlite-tests.factor b/basis/db/errors/sqlite/sqlite-tests.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..68ae55f8a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/db/errors/sqlite/sqlite-tests.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+! Copyright (C) 2009 Doug Coleman.
+! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
+USING: accessors combinators.short-circuit db db.errors
+db.errors.sqlite db.sqlite io.files.unique kernel namespaces
+tools.test ;
+IN: db.errors.sqlite.tests
+
+: sqlite-error-test-db-path ( -- path )
+    "sqlite" "error-test" make-unique-file ;
+
+sqlite-error-test-db-path <sqlite-db> [
+
+    [
+        "insert into foo (id) values('1');" sql-command
+    ] [
+        { [ sql-table-missing? ] [ table>> "foo" = ] } 1&&
+    ] must-fail-with
+    
+    [
+        "create table foo(id);" sql-command
+        "create table foo(id);" sql-command
+    ] [
+        { [ sql-table-exists? ] [ table>> "foo" = ] } 1&&
+    ] must-fail-with
+
+] with-db
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/db/errors/sqlite/sqlite.factor b/basis/db/errors/sqlite/sqlite.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..770a12b2a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/db/errors/sqlite/sqlite.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+! Copyright (C) 2009 Doug Coleman.
+! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
+USING: accessors combinators db.errors db.sqlite.private kernel
+sequences peg.ebnf strings ;
+IN: db.errors.sqlite
+
+ERROR: unparsed-sqlite-error error ;
+
+SINGLETONS: table-exists table-missing ;
+
+: sqlite-table-error ( table message -- error )
+    {
+        { table-exists [ <sql-table-exists> ] }
+    } case ;
+
+EBNF: parse-sqlite-sql-error
+
+TableMessage = " already exists" => [[ table-exists ]]
+
+SqliteError =
+    "table " (!(TableMessage).)+:table TableMessage:message
+      => [[ table >string message sqlite-table-error ]]
+    | "no such table: " .+:table
+      => [[ table >string <sql-table-missing> ]]
+;EBNF
+
+M: sqlite-db-connection parse-db-error
+    dup n>> {
+        { 1 [ string>> parse-sqlite-sql-error ] }
+        [ drop ]
+    } case ;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql-tests.factor b/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql-tests.factor
index cf6dc903f1..e2e2cbf7c0 100644
--- a/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql-tests.factor
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ prettyprint sequences namespaces tools.test db db.private
 db.tuples db.types unicode.case accessors system ;
 IN: db.postgresql.tests
 
-: test-db ( -- postgresql-db )
+: postgresql-test-db ( -- postgresql-db )
     <postgresql-db>
         "localhost" >>host
         "postgres" >>username
@@ -11,10 +11,10 @@ IN: db.postgresql.tests
         "factor-test" >>database ;
 
 os windows? cpu x86.64? and [
-    [ ] [ test-db [ ] with-db ] unit-test
+    [ ] [ postgresql-test-db [ ] with-db ] unit-test
 
     [ ] [
-        test-db [
+        postgresql-test-db [
             [ "drop table person;" sql-command ] ignore-errors
             "create table person (name varchar(30), country varchar(30));"
                 sql-command
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ os windows? cpu x86.64? and [
             { "Jane" "New Zealand" }
         }
     ] [
-        test-db [
+        postgresql-test-db [
             "select * from person" sql-query
         ] with-db
     ] unit-test
@@ -40,11 +40,11 @@ os windows? cpu x86.64? and [
             { "John" "America" }
             { "Jane" "New Zealand" }
         }
-    ] [ test-db [ "select * from person" sql-query ] with-db ] unit-test
+    ] [ postgresql-test-db [ "select * from person" sql-query ] with-db ] unit-test
 
     [
     ] [
-        test-db [
+        postgresql-test-db [
             "insert into person(name, country) values('Jimmy', 'Canada')"
             sql-command
         ] with-db
@@ -56,10 +56,10 @@ os windows? cpu x86.64? and [
             { "Jane" "New Zealand" }
             { "Jimmy" "Canada" }
         }
-    ] [ test-db [ "select * from person" sql-query ] with-db ] unit-test
+    ] [ postgresql-test-db [ "select * from person" sql-query ] with-db ] unit-test
 
     [
-        test-db [
+        postgresql-test-db [
             [
                 "insert into person(name, country) values('Jose', 'Mexico')" sql-command
                 "insert into person(name, country) values('Jose', 'Mexico')" sql-command
@@ -69,14 +69,14 @@ os windows? cpu x86.64? and [
     ] must-fail
 
     [ 3 ] [
-        test-db [
+        postgresql-test-db [
             "select * from person" sql-query length
         ] with-db
     ] unit-test
 
     [
     ] [
-        test-db [
+        postgresql-test-db [
             [
                 "insert into person(name, country) values('Jose', 'Mexico')"
                 sql-command
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ os windows? cpu x86.64? and [
     ] unit-test
 
     [ 5 ] [
-        test-db [
+        postgresql-test-db [
             "select * from person" sql-query length
         ] with-db
     ] unit-test