diff --git a/include/ircd/db/column.h b/include/ircd/db/column.h
index 4a9185a99..99b49522b 100644
--- a/include/ircd/db/column.h
+++ b/include/ircd/db/column.h
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ namespace ircd::db
 	template<> uint64_t property(column &, const string_view &name);
 
 	// Information about a column
+	const database::descriptor &describe(const column &);
 	const std::string &name(const column &);
 	uint32_t id(const column &);
 	size_t file_count(column &);
diff --git a/include/ircd/db/database.h b/include/ircd/db/database.h
index af0729010..a4921efed 100644
--- a/include/ircd/db/database.h
+++ b/include/ircd/db/database.h
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ namespace ircd::db
 {
 	std::shared_ptr<const database::column> shared_from(const database::column &);
 	std::shared_ptr<database::column> shared_from(database::column &);
+	const database::descriptor &describe(const database::column &);
 	const std::string &name(const database::column &);
 	uint32_t id(const database::column &);
 	void drop(database::column &);                   // Request to erase column from db
diff --git a/ircd/db.cc b/ircd/db.cc
index 9f0f4a47c..f6be067d8 100644
--- a/ircd/db.cc
+++ b/ircd/db.cc
@@ -885,6 +885,12 @@ ircd::db::name(const database::column &c)
 	return c.name;
 }
 
+const ircd::db::database::descriptor &
+ircd::db::describe(const database::column &c)
+{
+	return c.descriptor;
+}
+
 //
 // database::column
 //
@@ -2493,6 +2499,13 @@ ircd::db::name(const column &column)
 	return name(c);
 }
 
+const ircd::db::database::descriptor &
+ircd::db::describe(const column &column)
+{
+	const database::column &c(column);
+	return describe(c);
+}
+
 void
 ircd::db::flush(column &column,
                 const bool &blocking)