diff --git a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java
index bf1982c8..277f1873 100644
--- a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java
+++ b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	    if (node.isNullNode ()) {
 	        if (node.created() < rel.otherType.getLastDataChange ())
 	            node = null; //  cached null not valid anymore
-	    // } else if (app.doesSubnodeChecking () && home.contains (node) < 0) {
+	    // } else if (false && app.doesSubnodeChecking () && home.contains (node) < 0) {
 	    } else if (!rel.checkConstraints (home, node)) {
 	        node = null;
 	    }
@@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	            q = "SELECT "+idfield+" FROM "+table+" "+home.getSubnodeRelation();
 	        } else {
 	            // let relation object build the query
-	            q = "SELECT "+idfield+" FROM "+table + rel.buildQuery (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), null);
+	            q = "SELECT "+idfield+" FROM "+table + rel.buildQuery (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), null, " WHERE ", true);
 	        }
 
 	        if (logSql)
@@ -668,9 +668,19 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	    TableDataSet tds =  new TableDataSet (dbm.getConnection (), dbm.getSchema (), dbm.getKeyDef ());
 	    try {
 
-	        tds.where (rel.buildWhere (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), null));
-	        if (rel.order != null)
-	            tds.order (rel.order);
+	        String q = null;
+	        if (home.getSubnodeRelation() != null) {
+	            // HACK: cut away the "where" part of manually set subnoderelation
+	            q = home.getSubnodeRelation().trim().substring(5);
+	        } else {
+	            // let relation object build the query
+	            q = rel.buildQuery (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), null, "", false);
+	        }
+	
+	        tds.where (q);
+	
+	        if (rel.getOrder () != null)
+	            tds.order (rel.getOrder ());
 	
 	        if (logSql)
 	           app.logEvent ("### getNodes: "+tds.getSelectString());
@@ -717,12 +727,20 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 
 	    QueryDataSet qds = null;
 	    try {
-	        String qstr = "SELECT count(*) FROM "+table+rel.buildQuery (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), null);
+	
+	        String q = null;
+	        if (home.getSubnodeRelation() != null) {
+	            // use the manually set subnoderelation of the home node
+	            q = "SELECT count(*) FROM "+table+" "+home.getSubnodeRelation();
+	        } else {
+	            // let relation object build the query
+	            q = "SELECT count(*) FROM "+table + rel.buildQuery (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), null, " WHERE ", false);
+	        }
 	
 	        if (logSql)
-	            app.logEvent ("### countNodes: "+qstr);
+	            app.logEvent ("### countNodes: "+q);
 	
-	        qds = new QueryDataSet (con, qstr);
+	        qds = new QueryDataSet (con, q);
 
 	        qds.fetchRecords ();
 	        if (qds.size () == 0)
@@ -860,12 +878,11 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	    return node;
 
 	} else {
-	    System.err.println ("GETNODEBYRELATION "+rel);
 	    TableDataSet tds = null;
 	    try {
 	        DbMapping dbm = rel.otherType;
 	        tds = new TableDataSet (dbm.getConnection (), dbm.getSchema (), dbm.getKeyDef ());
-	        String where = rel.buildWhere (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), kstr);
+	        String where = rel.buildQuery (home, home.getNonVirtualParent (), kstr, "", false);
 
 	        tds.where (where);
 
@@ -900,7 +917,7 @@ public final class NodeManager {
     }
 
     // a utility method to escape single quotes
-    private String escape (String str) {
+/*    private String escape (String str) {
 	if (str == null)
 	    return null;
 	if (str.indexOf ("'") < 0)
@@ -914,7 +931,7 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	    sbuf.append (c);
 	}
 	return sbuf.toString ();
-    }
+    } */
 
 
     public Object[] getCacheEntries () {
diff --git a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Relation.java b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Relation.java
index a908fd93..72f45b2a 100644
--- a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Relation.java
+++ b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Relation.java
@@ -56,7 +56,6 @@ public class Relation {
     public String order;
     public String groupbyorder;
     public String groupby;
-    public String dogroupby;
     public String prototype;
     public String groupbyprototype;
     public String filter;
@@ -303,15 +302,9 @@ public class Relation {
 	        return accessor == null || accessor.equals (otherType.getIDField ());
 	}
 	return false;
-	/*
-	if (otherType == null)
-	    return false;
-	if (remoteField == null)
-	    // if remote field is null, it is assumed that it points to the primary key
-	    return true;
-	return remoteField.equalsIgnoreCase (otherType.getIDField()); */
     }
 
+
     public Relation getSubnodeRelation () {
 	// return subnoderelation;
 	return null;
@@ -326,31 +319,6 @@ public class Relation {
     }
 
 
-    /**
-     * Get the local column name for this relation to use in where clauses of select statements.
-     * This uses the home node's id as fallback if local field is not specified.
-     */
-    /* public String[] getLocalFields () {
-	if (constraints == null)
-	    return new String[0];
-	String[] retval = new String[constraints.length];
-	for (int i=0; i<constraints.length; i++)
-	    retval[i] = constraints[i].localName;
-	return retval;
-    } */
-
-    /**
-     * Get the "remote" column name for this relation. Uses the remote node's id as fallback if the remote field is not specified.
-     */
-    /* public String[] getRemoteFields () {
-	if (constraints == null)
-	    return new String[0];
-	String[] retval = new String[constraints.length];
-	for (int i=0; i<constraints.length; i++)
-	    retval[i] = constraints[i].foreignName;
-	return retval;
-    } */
-
     public DbMapping getVirtualMapping () {
 	if (!virtual)
 	    return null;
@@ -427,34 +395,14 @@ public class Relation {
 	return vr;
     }
 
-    public String buildWhere (INode home, INode nonvirtual, String kstr) {
-	StringBuffer q = new StringBuffer ();
-	String prefix = "";
-	if (kstr != null) {
-	    String accessColumn = accessor == null ? otherType.getIDField () : accessor;
-	    q.append (accessColumn);
-	    q.append (" = '");
-	    q.append (escape (kstr));
-	    q.append ("'");
-	    prefix = " AND ";
-	}
-	
-	for (int i=0; i<constraints.length; i++) {
-	    q.append (prefix);
-	    constraints[i].addToQuery (q, home, nonvirtual);
-	    prefix = " AND ";
-	}
-	
-	if (filter != null) {
-	    q.append (prefix);
-	    q.append (filter);
-	}
-	return q.toString ();
-    }
 
-    public String buildQuery (INode home, INode nonvirtual, String kstr) {
+    /**
+     *  Build the second half of an SQL select statement according to this relation
+     *  and a local object.
+     */
+    public String buildQuery (INode home, INode nonvirtual, String kstr, String pre, boolean useOrder) {
 	StringBuffer q = new StringBuffer ();
-	String prefix = " WHERE ";
+	String prefix = pre;
 	if (kstr != null) {
 	    q.append (prefix);
 	    String accessColumn = accessor == null ? otherType.getIDField () : accessor;
@@ -474,19 +422,32 @@ public class Relation {
 	    q.append (prefix);
 	    q.append (filter);
 	}
-	if (groupby != null)
+	if (groupby != null) {
 	    q.append (" GROUP BY "+groupby);
-	if (order != null)
+	    if (useOrder && groupbyorder != null)
+	        q.append (" ORDER BY "+groupbyorder);
+	} else if (useOrder && order != null)
 	    q.append (" ORDER BY "+order);
 	return q.toString ();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Get the order section to use for this relation
+     */
+    public String getOrder () {
+	if (groupby != null)
+	    return groupbyorder;
+	else
+	    return order;
+    }
+
+
     /**
      * Check if the child node fullfills the constraints defined by this relation.
      */
     public boolean checkConstraints (Node parent, Node child) {
 	for (int i=0; i<constraints.length; i++) {
-	    String propname = otherType.columnNameToProperty (constraints[i].foreignName);
+	    String propname = constraints[i].foreignProperty ();
 	    if (propname != null) {
 	        INode home = constraints[i].isGroupby ? parent : parent.getNonVirtualParent ();
 	        String localName = constraints[i].localName;
@@ -595,6 +556,14 @@ public class Relation {
     	    return foreignName == null || foreignName.equals (otherType.getIDField ());
     	}
     	
+    	public String foreignProperty () {
+    	    return  otherType.columnNameToProperty (foreignName);
+    	}
+    	
+    	public String localProperty () {
+    	    return  ownType.columnNameToProperty (localName);
+    	}
+    	
     	public String toString () {
     	    return ownType+"."+localName+"="+tableName+"."+foreignName;
     	}