diff --git a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/database-auth-secret.yaml b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/database-auth-secret.yaml
index 1a1d6ea..facbe33 100644
--- a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/database-auth-secret.yaml
+++ b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/database-auth-secret.yaml
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
+{{ if not .Values.databaseConnection.passwordSecretName }}
+
 apiVersion: v1
 kind: Secret
 metadata:
   name: database-auth-secret
   annotations:
     helm.sh/hook: pre-install
+
 data:
   password: {{ randAlphaNum 32 | b64enc }}
+
+{{ end }}
diff --git a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-deployment.yaml b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-deployment.yaml
index 96dc88f..837a96a 100644
--- a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-deployment.yaml
+++ b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-deployment.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+{{ if .Values.database.enabled }}
+
 apiVersion: apps/v1
 kind: Deployment
 metadata:
@@ -28,12 +30,16 @@ spec:
             - name: MYSQL_PASSWORD
               valueFrom:
                 secretKeyRef:
+                  {{ if .Values.database.passwordSecretName }}
+                  name: {{ .Values.database.passwordSecretName }}
+                  {{ else }}
                   name: database-auth-secret
+                  {{ end }}
                   key: password
             - name: MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD
               value: "yes"
             - name: MYSQL_USER
-              value: "slurm"
+              value: {{ .Values.databaseConnection.user }}
           image: {{ .Values.database.image }}
           name: mysql
           ports:
@@ -48,3 +54,5 @@ spec:
         - name: var-lib-mysql
           persistentVolumeClaim:
             claimName: var-lib-mysql
+
+{{ end }}
diff --git a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-service.yaml b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-service.yaml
index a7d58cc..08b63a9 100644
--- a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-service.yaml
+++ b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/mysql-service.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+{{ if .Values.database.enabled }}
+
 apiVersion: v1
 kind: Service
 metadata:
@@ -5,7 +7,7 @@ metadata:
   labels:
     app.kubernetes.io/name: slurm
     app.kubernetes.io/component: mysql
-  name: mysql
+  name: {{ .Values.databaseConnection.hostname }}
 spec:
   ports:
     - name: mysql
@@ -14,3 +16,5 @@ spec:
   selector:
     app.kubernetes.io/name: slurm
     app.kubernetes.io/component: mysql
+
+{{ end }}
diff --git a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-conf-configmap.yaml b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-conf-configmap.yaml
index 105580b..83e0b6c 100644
--- a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-conf-configmap.yaml
+++ b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-conf-configmap.yaml
@@ -22,6 +22,6 @@ data:
     #
     # Database info
     StorageType=accounting_storage/mysql
-    StorageHost=mysql
-    StorageUser=slurm
+    StorageHost={{ .Values.databaseConnection.hostname }}
+    StorageUser={{ .Values.databaseConnection.user }}
     
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-deployment.yaml b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-deployment.yaml
index db6bdb5..0c79409 100644
--- a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-deployment.yaml
+++ b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/slurmdbd-deployment.yaml
@@ -44,7 +44,11 @@ spec:
             - name: StoragePass
               valueFrom:
                 secretKeyRef:
+                  {{ if .Values.database.passwordSecretName }}
+                  name: {{ .Values.database.passwordSecretName }}
+                  {{ else }}
                   name: database-auth-secret
+                  {{ end }}
                   key: password
       hostname: slurmdbd
       restartPolicy: Always
diff --git a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/var-lib-mysql-persistentvolumeclaim.yaml b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/var-lib-mysql-persistentvolumeclaim.yaml
index a5f4503..6ab5561 100644
--- a/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/var-lib-mysql-persistentvolumeclaim.yaml
+++ b/slurm-cluster-chart/templates/var-lib-mysql-persistentvolumeclaim.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+{{ if .Values.database.enabled }}
+
 apiVersion: v1
 kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
 metadata:
@@ -12,3 +14,5 @@ spec:
   resources:
     requests:
       storage: {{ .Values.database.storage }}
+
+{{ end }}
diff --git a/slurm-cluster-chart/values.yaml b/slurm-cluster-chart/values.yaml
index 086ccf1..59dfbf1 100644
--- a/slurm-cluster-chart/values.yaml
+++ b/slurm-cluster-chart/values.yaml
@@ -52,14 +52,30 @@ rooknfs:
   # backingStorageClass: 
 
 
-
-# Values for Slurm's database container
+# Optional internally managed database deployment. If enabled, will deploy
+# MySQL server pod backed by a PVC and a service that can be resolved as databaseConnection.hostname
 database:
-  #Database image to be used
+  # If enabled, will install an internally managed database pod 
+  enabled: true
+  # Database image to be used
   image: mariadb:10.10
-  #Storage requested by the var-lib-mysql volume backing the database
+  # Storage requested by the var-lib-mysql volume backing the database
   storage: 100Mi
 
+# MySQL session connection info
+databaseConnection:
+  # Hostname of SQL server.
+  # If using the internal database, it's service will be configured to resolve with this name
+  # If using external database, should be set as its endpoint
+  hostname: mysql
+  # User with access to the Slurm accounting database on the server
+  # If using the internal database, changing this field will have no effect
+  # If using the external database, this user must exist on it
+  user: slurm
+  # Name of secret containing database password. Secret should contain a 'password' key. If left as nil, a secret will be created
+  # automatically with a randomly generated password (recommended for internal database)
+  passwordSecretName:
+
 # Configmap resource names
 configmaps:
   slurmConf: slurm-conf-configmap