diff --git a/access/.gitignore b/access/.gitignore
index b76cc3b..929162b 100644
--- a/access/.gitignore
+++ b/access/.gitignore
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ pickle-email-*.html
 # TODO Comment out these rules if you are OK with secrets being uploaded to the repo
 config/initializers/secret_token.rb
 config/secrets.yml
+config/database.yml
 
 ## Environment normalisation:
 /.bundle
@@ -35,4 +36,4 @@ config/secrets.yml
 bower.json
 
 # Ignore pow environment settings
-.powenv
\ No newline at end of file
+.powenv
diff --git a/access/Gemfile b/access/Gemfile
index 9b7afc4..c2eca55 100644
--- a/access/Gemfile
+++ b/access/Gemfile
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@ source 'https://rubygems.org'
 
 # Bundle edge Rails instead: gem 'rails', github: 'rails/rails'
 gem 'rails', '4.2.4'
-# Use sqlite3 as the database for Active Record
-gem 'sqlite3'
+# Use postgresql as the database for Active Record
 gem 'pg'
 # Use SCSS for stylesheets
 gem 'sass-rails', '~> 5.0'
diff --git a/access/Gemfile.lock b/access/Gemfile.lock
index 9815ca0..7cfdfe0 100644
--- a/access/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/access/Gemfile.lock
@@ -155,7 +155,6 @@ GEM
       actionpack (>= 3.0)
       activesupport (>= 3.0)
       sprockets (>= 2.8, < 4.0)
-    sqlite3 (1.3.11)
     thor (0.19.1)
     thread_safe (0.3.5)
     tilt (2.0.1)
@@ -192,7 +191,6 @@ DEPENDENCIES
   simplecov
   simplecov-rcov
   spring
-  sqlite3
   turbolinks
   uglifier (>= 1.3.0)
   web-console (~> 2.0)
diff --git a/access/config/database.yml b/access/config/database.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 260c514..0000000
--- a/access/config/database.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,26 +0,0 @@
-# SQLite version 3.x
-#   gem install sqlite3
-#
-#   Ensure the SQLite 3 gem is defined in your Gemfile
-#   gem 'sqlite3'
-#
- default: &default
-   adapter: sqlite3
-   pool: 5
-   timeout: 5000
-
- development:
-   <<: *default
-   database: db/development.sqlite3
-
- # Warning: The database defined as "test" will be erased and
- # re-generated from your development database when you run "rake".
- # Do not set this db to the same as development or production.
- test:
-   <<: *default
-   database: db/test.sqlite3
-
- production:
-   <<: *default
-   database: db/production.sqlite3
-
diff --git a/ansible/group_vars/database-servers b/ansible/group_vars/database-servers
index 7150ad8..8d6dde4 100644
--- a/ansible/group_vars/database-servers
+++ b/ansible/group_vars/database-servers
@@ -1,3 +1,14 @@
+db_username: access
 db_password: some_password_here
-db_name: access-db
-db_username: access
\ No newline at end of file
+production:
+  name: production
+  db_type: postgresql
+  db_name: access-db
+development:
+  name: development
+  db_type: sqlite3
+  db_name: db/development.sqlite3
+test:
+  name: test
+  db_type: postgresql
+  db_name: access-db-test
diff --git a/ansible/roles/access/tasks/main.yml b/ansible/roles/access/tasks/main.yml
index bd794d0..e3916f0 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/access/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/ansible/roles/access/tasks/main.yml
@@ -25,13 +25,16 @@
   service: name=httpd state=restarted enabled=yes
 
 - name: Copy secrets.yml
-  template: src=config/secrets.yml.j2 dest={{application_path}}/access/config/secrets.yml
+  template: src=config/secrets.yml.j2 dest={{ application_path }}/access/config/secrets.yml
             owner={{ application_user }} group={{ application_user }} mode=0644
   notify: restart apache
   tags: install_access
 
-- name: restart apache
-  service: name=httpd state=restarted enabled=yes
+- name: Copy database.yml
+  template: src=config/database.yml.j2 dest={{ application_path }}/access/config/database.yml
+            owner={{ application_user }} group={{ application_user }} mode=0640
+  notify: restart apache
+  tags: install_access
 
 ##########################################################
 ############ Change owner of the application  ############
@@ -76,7 +79,7 @@
 ########### Rake db tasks ###########
 #####################################
 - name: rake db:migrate
-  shell: bash -lc "rake db:migrate" chdir="{{ application_path }}/access"
+  shell: bash -lc "rake db:schema:load" chdir="{{ application_path }}/access"
   tags:
     - rake_db_tasks
 
@@ -91,13 +94,11 @@
   tags: install_access
 
 - name: Change owner of database
-  file: path={{ application_path }}/access/db/development.sqlite3 owner={{ application_user }}
-        group={{ application_user }}
+  file: path={{ application_path }}/access/db/development.sqlite3 state=touch
+        owner={{ application_user }} group={{ application_user }}
   notify: restart apache
   tags: install_access
-
-- name: restart apache
-  service: name=httpd state=restarted enabled=yes
+  when: development.db_type == 'sqlite3'
 
 # This task is to be run once. If the data have already been seeded and the seed
 # file has changed, the process of updating has to be done manually.
@@ -105,6 +106,3 @@
 #   shell: bash -lc "rake db:seed" chdir="{{ application_path }}/access"
 #   tags:
 #     - rake_db_tasks
-
-# tranfer all the data needed (e.g.database.yml)
-# (maybe) run checks
diff --git a/ansible/roles/access/templates/config/database.yml.j2 b/ansible/roles/access/templates/config/database.yml.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4d24ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/access/templates/config/database.yml.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+{% for env in [production, development, test] %}
+{{ env.name }}:
+  adapter: {{ env.db_type }}
+  database: {{ env.db_name }}
+{% if env.db_type == 'postgresql' %}
+  encoding: unicode
+  username: {{ db_username }}
+  password: {{ db_password }}
+{% elif env.db_type == 'sqlite3'%}
+  pool: 5
+  timeout: 5000
+{% endif %}
+
+{% endfor %}
diff --git a/ansible/roles/postgres/tasks/configure.yml b/ansible/roles/postgres/tasks/configure.yml
index 43ec8ee..2e3eae0 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/postgres/tasks/configure.yml
+++ b/ansible/roles/postgres/tasks/configure.yml
@@ -5,16 +5,23 @@
   become: yes
   become_user: postgres
   tags: postgres_configure
-  
+
 - name: Enable password authentication for the new user
   lineinfile: dest=/var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf regexp="^local(.)*{{ db_username }}(\s)*md5$"
               insertbefore="^local(.)*all(\s)*peer$"
               line="local   all             {{ db_username }}                                     md5"
               state=present
   tags: postgres_configure
-  
+
 - name: Create access application database
-  postgresql_db: name={{ db_name }} encoding='UTF-8' owner={{ db_username }}
+  postgresql_db: name={{ production.db_name }} encoding='UTF-8' owner={{ db_username }}
   become: yes
   become_user: postgres
-  tags: postgres_configure
\ No newline at end of file
+  tags: postgres_configure
+
+- name: Create access development application database
+  postgresql_db: name={{ development.db_name }} encoding='UTF-8' owner={{ db_username }}
+  become: yes
+  become_user: postgres
+  tags: postgres_configure
+  when: development.db_type == 'postgres'