--- library/Zend/Db/Table/Abstract.php	(revision 8862)
+++ library/Zend/Db/Table/Abstract.php	(working copy)
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@
      *
      * @var array
      */
-    protected $_cols;
+    protected $_cols = null;
 
     /**
      * The primary key column or columns.
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@
      *
      * @var array
      */
-    protected $_metadata = array();
+    protected $_metadata = null;
 
     /**
      * Cache for information provided by the adapter's describeTable() method.
@@ -531,7 +531,6 @@
     {
         $this->_setupDatabaseAdapter();
         $this->_setupTableName();
-        $this->_setupMetadata();
         $this->_setupPrimaryKey();
     }
 
@@ -635,7 +634,7 @@
     {
         if (!$this->_primary) {
             $this->_primary = array();
-            foreach ($this->_metadata as $col) {
+            foreach ($this->info(self::METADATA) as $col) {
                 if ($col['PRIMARY']) {
                     $this->_primary[ $col['PRIMARY_POSITION'] ] = $col['COLUMN_NAME'];
                     if ($col['IDENTITY']) {
@@ -656,12 +655,13 @@
             unset($this->_primary[0]);
         }
 
-        if (! array_intersect((array) $this->_primary, $this->_cols) == (array) $this->_primary) {
+        $cols = $this->info(self::COLS);
+        if (! array_intersect((array) $this->_primary, $cols) == (array) $this->_primary) {
             require_once 'Zend/Db/Table/Exception.php';
             throw new Zend_Db_Table_Exception("Primary key column(s) ("
                 . implode(',', (array) $this->_primary)
                 . ") are not columns in this table ("
-                . implode(',', $this->_cols)
+                . implode(',', $cols)
                 . ")");
         }
 
@@ -742,21 +742,30 @@
         $info = array(
             self::SCHEMA           => $this->_schema,
             self::NAME             => $this->_name,
-            self::COLS             => (array) $this->_cols,
+            self::COLS             => null,
             self::PRIMARY          => (array) $this->_primary,
-            self::METADATA         => $this->_metadata,
+            self::METADATA         => null,
             self::ROW_CLASS        => $this->_rowClass,
             self::ROWSET_CLASS     => $this->_rowsetClass,
             self::REFERENCE_MAP    => $this->_referenceMap,
             self::DEPENDENT_TABLES => $this->_dependentTables,
             self::SEQUENCE         => $this->_sequence
         );
+
+        // lazy loading of metadata
+        if($key === null || $key === self::COLS || $key === self::METADATA) {
+            if($this->_metadata === null || $this->_cols === null) {
+                $this->_setupMetadata();
+            }
+            $info[self::COLS] = (array) $this->_cols;
+            $info[self::METADATA] = $this->_metadata;
+        }
         
         if ($key === null) {
             return $info;
         }
         
-        if (!array_key_exists($key, $info)) {
+        if (!array_key_exists($key, $info) || $info[$key] === null) {
             require_once 'Zend/Db/Table/Exception.php';
             throw new Zend_Db_Table_Exception('There is no table information for the key "' . $key . '"');
         }
@@ -866,13 +875,14 @@
                 switch ($map[self::ON_UPDATE]) {
                     case self::CASCADE:
                         $newRefs = array();
+                        $metadata = $this->info(self::METADATA);
                         for ($i = 0; $i < count($map[self::COLUMNS]); ++$i) {
                             $col = $this->_db->foldCase($map[self::COLUMNS][$i]);
                             $refCol = $this->_db->foldCase($map[self::REF_COLUMNS][$i]);
                             if (array_key_exists($refCol, $newPrimaryKey)) {
                                 $newRefs[$col] = $newPrimaryKey[$refCol];
                             }
-                            $type = $this->_metadata[$col]['DATA_TYPE'];
+                            $type = $metadata[$col]['DATA_TYPE'];
                             $where[] = $this->_db->quoteInto(
                                 $this->_db->quoteIdentifier($col, true) . ' = ?',
                                 $oldPrimaryKey[$refCol], $type);
@@ -914,10 +924,11 @@
             if ($map[self::REF_TABLE_CLASS] == $parentTableClassname && isset($map[self::ON_DELETE])) {
                 switch ($map[self::ON_DELETE]) {
                     case self::CASCADE:
+                        $metadata = $this->info(self::METADATA);
                         for ($i = 0; $i < count($map[self::COLUMNS]); ++$i) {
                             $col = $this->_db->foldCase($map[self::COLUMNS][$i]);
                             $refCol = $this->_db->foldCase($map[self::REF_COLUMNS][$i]);
-                            $type = $this->_metadata[$col]['DATA_TYPE'];
+                            $type = $metadata[$col]['DATA_TYPE'];
                             $where[] = $this->_db->quoteInto(
                                 $this->_db->quoteIdentifier($col, true) . ' = ?',
                                 $primaryKey[$refCol], $type);
@@ -987,12 +998,13 @@
         }
 
         $whereClause = null;
+        $metadata = $this->info(self::METADATA);
         if (count($whereList)) {
             $whereOrTerms = array();
             foreach ($whereList as $keyValueSets) {
                 $whereAndTerms = array();
                 foreach ($keyValueSets as $keyPosition => $keyValue) {
-                    $type = $this->_metadata[$keyNames[$keyPosition]]['DATA_TYPE'];
+                    $type = $metadata[$keyNames[$keyPosition]]['DATA_TYPE'];
                     $whereAndTerms[] = $this->_db->quoteInto(
                         $this->_db->quoteIdentifier($keyNames[$keyPosition], true) . ' = ?',
                         $keyValue, $type);
@@ -1115,7 +1127,8 @@
      */
     public function createRow(array $data = array())
     {
-        $defaults = array_combine($this->_cols, array_fill(0, count($this->_cols), null));
+        $cols = $this->info(self::COLS);
+        $defaults = array_combine($cols, array_fill(0, count($cols), null));
         $data = array_intersect_key($data, $defaults);
         $config = array(
             'table'    => $this,