1. A method of database patching, the method comprising: a first computer receiving an indication of a first object in a first database to be changed during said database patching; the first computer automatically extracting from a first data dictionary of the first database, first metadata describing the first object in the first database; the first computer using the first metadata to prepare a file comprising a first description of properties of the first object, the first description in the file being expressed in a text based markup language; the first computer automatically checking the first database to see if said first object has associated thereto a second object of any of a plurality of predetermined types; in response to said automatically checking, the first computer automatically extracting from the first data dictionary second metadata describing the second object in the first database, and automatically including in said file a second description of properties of the second object; a second computer comparing metadata in said file to metadata in a second data dictionary of a second database; and the second computer changing the second data dictionary in the second database to conform to the file, depending at least partially on an outcome of said comparing.