1. A computer-implemented method for recovering data to a point in time before pending definition changes are materialized in a relational database management system, comprising: receiving one or more definition changes to a database schema; saving and maintaining original data base schema attributes as point in time metadata in a catalog table until the one or more definition changes have been materialized; during recovery processing, determining for each object being recovered whether the object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized; and in response to determining that an object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized, using the saved point in time metadata for the object in the recovery process.