1. A method for capturing rich database metadata, comprising: capturing partitioned column metadata of a database, for columns partitioned by one or more applications referencing the database, as mappings defined by a plurality of constraint statements; defining non-standard user-defined types of the database stored by the one or more applications referencing the database according to a schema; defining physical representations of the columns of the database according to the schema, wherein the physical representations of the columns are controlled by the one or more applications referencing the database; storing the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of columns to a catalog of the database; and managing application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns by a database management system for the database on behalf of the one or more applications referencing the database using the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of the columns stored to the catalog, wherein logic for managing the application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns are not stored in the one or more applications.