diff --git a/django/db/__init__.py b/django/db/__init__.py
index 9274e4032f..33edda4e5f 100644
--- a/django/db/__init__.py
+++ b/django/db/__init__.py
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
-from django.conf.settings import DATABASE_ENGINE
+from django.conf import settings
 from django.core import signals
 from django.dispatch import dispatcher
 
 __all__ = ('backend', 'connection', 'DatabaseError')
 
-if not DATABASE_ENGINE:
-    DATABASE_ENGINE = 'dummy'
+if not settings.DATABASE_ENGINE:
+    settings.DATABASE_ENGINE = 'dummy'
 
 try:
-    backend = __import__('django.db.backends.%s.base' % DATABASE_ENGINE, '', '', [''])
+    backend = __import__('django.db.backends.%s.base' % settings.DATABASE_ENGINE, '', '', [''])
 except ImportError, e:
     # The database backend wasn't found. Display a helpful error message
     # listing all possible database backends.
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ except ImportError, e:
     available_backends = [f for f in os.listdir(backend_dir) if not f.startswith('_') and not f.startswith('.') and not f.endswith('.py') and not f.endswith('.pyc')]
     available_backends.sort()
     raise ImproperlyConfigured, "Could not load database backend: %s. Is your DATABASE_ENGINE setting (currently, %r) spelled correctly? Available options are: %s" % \
-        (e, DATABASE_ENGINE, ", ".join(map(repr, available_backends)))
+        (e, settings.DATABASE_ENGINE, ", ".join(map(repr, available_backends)))
 
-get_introspection_module = lambda: __import__('django.db.backends.%s.introspection' % DATABASE_ENGINE, '', '', [''])
-get_creation_module = lambda: __import__('django.db.backends.%s.creation' % DATABASE_ENGINE, '', '', [''])
+get_introspection_module = lambda: __import__('django.db.backends.%s.introspection' % settings.DATABASE_ENGINE, '', '', [''])
+get_creation_module = lambda: __import__('django.db.backends.%s.creation' % settings.DATABASE_ENGINE, '', '', [''])
 
 connection = backend.DatabaseWrapper()
 DatabaseError = backend.DatabaseError
diff --git a/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py b/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py
index 3fbcc171c6..7c54c7b8be 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/ado_mssql/base.py
@@ -49,18 +49,18 @@ class DatabaseWrapper:
         self.queries = []
 
     def cursor(self):
-        from django.conf.settings import DATABASE_USER, DATABASE_NAME, DATABASE_HOST, DATABASE_PORT, DATABASE_PASSWORD, DEBUG
+        from django.conf import settings
         if self.connection is None:
-            if DATABASE_NAME == '' or DATABASE_USER == '':
+            if settings.DATABASE_NAME == '' or settings.DATABASE_USER == '':
                 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
                 raise ImproperlyConfigured, "You need to specify both DATABASE_NAME and DATABASE_USER in your Django settings file."
-            if not DATABASE_HOST:
-                DATABASE_HOST = "127.0.0.1"
+            if not settings.DATABASE_HOST:
+                settings.DATABASE_HOST = "127.0.0.1"
             # TODO: Handle DATABASE_PORT.
-            conn_string = "PROVIDER=SQLOLEDB;DATA SOURCE=%s;UID=%s;PWD=%s;DATABASE=%s" % (DATABASE_HOST, DATABASE_USER, DATABASE_PASSWORD, DATABASE_NAME)
+            conn_string = "PROVIDER=SQLOLEDB;DATA SOURCE=%s;UID=%s;PWD=%s;DATABASE=%s" % (settings.DATABASE_HOST, settings.DATABASE_USER, settings.DATABASE_PASSWORD, settings.DATABASE_NAME)
             self.connection = Database.connect(conn_string)
         cursor = self.connection.cursor()
-        if DEBUG:
+        if settings.DEBUG:
             return base.CursorDebugWrapper(cursor, self)
         return cursor
 
diff --git a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
index 5f76271cdd..0fd5565223 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
@@ -52,22 +52,22 @@ class DatabaseWrapper:
         self.queries = []
 
     def cursor(self):
-        from django.conf.settings import DATABASE_USER, DATABASE_NAME, DATABASE_HOST, DATABASE_PORT, DATABASE_PASSWORD, DEBUG
+        from django.conf import settings
         if self.connection is None:
             kwargs = {
-                'user': DATABASE_USER,
-                'db': DATABASE_NAME,
-                'passwd': DATABASE_PASSWORD,
-                'host': DATABASE_HOST,
+                'user': settings.DATABASE_USER,
+                'db': settings.DATABASE_NAME,
+                'passwd': settings.DATABASE_PASSWORD,
+                'host': settings.DATABASE_HOST,
                 'conv': django_conversions,
             }
-            if DATABASE_PORT:
-                kwargs['port'] = DATABASE_PORT
+            if settings.DATABASE_PORT:
+                kwargs['port'] = settings.DATABASE_PORT
             self.connection = Database.connect(**kwargs)
         cursor = self.connection.cursor()
         if self.connection.get_server_info() >= '4.1':
             cursor.execute("SET NAMES utf8")
-        if DEBUG:
+        if settings.DEBUG:
             return base.CursorDebugWrapper(MysqlDebugWrapper(cursor), self)
         return cursor
 
diff --git a/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py b/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py
index 98f70fcdb4..4b186975eb 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py
@@ -15,25 +15,25 @@ class DatabaseWrapper:
         self.queries = []
 
     def cursor(self):
-        from django.conf.settings import DATABASE_USER, DATABASE_NAME, DATABASE_HOST, DATABASE_PORT, DATABASE_PASSWORD, DEBUG, TIME_ZONE
+        from django.conf import settings
         if self.connection is None:
-            if DATABASE_NAME == '':
+            if settings.DATABASE_NAME == '':
                 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
                 raise ImproperlyConfigured, "You need to specify DATABASE_NAME in your Django settings file."
-            conn_string = "dbname=%s" % DATABASE_NAME
-            if DATABASE_USER:
-                conn_string = "user=%s %s" % (DATABASE_USER, conn_string)
-            if DATABASE_PASSWORD:
-                conn_string += " password='%s'" % DATABASE_PASSWORD
-            if DATABASE_HOST:
-                conn_string += " host=%s" % DATABASE_HOST
-            if DATABASE_PORT:
-                conn_string += " port=%s" % DATABASE_PORT
+            conn_string = "dbname=%s" % settings.DATABASE_NAME
+            if settings.DATABASE_USER:
+                conn_string = "user=%s %s" % (settings.DATABASE_USER, conn_string)
+            if settings.DATABASE_PASSWORD:
+                conn_string += " password='%s'" % settings.DATABASE_PASSWORD
+            if settings.DATABASE_HOST:
+                conn_string += " host=%s" % settings.DATABASE_HOST
+            if settings.DATABASE_PORT:
+                conn_string += " port=%s" % settings.DATABASE_PORT
             self.connection = Database.connect(conn_string)
             self.connection.set_isolation_level(1) # make transactions transparent to all cursors
         cursor = self.connection.cursor()
-        cursor.execute("SET TIME ZONE %s", [TIME_ZONE])
-        if DEBUG:
+        cursor.execute("SET TIME ZONE %s", [settings.TIME_ZONE])
+        if settings.DEBUG:
             return util.CursorDebugWrapper(cursor, self)
         return cursor
 
diff --git a/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py b/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py
index 0eb166d7fb..841185c8dd 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py
@@ -26,15 +26,15 @@ class DatabaseWrapper:
         self.queries = []
 
     def cursor(self):
-        from django.conf.settings import DATABASE_NAME, DEBUG
+        from django.conf import settings
         if self.connection is None:
-            self.connection = Database.connect(DATABASE_NAME, detect_types=Database.PARSE_DECLTYPES)
+            self.connection = Database.connect(settings.DATABASE_NAME, detect_types=Database.PARSE_DECLTYPES)
             # register extract and date_trun functions
             self.connection.create_function("django_extract", 2, _sqlite_extract)
             self.connection.create_function("django_date_trunc", 2, _sqlite_date_trunc)
         cursor = self.connection.cursor(factory=SQLiteCursorWrapper)
         cursor.row_factory = utf8rowFactory
-        if DEBUG:
+        if settings.DEBUG:
             return util.CursorDebugWrapper(cursor, self)
         else:
             return cursor