diff --git a/lua/lapi.c b/lua/lapi.c
index ae739e1921..7b9ed2a685 100644
--- a/lua/lapi.c
+++ b/lua/lapi.c
@@ -1105,22 +1105,11 @@ LUA_API struct stored_proc *lua_getsp(lua_State *L) {
 }
 
 
-LUA_API void set_sqlrow_stmt(lua_State *L, struct dbstmt_t *dbstmt) {
+LUA_API void luabb_set_sqlrow(lua_State *L) {
   lua_lock(L);
   int top = lua_gettop(L);
   TValue *obj = index2adr(L, top);
   Table *h = hvalue(obj);
-  h->dbstmt = dbstmt;
+  h->from_sql = 1;
   lua_unlock(L);
 }
-
-
-LUA_API struct dbstmt_t *get_sqlrow_stmt(lua_State *L) {
-  lua_lock(L);
-  int top = lua_gettop(L);
-  TValue *obj = index2adr(L, top);
-  Table *h = hvalue(obj);
-  struct dbstmt_t *dbstmt = h->dbstmt;
-  lua_unlock(L);
-  return dbstmt;
-}
diff --git a/lua/lobject.h b/lua/lobject.h
index b3abf2a46e..fc41f09b9c 100644
--- a/lua/lobject.h
+++ b/lua/lobject.h
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ typedef struct Table {
   Node *lastfree;  /* any free position is before this position */
   GCObject *gclist;
   int sizearray;  /* size of `array' array */
-  struct dbstmt_t *dbstmt;
+  int from_sql;
 } Table;
 
 
diff --git a/lua/ltable.c b/lua/ltable.c
index d9ce7adaa2..1955a61f62 100644
--- a/lua/ltable.c
+++ b/lua/ltable.c
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ static int findindex (lua_State *L, Table *t, StkId key) {
 int luaH_next (lua_State *L, Table *t, StkId key) {
   int i = findindex(L, t, key);  /* find original element */
   for (i++; i < t->sizearray; i++) {  /* try first array part */
-    if (t->dbstmt) continue;
+    if (t->from_sql) continue;
     if (!ttisnil(&t->array[i])) {  /* a non-nil value? */
       setnvalue(key, cast_num(i+1));
       setobj2s(L, key+1, &t->array[i]);
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ Table *luaH_new (lua_State *L, int narray, int nhash) {
   luaC_link(L, obj2gco(t), LUA_TTABLE);
   t->metatable = NULL;
   t->flags = cast_byte(~0);
-  t->dbstmt = NULL;
+  t->from_sql = 0;
   /* temporary values (kept only if some malloc fails) */
   t->array = NULL;
   t->sizearray = 0;
diff --git a/lua/lua.h b/lua/lua.h
index b1598a692a..fe4717fad9 100644
--- a/lua/lua.h
+++ b/lua/lua.h
@@ -348,11 +348,7 @@ LUA_API int lua_gethookcount (lua_State *L);
 struct stored_proc;
 LUA_API void lua_setsp(lua_State *, struct stored_proc *);
 LUA_API struct stored_proc *lua_getsp(lua_State *);
-
-struct dbstmt_t;
-LUA_API struct dbstmt_t *get_sqlrow_stmt(lua_State *L);
-LUA_API void set_sqlrow_stmt(lua_State *L, struct dbstmt_t *);
-
+LUA_API void luabb_set_sqlrow(lua_State *L);
 
 struct lua_Debug {
   int event;
diff --git a/lua/sp.c b/lua/sp.c
index 6faaa936a6..3d7a0cb9ee 100644
--- a/lua/sp.c
+++ b/lua/sp.c
@@ -1443,11 +1443,39 @@ static int lua_sql_step(Lua lua, sqlite3_stmt *stmt)
     return rc;
 }
 
+static void set_sqlrow_stmt(Lua L)
+{
+    /*
+    **  stack:
+    **    1. row (lua table)
+    **    2. stmt
+    **  tag stmt to row by:
+    **    newtbl = {}
+    **    newtbl.__metatable = stmt
+    **    setmetatable(row, newtbl)
+    */
+    lua_newtable(L);
+    lua_pushvalue(L, -3);
+    lua_setfield(L, -2, "__metatable");
+    lua_setmetatable(L, -2);
+    luabb_set_sqlrow(L);
+}
+
+static dbstmt_t *get_sqlrow_stmt(Lua L)
+{
+    dbstmt_t *stmt = NULL;
+    if (lua_getmetatable(L, -1) == 0) return NULL;
+    lua_getfield(L, -1, "__metatable");
+    if (luabb_type(L, -1) == DBTYPES_DBSTMT) stmt = lua_touserdata(L, -1);
+    lua_pop(L, 2);
+    return stmt;
+}
+
 static int stmt_sql_step(Lua L, dbstmt_t *dbstmt)
 {
     int rc;
     if ((rc = lua_sql_step(L, dbstmt->stmt)) == SQLITE_ROW) {
-        set_sqlrow_stmt(L, dbstmt);
+        set_sqlrow_stmt(L);
     }
     return rc;
 }
@@ -2401,9 +2429,9 @@ static int luatable_emit(Lua L)
 {
     int cols;
     SP sp = getsp(L);
+    dbstmt_t *dbstmt;
     sqlite3_stmt *stmt = NULL;
-    dbstmt_t *dbstmt = get_sqlrow_stmt(L);
-    if (dbstmt) {
+    if ((dbstmt = get_sqlrow_stmt(L)) != NULL && dbstmt->stmt) {
         stmt = dbstmt->stmt;
         cols = column_count(NULL, stmt);
     } else if (sp->parent->ntypes) {
diff --git a/tests/sp.test/sp.sh b/tests/sp.test/sp.sh
index fca6997104..539f611366 100755
--- a/tests/sp.test/sp.sh
+++ b/tests/sp.test/sp.sh
@@ -1412,3 +1412,65 @@ local function main()
 end}$$
 EOF
 cdb2sql $SP_OPTIONS "exec procedure dbtable_insert()"
+
+cdb2sql $SP_OPTIONS - <<'EOF'
+CREATE PROCEDURE emit0 VERSION 'sptest' {
+local function get_pairs_count(row)
+    --dbrow column can be retrieved by names as well as index. We don't want
+    --double counting, and so pairs(dbrow) should skip keys returned by
+    --ipairs(dbrow)
+    local cnt = 0
+    for _, _ in pairs(row) do
+        cnt = cnt + 1
+    end
+    return cnt
+end
+local function main()
+    local stmt = db:exec("select 1 as emit0")
+    local row = stmt:fetch()
+    while row do
+        local tmp = row
+        db:emit(tmp)
+        db:emit({emit0 = get_pairs_count(tmp)})
+        row = stmt:fetch()
+        db:emit(tmp)
+        db:emit({emit0 = get_pairs_count(tmp)})
+    end
+end
+}$$
+EXEC PROCEDURE emit0()
+EOF
+
+cdb2sql $SP_OPTIONS - <<'EOF'
+CREATE PROCEDURE emit1 VERSION 'sptest' {
+local function main()
+    local stmt = db:exec("select 1 as emit1")
+    local row = stmt:fetch()
+    while row do
+        local tmp = row
+        row = stmt:fetch()
+        db:emit(tmp)
+    end
+end
+}$$
+EXEC PROCEDURE emit1()
+EOF
+
+cdb2sql $SP_OPTIONS - <<'EOF'
+CREATE PROCEDURE emit2 VERSION 'sptest' {
+local function test()
+    local stmt = db:exec("select 1 as emit2")
+    local row = stmt:fetch()
+    db:emit(row)
+    stmt:fetch()
+    stmt:close()
+    stmt = nil
+    collectgarbage("collect")
+    return row
+end
+local function main()
+    db:emit(test())
+end
+}$$
+EXEC PROCEDURE emit2()
+EOF
diff --git a/tests/sp.test/t01.req.out b/tests/sp.test/t01.req.out
index 8960f9b199..b3687670de 100644
--- a/tests/sp.test/t01.req.out
+++ b/tests/sp.test/t01.req.out
@@ -1788,3 +1788,13 @@ SP: exec procedure bound(@i, @u, @ll, @ull, @s, @us, @f, @d, @dt, @cstr, @ba, @b
 ($0='{"control":"\u0007"}')
 ($0='DEADBEEF')
 ($0='incompatible values from SQL string of length 13 to bint4 field 'i' for table 't'')
+(version='sptest')
+(emit0=1)
+(emit0=1)
+(emit0=1)
+(emit0=1)
+(version='sptest')
+[EXEC PROCEDURE emit1()] failed with rc -3 [db:emit(tmp)...]:8: attempt to emit row without defining columns
+(version='sptest')
+(emit2=1)
+(emit2=1)