diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json b/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
index 5ec37295ed..a5f283abba 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/package.json
@@ -6,19 +6,21 @@
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {
-    "start": "tsc-watch --onFirstSuccess \"cross-env NODE_ENV=development nodemon dist/run.js\"",
+    "start": "tsc-watch --onFirstSuccess \"cross-env NODE_ENV=development nodemon -r esm dist/run.js\"",
     "build": "tsc",
     "lint": "backstage-cli lint",
     "test": "backstage-cli test",
     "prepack": "backstage-cli prepack",
     "postpack": "backstage-cli postpack",
-    "clean": "backstage-cli clean"
+    "clean": "backstage-cli clean",
+    "mock-db": "sh ./scripts/mock-db"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@backstage/backend-common": "^0.1.1-alpha.6",
     "@backstage/catalog-model": "^0.1.1-alpha.6",
     "compression": "^1.7.4",
     "cors": "^2.8.5",
+    "esm": "^3.2.25",
     "express": "^4.17.1",
     "express-promise-router": "^3.0.3",
     "fs-extra": "^9.0.0",
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/scripts/mock-db b/plugins/catalog-backend/scripts/mock-db
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..af5de1cb1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/scripts/mock-db
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+curl --location --request POST 'localhost:3003/locations' \
+--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+--data-raw '{
+    "type": "github",
+    "target": "https://github.com/spotify/backstage/blob/master/plugins/catalog-backend/fixtures/one_component.yaml"
+}'
+curl --location --request POST 'localhost:3003/locations' \
+--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+--data-raw '{
+    "type": "github",
+    "target": "https://github.com/spotify/backstage/blob/master/plugins/catalog-backend/fixtures/two_components.yaml"
+}'
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/DatabaseManager.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/DatabaseManager.ts
index 4268dc4146..9d7a79d57a 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/DatabaseManager.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/database/DatabaseManager.ts
@@ -14,26 +14,48 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import type { Entity, EntityPolicy } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
+import { Entity, EntityPolicy } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import Knex from 'knex';
 import lodash from 'lodash';
 import path from 'path';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
-import type { IngestionModel } from '../ingestion/types';
+import { IngestionModel } from '../ingestion/types';
 import { CommonDatabase } from './CommonDatabase';
-import { DatabaseLocationUpdateLogStatus } from './types';
-import type { Database, DbEntityRequest } from './types';
+import {
+  DatabaseLocationUpdateLogStatus,
+  Database,
+  DbEntityRequest,
+} from './types';
 
 export class DatabaseManager {
   public static async createDatabase(
-    knex: Knex,
+    database: Knex,
     logger: Logger,
   ): Promise<Database> {
-    await knex.migrate.latest({
+    await database.migrate.latest({
       directory: path.resolve(__dirname, 'migrations'),
       loadExtensions: ['.js'],
     });
-    return new CommonDatabase(knex, logger);
+    return new CommonDatabase(database, logger);
+  }
+
+  public static async createInMemoryDatabase(
+    logger: Logger,
+  ): Promise<Database> {
+    const database = Knex({
+      client: 'sqlite3',
+      connection: ':memory:',
+      useNullAsDefault: true,
+    });
+    database.client.pool.on('createSuccess', (_eventId: any, resource: any) => {
+      resource.run('PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON', () => {});
+    });
+
+    await database.migrate.latest({
+      directory: path.resolve(__dirname, 'migrations'),
+      loadExtensions: ['.js'],
+    });
+    return new CommonDatabase(database, logger);
   }
 
   private static async logUpdateSuccess(
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneApplication.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneApplication.ts
index 126806c751..ebd28a0a45 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneApplication.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneApplication.ts
@@ -26,18 +26,26 @@ import helmet from 'helmet';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { EntitiesCatalog, LocationsCatalog } from '../catalog';
 import { createRouter } from './router';
+import { HigherOrderOperation } from '../ingestion/types';
 
 export interface ApplicationOptions {
   enableCors: boolean;
   entitiesCatalog: EntitiesCatalog;
   locationsCatalog?: LocationsCatalog;
+  higherOrderOperation?: HigherOrderOperation;
   logger: Logger;
 }
 
 export async function createStandaloneApplication(
   options: ApplicationOptions,
 ): Promise<express.Application> {
-  const { enableCors, entitiesCatalog, locationsCatalog, logger } = options;
+  const {
+    enableCors,
+    entitiesCatalog,
+    locationsCatalog,
+    logger,
+    higherOrderOperation,
+  } = options;
   const app = express();
 
   app.use(helmet());
@@ -49,7 +57,12 @@ export async function createStandaloneApplication(
   app.use(requestLoggingHandler());
   app.use(
     '/',
-    await createRouter({ entitiesCatalog, locationsCatalog, logger }),
+    await createRouter({
+      entitiesCatalog,
+      locationsCatalog,
+      higherOrderOperation,
+      logger,
+    }),
   );
   app.use(notFoundHandler());
   app.use(errorHandler());
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts
index 2fd4afc7cd..8bf3554510 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/standaloneServer.ts
@@ -16,8 +16,14 @@
 
 import { Server } from 'http';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
-import { StaticEntitiesCatalog } from '../catalog';
+import knex from 'knex';
 import { createStandaloneApplication } from './standaloneApplication';
+import { DatabaseEntitiesCatalog } from '../catalog/DatabaseEntitiesCatalog';
+import { DatabaseManager } from '../database/DatabaseManager';
+import { DatabaseLocationsCatalog } from '../catalog/DatabaseLocationsCatalog';
+import { LocationReaders } from '../ingestion/source/LocationReaders';
+import { IngestionModels, DescriptorParsers, HigherOrderOperations } from '..';
+import { EntityPolicies } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 
 export interface ServerOptions {
   port: number;
@@ -30,25 +36,27 @@ export async function startStandaloneServer(
 ): Promise<Server> {
   const logger = options.logger.child({ service: 'catalog-backend' });
 
-  const entitiesCatalog = new StaticEntitiesCatalog([
-    {
-      apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1beta1',
-      kind: 'Component',
-      metadata: { name: 'c1' },
-      spec: { type: 'service' },
-    },
-    {
-      apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1beta1',
-      kind: 'Component',
-      metadata: { name: 'c2' },
-      spec: { type: 'service' },
-    },
-  ]);
+  const db = await DatabaseManager.createInMemoryDatabase(logger);
+
+  const entitiesCatalog = new DatabaseEntitiesCatalog(db);
+  const locationsCatalog = new DatabaseLocationsCatalog(db);
+  const ingestionModel = new IngestionModels(
+    new LocationReaders(),
+    new DescriptorParsers(),
+    new EntityPolicies(),
+  );
+  const higherOrderOperation = new HigherOrderOperations(
+    entitiesCatalog,
+    locationsCatalog,
+    ingestionModel,
+  );
 
   logger.debug('Creating application...');
   const app = await createStandaloneApplication({
     enableCors: options.enableCors,
     entitiesCatalog,
+    locationsCatalog,
+    higherOrderOperation,
     logger,
   });
 
diff --git a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx
index f5fa45dc7e..35bc6c7d7c 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx
+++ b/plugins/catalog/src/components/CatalogTable/CatalogTable.tsx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import React, { FC } from 'react';
 import { Component } from '../../data/component';
 import { InfoCard, Progress, Table, TableColumn } from '@backstage/core';
 import { Typography, Link } from '@material-ui/core';
+import EditIcon from '@material-ui/icons/Edit';
 
 const columns: TableColumn[] = [
   {
@@ -66,7 +67,18 @@ const CatalogTable: FC<CatalogTableProps> = ({
       columns={columns}
       options={{ paging: false }}
       title={`${titlePreamble} (${(components && components.length) || 0})`}
-      data={components}
+      data={components.map(({ kind, name, description }) => ({
+        kind,
+        name,
+        description: (
+          <div>
+            {description}
+            <Link href="" target="_blank" rel="noopener" color="inherit">
+              <EditIcon />
+            </Link>
+          </div>
+        ),
+      }))}
     />
   );
 };