diff --git a/swh/provenance/__init__.py b/swh/provenance/__init__.py
--- a/swh/provenance/__init__.py
+++ b/swh/provenance/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
-from .postgresql.db_utils import connect
-
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .archive import ArchiveInterface
     from .provenance import ProvenanceInterface, ProvenanceStorageInterface
@@ -15,9 +13,11 @@
 
         return ArchiveStorage(get_storage(**kwargs["storage"]))
     elif cls == "direct":
+        from swh.core.db import BaseDb
+
         from .postgresql.archive import ArchivePostgreSQL
 
-        return ArchivePostgreSQL(connect(kwargs["db"]))
+        return ArchivePostgreSQL(BaseDb.connect(**kwargs["db"]).conn)
     else:
         raise NotImplementedError
 
@@ -30,9 +30,11 @@
 
 def get_provenance_storage(cls: str, **kwargs) -> "ProvenanceStorageInterface":
     if cls == "local":
+        from swh.core.db import BaseDb
+
         from .postgresql.provenancedb_base import ProvenanceDBBase
 
-        conn = connect(kwargs["db"])
+        conn = BaseDb.connect(**kwargs["db"]).conn
         flavor = ProvenanceDBBase(conn).flavor
         if flavor == "with-path":
             from .postgresql.provenancedb_with_path import ProvenanceWithPathDB
diff --git a/swh/provenance/postgresql/db_utils.py b/swh/provenance/postgresql/db_utils.py
deleted file mode 100644
--- a/swh/provenance/postgresql/db_utils.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,61 +0,0 @@
-from configparser import ConfigParser
-import io
-
-import psycopg2
-
-
-def config(filename: str, section: str):
-    # create a parser
-    parser = ConfigParser()
-    # read config file
-    parser.read(filename)
-
-    # get section, default to postgresql
-    db = {}
-    if parser.has_section(section):
-        params = parser.items(section)
-        for param in params:
-            db[param[0]] = param[1]
-    else:
-        raise Exception(f"Section {section} not found in the {filename} file")
-
-    return db
-
-
-def typecast_bytea(value, cur):
-    if value is not None:
-        data = psycopg2.BINARY(value, cur)
-        return data.tobytes()
-
-
-def adapt_conn(conn):
-    """Makes psycopg2 use 'bytes' to decode bytea instead of
-    'memoryview', for this connection."""
-    t_bytes = psycopg2.extensions.new_type((17,), "bytea", typecast_bytea)
-    psycopg2.extensions.register_type(t_bytes, conn)
-
-    t_bytes_array = psycopg2.extensions.new_array_type((1001,), "bytea[]", t_bytes)
-    psycopg2.extensions.register_type(t_bytes_array, conn)
-
-
-def connect(params: dict):
-    """Connect to the PostgreSQL database server"""
-    conn = None
-
-    try:
-        # connect to the PostgreSQL server
-        conn = psycopg2.connect(**params)
-        adapt_conn(conn)
-
-    except (Exception, psycopg2.DatabaseError) as error:
-        print(error)
-
-    return conn
-
-
-def execute_sql(conn: psycopg2.extensions.connection, filename: str):
-    with io.open(filename) as file:
-        cur = conn.cursor()
-        cur.execute(file.read())
-        cur.close()
-        conn.commit()
diff --git a/swh/provenance/postgresql/provenancedb_base.py b/swh/provenance/postgresql/provenancedb_base.py
--- a/swh/provenance/postgresql/provenancedb_base.py
+++ b/swh/provenance/postgresql/provenancedb_base.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import psycopg2.extras
 from typing_extensions import Literal
 
+from swh.core.db import BaseDb
 from swh.model.model import Sha1Git
 
 from ..provenance import ProvenanceResult, RelationType
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@
     raise_on_commit: bool = False
 
     def __init__(self, conn: psycopg2.extensions.connection):
+        BaseDb.adapt_conn(conn)
         conn.set_isolation_level(psycopg2.extensions.ISOLATION_LEVEL_AUTOCOMMIT)
         conn.set_session(autocommit=True)
         self.conn = conn
diff --git a/swh/provenance/tests/test_archive_interface.py b/swh/provenance/tests/test_archive_interface.py
--- a/swh/provenance/tests/test_archive_interface.py
+++ b/swh/provenance/tests/test_archive_interface.py
@@ -6,11 +6,10 @@
 from collections import Counter
 from operator import itemgetter
 
-import psycopg2
 import pytest
 
+from swh.core.db import BaseDb
 from swh.provenance.postgresql.archive import ArchivePostgreSQL
-from swh.provenance.postgresql.db_utils import adapt_conn
 from swh.provenance.storage.archive import ArchiveStorage
 from swh.provenance.tests.conftest import fill_storage, load_repo_data
 
@@ -22,8 +21,8 @@
 def test_archive_interface(repo, swh_storage):
     archive_api = ArchiveStorage(swh_storage)
     dsn = swh_storage.get_db().conn.dsn
-    with psycopg2.connect(dsn) as conn:
-        adapt_conn(conn)
+    with BaseDb.connect(dsn).conn as conn:
+        BaseDb.adapt_conn(conn)
         archive_direct = ArchivePostgreSQL(conn)
         # read data/README.md for more details on how these datasets are generated
         data = load_repo_data(repo)
diff --git a/swh/provenance/tests/test_cli.py b/swh/provenance/tests/test_cli.py
--- a/swh/provenance/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/swh/provenance/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
 from click.testing import CliRunner
-import psycopg2
 import pytest
 
 from swh.core.cli import swh as swhmain
 import swh.core.cli.db  # noqa ; ensure cli is loaded
+from swh.core.db import BaseDb
 import swh.provenance.cli  # noqa ; ensure cli is loaded
 
 
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
     assert f"(flavor {flavor})" in result.output
 
     db_params["dbname"] = dbname
-    cnx = psycopg2.connect(**db_params)
+    cnx = BaseDb.connect(**db_params).conn
     # check the DB looks OK (check for db_flavor and expected tables)
     with cnx.cursor() as cur:
         cur.execute("select swh_get_dbflavor()")