diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9efd5fb3..261a1177 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -76,31 +76,7 @@ To authenticate as admin to Keycloak the predefined user is: admin and password:
 To use a different DNS hostname replace localhost with it in .env and src/config.toml \
 This configuration is intended for development, DO NOT use it in production. 
 
-Use the following instructions if you prefer to use Docker instead of Docker Compose.
-
-### Starting a MySQL Server
-
-We use the default [MySQL Docker image](https://hub.docker.com/_/mysql).
-By default, the database is stored within the docker container and will thus be deleted when the container is removed.
-Instructions on using a persistent storage can be found at the end of this section.
-
-First, we define a docker network to allow our server to be reachable from other docker containers:
-
-```bash
-docker network create sql-network
-```
-
-Then, start the MySQL Server:
-
-```bash
-docker run -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=ok --name sqlserver --network sql-network -d mysql
-```
-
-That's all! You should be able to connect to the server now, though no database is present yet:
-
-```bash
-docker run -it --network sql-network --rm mysql mysql -hsqlserver -uroot -pok
-```
+To connect to the database use `./scripts/database-connect.sql`.
 
 ```bash
 mysql> SHOW DATABASES;
@@ -115,48 +91,8 @@ mysql> SHOW DATABASES;
 4 rows in set (0.03 sec)
 ```
 
-For ease of use, you can also make use of the script in `scripts/run_mysql_server.sh`.
-
-#### Persistent Storage
+Now, you can visit the server from your browser at `localhost:8000/docs`.
 
-The data is persistent when simply stopping and restarting the server:
-
-```bash
-docker stop sqlserver
-docker start sqlserver
-```
-
-However, all data is lost when the container is deleted.
-To ensure data can persist even if the container is deleted, allow the Docker container to write to a directory on the
-host machine.
-To do that, mount a volume by adding `-v /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/HOST/DIR:/var/lib/mysql` to the docker command that starts
-the server
-(it's also possible to create a docker
-volume ([docs](https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/run/#mount-volume--v---read-only))).
-If you want to use a path within this repository directory, we recommend naming the directory `data` since then it will
-automatically be ignored by git.
-For more information, see "Where to Store Data" in the linked documentation.
-
-### Starting the REST API
-
-The repository provides a Dockerfile to run the REST API in a containerized environment.
-
-#### Using the Docker container
-
-First, build the docker image from the dockerfile:
-
-```bash
-docker build --tag ai4eu_server_demo:latest -f Dockerfile .
-```
-
-then create a container from that image, remember to forward the port and connect to the right 
-docker network (alternatively you can use the script at `scripts/run_apiserver.sh`)
-
-```bash
-docker run --network sql-network -it --rm -p 8000:8000 --name apiserver ai4eu_server_demo
-```
-
-At this point you should be able to visit the server from your browser at `localhost:8000/docs`.
 
 #### Local Installation
 
@@ -199,7 +135,7 @@ The `--reload` argument will automatically restart the app if changes are made t
 3. Run using DevContainer (see next subsection)
 
 ### Authentication
-Currently, the code is on default coupled with a keycloak running on test.openml.org. To make 
+Currently, the code is by default running using the local Keycloak. To make 
 this work, you need to set an environment variable. You can do this by setting the 
 `KEYCLOAK_CLIENT_SECRET` in `src/.env`.
 
@@ -208,9 +144,6 @@ this work, you need to set an environment variable. You can do this by setting t
 KEYCLOAK_CLIENT_SECRET=[SECRET]
 ```
 
-Please ask Jos van der Velde (j.d.v.d.velde@tue.nl) for the keycloak secret, and to give your 
-user the correct roles.
-
 Alternatively, you can connect to a different keycloak instance by modifying `src/.env`. EGI 
 Checkin can for instance be used on a deployed instance - not on local host. Marco Rorro is the 
 go-to person to request the usage of the EGI Checkin.
@@ -255,11 +188,6 @@ You can change this behavior through parameters of the script:
 Following the installation instructions above, the server may be reached at `127.0.0.1:8000`.
 REST API documentation is automatically built and can be viewed at `127.0.0.1:8000/docs`.
 
-#### Editing Files Locally
-
-While developing the server it is often convenient to edit the files on the host machine.
-To avoid rebuilding the docker container each time you edit the files, you can mount the host files into the container.
-Mount your repository's `src` directory into the container's `/app` directory by adding `-v $(pwd)/src:/app`.
 
 #### Automatically Restart on Change
 
diff --git a/src/main.py b/src/main.py
index 5b99c699..7f0c6b57 100644
--- a/src/main.py
+++ b/src/main.py
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
         },
     )
     engine = sqlmodel_engine(args.rebuild_db)
-    add_delete_triggers(AIoDConcept)
     with engine.connect() as connection:
         AIoDConcept.metadata.create_all(connection, checkfirst=True)
         connection.commit()
@@ -104,6 +103,11 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
             session.add_all([Platform(name=name) for name in PlatformName])
             session.commit()
 
+            # this is a bit of a hack: instead of checking whether the triggers exist, we check
+            # whether platforms are already present. If platforms were not present, the db is
+            # empty, and so the triggers should still be added.
+            add_delete_triggers(AIoDConcept)
+
     add_routes(app, engine, url_prefix=args.url_prefix)
     return app