A plan for executing a query in a relational database is obtained. A query for accessing data in the relational database is received. The query specifies N tables in the relational database from which data is to be retrieved. A determination is made whether a syntax of the query matches a syntax of a plan in a plan cache for executing the query. Matches are identified between generic table formats of the N tables specified in the query to generic table formats of N tables specified in the plan responsive to the syntax of the query matching the syntax of a plan in the plan cache for executing the query. The plan for executing the query is obtained based on whether the syntax of the query matches the syntax of the plan and based on identified matches between the generic table formats of the N tables specified in the query to the generic table formats of the N tables specified in the plan.