diff --git a/lib/cartodb/backends/pg_connection.js b/lib/cartodb/backends/pg_connection.js
index d98bb703..d6ce648b 100644
--- a/lib/cartodb/backends/pg_connection.js
+++ b/lib/cartodb/backends/pg_connection.js
@@ -21,42 +21,35 @@ module.exports = PgConnection;
 // @param callback function(err)
 //
 PgConnection.prototype.setDBAuth = function(username, params, callback) {
-    var self = this;
-
-    var user_params = {};
     var auth_user = global.environment.postgres_auth_user;
     var auth_pass = global.environment.postgres_auth_pass;
-    step(
-        function getId() {
-            self.metadataBackend.getUserId(username, this);
-        },
-        function(err, user_id) {
-            assert.ifError(err);
-            user_params.user_id = user_id;
-            var dbuser = _.template(auth_user, user_params);
-            _.extend(params, {dbuser:dbuser});
 
-            // skip looking up user_password if postgres_auth_pass
-            // doesn't contain the "user_password" label
-            if (!auth_pass || ! auth_pass.match(/\buser_password\b/) ) {
-                return null;
-            }
-
-            self.metadataBackend.getUserDBPass(username, this);
-        },
-        function(err, user_password) {
-            assert.ifError(err);
-            user_params.user_password = user_password;
-            if ( auth_pass ) {
-                var dbpass = _.template(auth_pass, user_params);
-                _.extend(params, {dbpassword:dbpass});
-            }
-            return true;
-        },
-        function finish(err) {
-            callback(err);
+    this.metadataBackend.getUserId(username, (err, userId) => {
+        if (err) {
+            return callback(err);
         }
-    );
+        
+        const userParams = {
+            user_id: userId
+        };
+
+        _.extend(params, { dbuser: _.template(auth_user, userParams) });
+
+        if (!auth_pass || !auth_pass.match(/\buser_password\b/)) {
+            return callback();
+        }
+
+        this.metadataBackend.getUserDBPass(username, (err, userPassword) => {
+            if (err) {
+                return callback(err);
+            }
+
+            userParams.user_password = userPassword;
+            _.extend(params, { dbpassword: _.template(auth_pass, userParams) });
+            
+            callback();
+        });
+    });
 };
 
 // Set db connection parameters to those for the given username