import sqlalchemy

def mysql_connect(options):
    """Convenience method for connecting to a MySQL database."""
    engine = sqlalchemy.create_engine(sqlalchemy.engine.url.URL(
        "mysql",
        username=options.mysql_user,
        password=options.mysql_password,
        host=options.mysql_host,
        database=options.mysql_db,
        ))
    meta = sqlalchemy.MetaData()
    meta.bind = engine
    meta.reflect()
    return meta