diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py
index 9a028d06b22daac3f206543bb5f33335103d3f5f..58de159095784293fec060d6040318b54faa195e 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/common/configuration.py
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+#
+#   Code re-adapted from dsconfig python package in DSConfig container
+#   See: https://gitlab.com/MaxIV/lib-maxiv-dsconfig
+#   License: GPLv3
+#
+
+from tango import DeviceProxy
+
 from collections import defaultdict
 import six
 try:
@@ -10,6 +18,18 @@ except ImportError:
     from collections import Mapping
 from itertools import islice
 
+def get_db_data(db):
+    # dump TANGO database into JSON. Optionally filter which things to include
+    # (currently only "positive" filters are possible; you can say which
+    # servers/classes/devices to include, but you can't exclude selectively)
+    # By default, dserver devices aren't included!
+    dbproxy = DeviceProxy(db.dev_name())
+    data = SetterDict()
+    # the user did not specify a pattern, so we will dump *everything*
+    servers = get_servers_with_filters(dbproxy)
+    data.servers.update(servers)
+    return data.to_dict()
+
 def get_servers_with_filters(dbproxy, server="*", clss="*", device="*",
                              properties=True, attribute_properties=True,
                              aliases=True, dservers=False,
@@ -239,7 +259,7 @@ class SetterDict(CaselessDictionary, defaultdict):
 
     def __init__(self, value=None, factory=None):
         factory = factory or SetterDict
-        value = {}
+        value = value or {}
         self.__dict__["_factory"] = factory
         CaselessDictionary.__init__(self)
         defaultdict.__init__(self, factory)
diff --git a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/devices/configuration_device.py b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/devices/configuration_device.py
index 7f5092354c0e73eea5787b52599c3ad0a1f5211a..2d6c69722cae1a524e289b6e8aad8b61deeff84a 100644
--- a/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/devices/configuration_device.py
+++ b/tangostationcontrol/tangostationcontrol/devices/configuration_device.py
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ Handles and exposes the station configuration
 
 """
 # PyTango imports
-from tango import AttrWriteType, Database, DeviceProxy
+from tango import AttrWriteType, Database
 from tango.server import attribute
 
 # Additional import
-from tangostationcontrol.common.configuration import SetterDict, get_servers_with_filters
+from tangostationcontrol.common.configuration import get_db_data
 from tangostationcontrol.common.entrypoint import entry
 from tangostationcontrol.devices.lofar_device import lofar_device
 from tangostationcontrol.common.lofar_logging import device_logging_to_python
@@ -48,17 +48,14 @@ class Configuration(lofar_device):
         
         N.B. it does not update, it loads a full new configuration. 
         """
-        # TODO(Stefano): implement load configuration 
+        # TODO(Stefano): L2SS-1031 implement load configuration 
         self.proxy.tangodb_properties_RW = tangodb_properties
     
     def _dump_configdb(self):
         """ Returns the TangoDB station configuration as a JSON string """
-        dbproxy = DeviceProxy(Database().dev_name())
-        # Create a special dictionary to prevent Tango case errors
-        data = SetterDict()
-        servers = get_servers_with_filters(dbproxy)
-        data.servers.update(servers)
-        return json.dumps(data.to_dict(), ensure_ascii=False, indent=4, sort_keys=True)
+        db = Database() # TangoDB
+        dbdata = get_db_data(db)
+        return json.dumps(dbdata, ensure_ascii=False, indent=4, sort_keys=True)
          
 
 # ----------