diff --git a/modules/database/src/std/dev/devAaiSoft.c b/modules/database/src/std/dev/devAaiSoft.c
index 55975bae0..aafdd1bcd 100644
--- a/modules/database/src/std/dev/devAaiSoft.c
+++ b/modules/database/src/std/dev/devAaiSoft.c
@@ -47,19 +47,15 @@ static long init_record(dbCommon *pcommon)
     aaiRecord *prec = (aaiRecord *)pcommon;
     DBLINK *plink = &prec->inp;
 
-    /* This is pass 0, link hasn't been initialized yet */
-    dbInitLink(plink, DBF_INLINK);
+    /* Ask record to call us in pass 1 instead */
+    if (prec->pact != 2) {
+        return 2;
+    }
 
     if (dbLinkIsConstant(plink)) {
         long nRequest = prec->nelm;
         long status;
 
-        /* Allocate a buffer, record support hasn't done that yet */
-        if (!prec->bptr) {
-            prec->bptr = callocMustSucceed(nRequest, dbValueSize(prec->ftvl),
-                "devAaiSoft: buffer calloc failed");
-        }
-
         status = dbLoadLinkArray(plink, prec->ftvl, prec->bptr, &nRequest);
         if (!status) {
             prec->nord = nRequest;
diff --git a/modules/database/src/std/rec/aaiRecord.c b/modules/database/src/std/rec/aaiRecord.c
index c1410067c..157a48f5b 100644
--- a/modules/database/src/std/rec/aaiRecord.c
+++ b/modules/database/src/std/rec/aaiRecord.c
@@ -112,16 +112,18 @@ static long init_record(struct dbCommon *pcommon, int pass)
             prec->ftvl = DBF_UCHAR;
         prec->nord = (prec->nelm == 1);
 
-        /* we must call pdset->init_record in pass 0
-           because it may set prec->bptr which must
-           not change after links are established before pass 1
-        */
-
+        /* call pdset->init_record() in pass 0 so it can do its own
+         * memory allocation and set prec->bptr, which must be set by
+         * the end of pass 0.
+         */
         if (pdset->common.init_record) {
             long status = pdset->common.init_record(pcommon);
 
-            /* init_record may set the bptr to point to the data */
-            if (status)
+            if (status == 2) {
+                /* requesting pass 1 callback, remember to do that */
+                prec->pact = 2;
+            }
+            else if (status)
                 return status;
         }
         if (!prec->bptr) {
@@ -132,6 +134,14 @@ static long init_record(struct dbCommon *pcommon, int pass)
         return 0;
     }
 
+    if (prec->pact == 2) {
+        /* device support asked for an init_record() callback in pass 1 */
+        long status = pdset->common.init_record(pcommon);
+        if (status)
+            return status;
+        prec->pact = FALSE;
+    }
+
     recGblInitSimm(pcommon, &prec->sscn, &prec->oldsimm, &prec->simm, &prec->siml);
 
     /* must have read_aai function defined */