diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search.vue b/app/assets/javascripts/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search.vue
index 4540152a550..7af0de2f231 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search.vue
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search.vue
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <script>
 import { GlFilteredSearchToken } from '@gitlab/ui';
 import { mapActions } from 'vuex';
-import BoardFilteredSearch from '~/boards/components/board_filtered_search.vue';
+import BoardFilteredSearch from 'ee_else_ce/boards/components/board_filtered_search.vue';
 import { BoardType } from '~/boards/constants';
 import issueBoardFilters from '~/boards/issue_board_filters';
 import { TYPE_USER } from '~/graphql_shared/constants';
diff --git a/config/initializers/database_config.rb b/config/initializers/database_config.rb
index 7aedf9013ae..07b4016ecc7 100644
--- a/config/initializers/database_config.rb
+++ b/config/initializers/database_config.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ Gitlab.ee do
   end
 end
 
-ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection(Gitlab::Database.main.db_config_with_default_pool_size)
+unless Gitlab::Utils.to_boolean(ENV["GITLAB_LB_CONFIGURE_CONNECTION"], default: true)
+  ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection(Gitlab::Database.main.db_config_with_default_pool_size)
+end
 
 Gitlab.ee do
   if Gitlab::Runtime.sidekiq? && Gitlab::Geo.geo_database_configured?
diff --git a/doc/user/group/index.md b/doc/user/group/index.md
index 4054354296e..9b4dc04b2fd 100644
--- a/doc/user/group/index.md
+++ b/doc/user/group/index.md
@@ -239,8 +239,8 @@ There are two different ways to add a new project to a group:
 
 ### Specify who can add projects to a group
 
-> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/2534) in GitLab Premium 10.5.
-> - [Moved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/merge_requests/25975) to GitLab Free in 11.10.
+> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/2534) in GitLab 10.5.
+> - [Moved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/merge_requests/25975) from GitLab Premium to GitLab Free in 11.10.
 
 By default, [Developers and Maintainers](../permissions.md#group-members-permissions) can create projects under a group.
 
@@ -258,8 +258,7 @@ To change this setting globally, see [Default project creation protection](../ad
 
 ## Group activity analytics **(PREMIUM)**
 
-> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/207164) in GitLab 12.10 as
-a [beta feature](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/#beta).
+> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/207164) in GitLab 12.10 as a [beta feature](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/#beta).
 
 For a group, you can view how many merge requests, issues, and members were created in the last 90 days.
 
@@ -309,7 +308,7 @@ All the members of the `Engineering` group are added to the `Frontend` group.
 > - Enabled on GitLab.com.
 > - Recommended for production use.
 > - Replaces the existing form with buttons to open a modal window.
-> - To use in GitLab self-managed instances, ask a GitLab administrator to [enable it](../project/members/index.md#enable-or-disable-modal-window). **(FREE SELF)**
+> - To use in GitLab self-managed instances, ask a GitLab administrator to [enable it](../project/members/index.md#enable-or-disable-modal-window).
 
 WARNING:
 This feature might not be available to you. Check the **version history** note above for details.
@@ -412,7 +411,7 @@ because the project cannot be moved.
 
 ## Use a custom name for the initial branch
 
-> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/43290) in GitLab 13.6.
+> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/43290) in GitLab 13.6.
 
 When you create a new project in GitLab, a default branch is created with the
 first push. The group owner can
@@ -432,7 +431,7 @@ This action removes the group. It also adds a background job to delete all proje
 
 Specifically:
 
-- In [GitLab 12.8 and later](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/33257), on [Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/premium/) or higher tiers, this action adds a background job to mark a group for deletion. By default, the job schedules the deletion 7 days in the future. You can modify this waiting period through the [instance settings](../admin_area/settings/visibility_and_access_controls.md#default-deletion-delay).
+- In [GitLab 12.8 and later](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/33257), on [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/premium/) or higher tiers, this action adds a background job to mark a group for deletion. By default, the job schedules the deletion 7 days in the future. You can modify this waiting period through the [instance settings](../admin_area/settings/visibility_and_access_controls.md#default-deletion-delay).
 - In [GitLab 13.6 and later](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/39504), if the user who sets up the deletion is removed from the group before the
 deletion happens, the job is cancelled, and the group is no longer scheduled for deletion.
 
@@ -538,8 +537,8 @@ You can export a list of members in a group as a CSV.
 
 ## Restrict group access by IP address **(PREMIUM)**
 
-> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/1985) in [GitLab Ultimate](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) 12.0.
-> - [Moved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/215410) to [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) in 13.1.
+> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/1985) in GitLab 12.0.
+> - [Moved](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/215410) from GitLab Ultimate to GitLab Premium in 13.1.
 
 To ensure only people from your organization can access particular
 resources, you can restrict access to groups by IP address. This group-level setting
@@ -574,7 +573,7 @@ To restrict group access by IP address:
 
 ## Restrict group access by domain **(PREMIUM)**
 
-> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/7297) in [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) 12.2.
+> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/7297) in GitLab 12.2.
 > - Support for specifying multiple email domains [added](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/33143) in GitLab 13.1.
 > - Support for restricting access to projects within the group [added](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/14004) in GitLab 14.1.2.
 
@@ -617,7 +616,7 @@ To learn how to create templates for issues and merge requests, see
 [Description templates](../project/description_templates.md).
 
 Define project templates at a group level by setting a group as the template source.
-[Learn more about group-level project templates](custom_project_templates.md). **(PREMIUM)**
+[Learn more about group-level project templates](custom_project_templates.md).
 
 ### Enable group file template **(PREMIUM)**
 
@@ -696,7 +695,7 @@ In GitLab 13.11 and above the group setting for delayed project removal is inher
 > [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/216987) in GitLab 13.3.
 
 By default, projects in a group can be forked.
-Optionally, on [Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) or higher tiers,
+Optionally, on [GitLab Premium](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) or higher tiers,
 you can prevent the projects in a group from being forked outside of the current top-level group.
 
 Previously, this setting was available only for groups enforcing a
@@ -757,20 +756,20 @@ To view the merge request approval rules UI for a group:
 ## Related topics
 
 - [Group wikis](../project/wiki/index.md)
-- [Maximum artifacts size](../admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md#maximum-artifacts-size). **(FREE SELF)**
-- [Repositories analytics](repositories_analytics/index.md): View overall activity of all projects with code coverage. **(PREMIUM)**
+- [Maximum artifacts size](../admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md#maximum-artifacts-size).
+- [Repositories analytics](repositories_analytics/index.md): View overall activity of all projects with code coverage.
 - [Contribution analytics](contribution_analytics/index.md): View the contributions (pushes, merge requests,
-  and issues) of group members. **(PREMIUM)**
-- [Issue analytics](issues_analytics/index.md): View a bar chart of your group's number of issues per month. **(PREMIUM)**
+  and issues) of group members.
+- [Issue analytics](issues_analytics/index.md): View a bar chart of your group's number of issues per month.
 - Use GitLab as a [dependency proxy](../packages/dependency_proxy/index.md) for upstream Docker images.
-- [Epics](epics/index.md): Track groups of issues that share a theme. **(ULTIMATE)**
+- [Epics](epics/index.md): Track groups of issues that share a theme.
 - [Security Dashboard](../application_security/security_dashboard/index.md): View the vulnerabilities of all
-  the projects in a group and its subgroups. **(ULTIMATE)**
+  the projects in a group and its subgroups.
 - [Insights](insights/index.md): Configure insights like triage hygiene, issues created/closed per a given period, and
-  average time for merge requests to be merged. **(ULTIMATE)**
+  average time for merge requests to be merged.
 - [Webhooks](../project/integrations/webhooks.md).
 - [Kubernetes cluster integration](clusters/index.md).
-- [Audit Events](../../administration/audit_events.md#group-events). **(PREMIUM)**
+- [Audit Events](../../administration/audit_events.md#group-events).
 - [Pipelines quota](../admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md): Keep track of the pipeline quota for the group.
 - [Integrations](../admin_area/settings/project_integration_management.md).
 - [Transfer a project into a group](../project/settings/index.md#transferring-an-existing-project-into-another-namespace).
@@ -778,7 +777,7 @@ To view the merge request approval rules UI for a group:
 - [Lock the sharing with group feature](#prevent-a-project-from-being-shared-with-groups).
 - [Enforce two-factor authentication (2FA)](../../security/two_factor_authentication.md#enforce-2fa-for-all-users-in-a-group): Enforce 2FA
   for all group members.
-- Namespaces [API](../../api/namespaces.md) and [Rake tasks](../../raketasks/features.md)..
+- Namespaces [API](../../api/namespaces.md) and [Rake tasks](../../raketasks/features.md).
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 
diff --git a/doc/user/group/saml_sso/index.md b/doc/user/group/saml_sso/index.md
index d6eda081b39..a5d4d9bd965 100644
--- a/doc/user/group/saml_sso/index.md
+++ b/doc/user/group/saml_sso/index.md
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ On subsequent visits, you should be able to go [sign in to GitLab.com with SAML]
 
 ### Configure user settings from SAML response
 
-[Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/263661) in GitLab 13.7.
+> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/263661) in GitLab 13.7.
 
 GitLab allows setting certain user attributes based on values from the SAML response.
 This affects users created on first sign-in via Group SAML. Existing users'
diff --git a/doc/user/group/saml_sso/scim_setup.md b/doc/user/group/saml_sso/scim_setup.md
index 5e90501d487..01260baa432 100644
--- a/doc/user/group/saml_sso/scim_setup.md
+++ b/doc/user/group/saml_sso/scim_setup.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated w
 
 # SCIM provisioning using SAML SSO for GitLab.com groups **(PREMIUM SAAS)**
 
-> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/9388) in GitLab Premium 11.10.
+> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/9388) in GitLab 11.10.
 
 System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM), is an open standard that enables the
 automation of user provisioning. When SCIM is provisioned for a GitLab group, membership of
diff --git a/doc/user/group/subgroups/index.md b/doc/user/group/subgroups/index.md
index 49032d0a2ef..acce296da93 100644
--- a/doc/user/group/subgroups/index.md
+++ b/doc/user/group/subgroups/index.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated w
 type: reference, howto, concepts
 ---
 
-# Subgroups
+# Subgroups **(FREE)**
 
 > [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/2772) in GitLab 9.0.
 
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/database/connection.rb b/lib/gitlab/database/connection.rb
index 061ac6b975a..bb6026f383d 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/database/connection.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/database/connection.rb
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ module Gitlab
         adapter_name.casecmp('postgresql') == 0
       end
 
+      # TODO: To be removed with GITLAB_LB_CONFIGURE_CONNECTION
       def db_config_with_default_pool_size
         db_config_object = scope.connection_db_config
         config = db_config_object
@@ -72,20 +73,6 @@ module Gitlab
         )
       end
 
-      # Disables prepared statements for the current database connection.
-      def disable_prepared_statements
-        db_config_object = scope.connection_db_config
-        config = db_config_object.configuration_hash.merge(prepared_statements: false)
-
-        hash_config = ActiveRecord::DatabaseConfigurations::HashConfig.new(
-          db_config_object.env_name,
-          db_config_object.name,
-          config
-        )
-
-        scope.establish_connection(hash_config)
-      end
-
       # Check whether the underlying database is in read-only mode
       def db_read_only?
         pg_is_in_recovery =
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup.rb b/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup.rb
index 3cce839a960..a639146d526 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup.rb
@@ -14,20 +14,30 @@ module Gitlab
         end
 
         def setup
-          disable_prepared_statements
+          configure_connection
           setup_load_balancer
           setup_service_discovery
         end
 
-        def disable_prepared_statements
+        def configure_connection
           db_config_object = @model.connection_db_config
-          config =
-            db_config_object.configuration_hash.merge(prepared_statements: false)
+
+          hash =
+            if Gitlab::Utils.to_boolean(ENV["GITLAB_LB_CONFIGURE_CONNECTION"], default: true)
+              db_config_object.configuration_hash.merge(
+                prepared_statements: false,
+                pool: Gitlab::Database.default_pool_size
+              )
+            else
+              db_config_object.configuration_hash.merge(
+                prepared_statements: false
+              )
+            end
 
           hash_config = ActiveRecord::DatabaseConfigurations::HashConfig.new(
             db_config_object.env_name,
             db_config_object.name,
-            config
+            hash
           )
 
           @model.establish_connection(hash_config)
diff --git a/spec/frontend/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search_spec.js b/spec/frontend/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search_spec.js
index 6f71949260e..200469b3f2a 100644
--- a/spec/frontend/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search_spec.js
+++ b/spec/frontend/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search_spec.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { shallowMount } from '@vue/test-utils';
-import BoardFilteredSearch from '~/boards/components/board_filtered_search.vue';
+import BoardFilteredSearch from 'ee_else_ce/boards/components/board_filtered_search.vue';
 import IssueBoardFilteredSpec from '~/boards/components/issue_board_filtered_search.vue';
 import issueBoardFilters from '~/boards/issue_board_filters';
 import { mockTokens } from '../mock_data';
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ jest.mock('~/boards/issue_board_filters');
 describe('IssueBoardFilter', () => {
   let wrapper;
 
+  const findBoardsFilteredSearch = () => wrapper.findComponent(BoardFilteredSearch);
+
   const createComponent = ({ epicFeatureAvailable = false } = {}) => {
     wrapper = shallowMount(IssueBoardFilteredSpec, {
       propsData: { fullPath: 'gitlab-org', boardType: 'group' },
@@ -40,13 +42,13 @@ describe('IssueBoardFilter', () => {
     });
 
     it('finds BoardFilteredSearch', () => {
-      expect(wrapper.find(BoardFilteredSearch).exists()).toBe(true);
+      expect(findBoardsFilteredSearch().exists()).toBe(true);
     });
 
     it('passes the correct tokens to BoardFilteredSearch', () => {
       const tokens = mockTokens(fetchLabelsSpy, fetchAuthorsSpy, wrapper.vm.fetchMilestones);
 
-      expect(wrapper.find(BoardFilteredSearch).props('tokens')).toEqual(tokens);
+      expect(findBoardsFilteredSearch().props('tokens')).toEqual(tokens);
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/spec/initializers/database_config_spec.rb b/spec/initializers/database_config_spec.rb
index 23f7fd06254..85538de5106 100644
--- a/spec/initializers/database_config_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/initializers/database_config_spec.rb
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ RSpec.describe 'Database config initializer', :reestablished_active_record_base
 
   before do
     allow(Gitlab::Runtime).to receive(:max_threads).and_return(max_threads)
+    stub_env('GITLAB_LB_CONFIGURE_CONNECTION', 'false')
   end
 
   let(:max_threads) { 8 }
@@ -41,6 +42,16 @@ RSpec.describe 'Database config initializer', :reestablished_active_record_base
 
       expect(ActiveRecord::Base.connection_db_config.pool).to eq(18)
     end
+
+    context 'when GITLAB_LB_CONFIGURE_CONNECTION=true' do
+      before do
+        stub_env('GITLAB_LB_CONFIGURE_CONNECTION', 'true')
+      end
+
+      it 'does not overwrite custom pool settings' do
+        expect { subject }.not_to change { ActiveRecord::Base.connection_db_config.pool }
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   context "when specifying headroom through an ENV variable" do
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/database/connection_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/database/connection_spec.rb
index 02a31aa1084..09614c7e9c5 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/database/connection_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/database/connection_spec.rb
@@ -126,39 +126,6 @@ RSpec.describe Gitlab::Database::Connection do
     end
   end
 
-  describe '#disable_prepared_statements', :reestablished_active_record_base do
-    it 'disables prepared statements' do
-      connection.scope.establish_connection(
-        ::Gitlab::Database.main.config.merge(prepared_statements: true)
-      )
-
-      expect(connection.scope.connection.prepared_statements).to eq(true)
-
-      connection.disable_prepared_statements
-
-      expect(connection.scope.connection.prepared_statements).to eq(false)
-    end
-
-    it 'retains the connection name' do
-      connection.disable_prepared_statements
-
-      expect(connection.scope.connection_db_config.name).to eq('main')
-    end
-
-    context 'with dynamic connection pool size' do
-      before do
-        connection.scope.establish_connection(connection.config.merge(pool: 7))
-      end
-
-      it 'retains the set pool size' do
-        connection.disable_prepared_statements
-
-        expect(connection.scope.connection.prepared_statements).to eq(false)
-        expect(connection.scope.connection.pool.size).to eq(7)
-      end
-    end
-  end
-
   describe '#db_read_only?' do
     it 'detects a read-only database' do
       allow(connection.scope.connection)
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup_spec.rb
index 01646bc76ef..656c861c72d 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/database/load_balancing/setup_spec.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ RSpec.describe Gitlab::Database::LoadBalancing::Setup do
     it 'sets up the load balancer' do
       setup = described_class.new(ActiveRecord::Base)
 
-      expect(setup).to receive(:disable_prepared_statements)
+      expect(setup).to receive(:configure_connection)
       expect(setup).to receive(:setup_load_balancer)
       expect(setup).to receive(:setup_service_discovery)
 
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ RSpec.describe Gitlab::Database::LoadBalancing::Setup do
     end
   end
 
-  describe '#disable_prepared_statements' do
-    it 'disables prepared statements and reconnects to the database' do
+  describe '#configure_connection' do
+    it 'configures pool, prepared statements and reconnects to the database' do
       config = double(
         :config,
-        configuration_hash: { host: 'localhost' },
+        configuration_hash: { host: 'localhost', pool: 2, prepared_statements: true },
         env_name: 'test',
         name: 'main'
       )
@@ -27,7 +27,11 @@ RSpec.describe Gitlab::Database::LoadBalancing::Setup do
 
       expect(ActiveRecord::DatabaseConfigurations::HashConfig)
         .to receive(:new)
-        .with('test', 'main', { host: 'localhost', prepared_statements: false })
+        .with('test', 'main', {
+          host: 'localhost',
+          prepared_statements: false,
+          pool: Gitlab::Database.default_pool_size
+        })
         .and_call_original
 
       # HashConfig doesn't implement its own #==, so we can't directly compare
@@ -36,7 +40,7 @@ RSpec.describe Gitlab::Database::LoadBalancing::Setup do
         .to receive(:establish_connection)
         .with(an_instance_of(ActiveRecord::DatabaseConfigurations::HashConfig))
 
-      described_class.new(model).disable_prepared_statements
+      described_class.new(model).configure_connection
     end
   end