A mechanism is described for allowing third party client applications to affect how high-level document commands are implemented in a database. After a high-level document command meeting certain criteria is received in a database management system, the system identifies one or more third party client application that are to be notified when such high-level document commands are received. The client applications are then notified allowing the client application to return implementation instructions which are used by the database management system in determining how to implement the high-level document command. The instruction may be to prevent implementation altogether, to somehow change the implementation, or even to perform high-level document commands in addition to the original high-level document command.