The present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for transmitting data having non-standard data types between computers. A query is executed to retrieve data from a database. The database comprises data having standard data types and data having non-standard data types and is stored on a data storage device connected to a server computer. At the server computer, data having standard data types, small non-standard data types, and large non-standard data types is retrieved. An answer set is generated that comprises data having standard data types, small non-standard data types, and one or more placeholders representing data having the large non-standard data types. The generated answer set is transmitted to a client computer. After transmitting the generated answer set, data represented by each placeholder in the answer set is transmitted to the client computer.