diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db-live.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db-live.yaml
index fe19cbd04..88d3a8b15 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db-live.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db-live.yaml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ jobs:
 
     env:
       PLOOMBER_VERSION_CHECK_DISABLED: true
+      PYTHON_VERSION: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
@@ -44,7 +45,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install dependencies
         if: ${{ steps.secret-check.outputs.available == 'true' }}
         run:
-          pip install ".[integration]"
+
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          python -m pip install --upgrade nox
+          nox --session test_integration_snowflake --install-only
+
       - name: Integration Test
         if: ${{ steps.secret-check.outputs.available == 'true'}}
         env:
@@ -52,9 +57,8 @@ jobs:
           SF_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SF_PASSWORD }}
           SF_DATABASE: ${{ secrets.SF_DATABASE }}
         run: |
-          # Run the integration test with live option
-          python -c "import sqlalchemy; print('Sqlalchemy version ', sqlalchemy.__version__)"
-          pytest src/tests/integration --verbose --live
+
+          nox --session test_integration_snowflake --no-install --reuse-existing-virtualenvs
 
       - name: Upload failed images artifacts
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db.yaml
index 2ac20a03c..cb83c6ead 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-integration-db.yaml
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ jobs:
 
     env:
       PLOOMBER_VERSION_CHECK_DISABLED: true
+      PYTHON_VERSION: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
     steps:
 
@@ -37,13 +38,14 @@ jobs:
           echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/mssql-tools18/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
           source ~/.bashrc
 
-          pip install ".[integration]"
-          pip install "sqlalchemy>=2"
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          python -m pip install --upgrade nox
+          nox --session test_integration --install-only
+
       - name: Integration Test
         run: |
-          # Run the integration test by pytest marker
-          python -c "import sqlalchemy; print('Sqlalchemy version ', sqlalchemy.__version__)"
-          pytest src/tests/integration --verbose
+
+        nox --session test_integration --no-install --reuse-existing-virtualenvs
 
       - name: Upload failed images artifacts
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 6aa445d55..65ea5b762 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ jobs:
     if: needs.preliminary.outputs.check_doc_modified == 'failure'
     uses: ./.github/workflows/ci-integration-db-live.yaml
     secrets: inherit
+
   integration-test-non-live:
     needs: [preliminary]
     if: needs.preliminary.outputs.check_doc_modified == 'failure'
@@ -94,6 +95,7 @@ jobs:
 
     env:
       PLOOMBER_VERSION_CHECK_DISABLED: true
+      PYTHON_VERSION: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
     steps:
 
@@ -108,25 +110,19 @@ jobs:
       - name: Lint
         run: |
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-          python -m pip install --upgrade pkgmt codespell
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pkgmt codespell nox
           pkgmt lint
           codespell
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
 
-          pip install .
-          # check package is importable
-          python -c "import sql"
-          pip install ".[dev]"
-          pip install sqlalchemy -U
+          nox --session test_unit --install-only
 
       - name: Test with pytest
         run: |
-          # ensure we're running sqlalchemy 2
-          python -c "import sqlalchemy; assert int(sqlalchemy.__version__.split('.')[0]) == 2"
-          # run unit tests
-          pytest --durations-min=5 --ignore=src/tests/integration
+
+          nox --session test_unit --no-install --reuse-existing-virtualenvs
 
       - name: Upload failed images artifacts
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
@@ -147,6 +143,7 @@ jobs:
 
     env:
       PLOOMBER_VERSION_CHECK_DISABLED: true
+      PYTHON_VERSION: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
 
     steps:
 
@@ -160,20 +157,17 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Lint
         run: |
-          python -m pip install --upgrade pip pkgmt
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pkgmt nox
           pkgmt lint
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
-          pip install "sqlalchemy<2"
-          pip install ".[dev]"
+          nox --session test_unit_sqlalchemy_one --install-only
 
       - name: Test with pytest
         run: |
-          # ensure we're running sqlalchemy 1
-          python -c "import sqlalchemy; assert int(sqlalchemy.__version__.split('.')[0]) == 1"
-          # run tests
-          pytest --durations-min=5 --ignore=src/tests/integration
+          nox --session test_unit_sqlalchemy_one --no-install --reuse-existing-virtualenvs
 
       - name: Upload failed images artifacts sqlalchemyv1
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
diff --git a/doc/community/developer-guide.md b/doc/community/developer-guide.md
index 04a107fc9..2093048fe 100644
--- a/doc/community/developer-guide.md
+++ b/doc/community/developer-guide.md
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ In our codebase, we manage connections to databases with a `Connection` object,
 
 ### Working with connections
 
-`Connection` should be exclusively used to manage database connections on the user's behalf and to obtain the current SQLAlchemy connection. We can access the current SQLAlchemy connection using `current.session`.
+`ConnectionManager` should be exclusively used to manage database connections on the user's behalf and to obtain the current connection. We can access the current connection using `current`.
 
 ```{code-cell} ipython3
 :tags: [remove-output]
@@ -122,11 +122,11 @@ In our codebase, we manage connections to databases with a `Connection` object,
 ```{code-cell} ipython3
 from sql.connection import ConnectionManager
 
-conn = ConnectionManager.current.session
+conn = ConnectionManager.current
 conn
 ```
  
-Functions that expect a `conn` (sometimes named `con`) input variable should only use SQLAlchemy connections.
+Functions that expect a `conn` (sometimes named `con`) input variable should only use connections.
 
 ```python
 def histogram(payload, table, column, bins, with_=None, conn=None):
diff --git a/noxfile.py b/noxfile.py
index 7a4ad3497..544fea3f5 100644
--- a/noxfile.py
+++ b/noxfile.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
     print("CONDA_PREFIX not found, creating envs in default location...")
 
 
-DEV_ENV_NAME = "jupysql-integration"
+DEV_ENV_NAME = "jupysql-env"
 
 
 INTEGRATION_CONDA_DEPENDENCIES = [
@@ -63,27 +63,37 @@ def _run_unit(session, skip_image_tests):
     args = [
         "pytest",
         "src/tests/",
-        "--ignore src/tests/integration",
+        "--ignore",
+        "src/tests/integration",
     ]
 
     if skip_image_tests:
         args.extend(
             [
-                "--ignore src/tests/test_ggplot.py",
-                "--ignore src/tests/test_magic_plot.py",
+                "--ignore",
+                "src/tests/test_ggplot.py",
+                "--ignore",
+                "src/tests/test_magic_plot.py",
             ]
         )
 
     session.run(*args)
 
 
-@nox.session(venv_backend="conda", name=DEV_ENV_NAME)
+@nox.session(
+    venv_backend="conda",
+    name=DEV_ENV_NAME,
+    python=environ.get("PYTHON_VERSION", "3.11"),
+)
 def setup(session):
     print("Installing requirements...")
     _install(session, integration=False)
 
 
-@nox.session(venv_backend="conda")
+@nox.session(
+    venv_backend="conda",
+    python=environ.get("PYTHON_VERSION", "3.11"),
+)
 def test_unit(session):
     """Run unit tests (SQLAlchemy 2.x)"""
     SKIP_IMAGE_TEST = "--skip-image-tests" in session.posargs
@@ -91,10 +101,13 @@ def test_unit(session):
     _install(session, integration=False)
     session.install("sqlalchemy>=2")
     _check_sqlalchemy(session, version=2)
-    _run_unit(skip_image_tests=SKIP_IMAGE_TEST)
+    _run_unit(session, skip_image_tests=SKIP_IMAGE_TEST)
 
 
-@nox.session(venv_backend="conda")
+@nox.session(
+    venv_backend="conda",
+    python=environ.get("PYTHON_VERSION", "3.11"),
+)
 def test_unit_sqlalchemy_one(session):
     """Run unit tests (SQLAlchemy 1.x)"""
     SKIP_IMAGE_TEST = "--skip-image-tests" in session.posargs
@@ -102,10 +115,13 @@ def test_unit_sqlalchemy_one(session):
     _install(session, integration=False)
     session.install("sqlalchemy<2")
     _check_sqlalchemy(session, version=1)
-    _run_unit(skip_image_tests=SKIP_IMAGE_TEST)
+    _run_unit(session, skip_image_tests=SKIP_IMAGE_TEST)
 
 
-@nox.session(venv_backend="conda")
+@nox.session(
+    venv_backend="conda",
+    python=environ.get("PYTHON_VERSION", "3.11"),
+)
 def test_integration_snowflake(session):
     """
     Run snowflake tests (NOTE: the sqlalchemy-snowflake driver only works with
@@ -116,7 +132,10 @@ def test_integration_snowflake(session):
     session.run("pytest", "src/tests/integration", "-k", "snowflake")
 
 
-@nox.session(venv_backend="conda")
+@nox.session(
+    venv_backend="conda",
+    python=environ.get("PYTHON_VERSION", "3.11"),
+)
 def test_integration(session):
     """Run integration tests (to check compatibility with databases)"""
     _install(session, integration=True)