diff --git a/.github/workflows/prCheckJDK8.yml b/.github/workflows/prCheckJDK8.yml
index 089986716..085a25cb4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/prCheckJDK8.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/prCheckJDK8.yml
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref }}
-          repository: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name }}
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref || inputs.branch }}
+          repository: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name || inputs.repository }}
 
       - name: Cache Maven packages
         uses: actions/cache@v4
@@ -48,8 +48,4 @@ jobs:
           restore-keys: ${{ runner.os }}-jdk8-m2
 
       - name: Run Unit Tests
-        run: mvn -pl jdbc-core clean test -Dgroups='!Jvm17PlusAndArrowToNioReflectionDisabled'
-
-      - name: Check Arrow Memory Tests
-        shell: bash
-        run: mvn -Plow-memory -pl jdbc-core test -Dtest='DatabricksArrowPatchMemoryUsageTest'
+        run: mvn clean test
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c532e5eca..52920b4c7 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -9,3 +9,4 @@ logs/
 *.pem
 **/test/java/com/databricks/client/jdbc/DatabricksDriverExamples.java
 dependency-reduced-pom.xml
+.flattened-pom.xml
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 05ff72b1a..e898842b2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -37,12 +37,16 @@ This is a multi-module Maven project:
 | `test-assembly-thin` | `test-databricks-jdbc-thin` | Packaging tests for the thin jar |
 
 1. Clone the repository
-2. Run the following command:
+2. Build the driver jar (equivalent to `mvn clean package -DskipTests` in a single-module project):
    ```bash
-   mvn clean package
+   mvn -pl jdbc-core,assembly-uber,assembly-thin clean package -DskipTests -Ddependency-check.skip=true
    ```
 3. The uber jar is generated at `assembly-uber/target/databricks-jdbc-<version>.jar`
-4. The test coverage report is generated in `jdbc-core/target/site/jacoco/index.html`
+4. To run unit tests and generate a coverage report (equivalent to `mvn clean test` in a single-module project):
+   ```bash
+   mvn -pl jdbc-core clean test jacoco:report -Dgroups='!Jvm17PlusAndArrowToNioReflectionDisabled' -Ddependency-check.skip=true
+   ```
+   The test coverage report is generated in `jdbc-core/target/site/jacoco/index.html`
 
 ## Usage
 
diff --git a/jdbc-core/pom.xml b/jdbc-core/pom.xml
index 7b6c273be..83995e556 100644
--- a/jdbc-core/pom.xml
+++ b/jdbc-core/pom.xml
@@ -415,10 +415,15 @@
             <exclude>**/model/**</exclude>
             <exclude>**/thrift/generated/**</exclude>
 
-            <!-- Exclude patched Arrow classes from coverage -->
+            <!-- Exclude patched Arrow classes from coverage. All Arrow tests are tagged with
+                 Jvm17PlusAndArrowToNioReflectionDisabled and run only via dedicated CI steps
+                 (-Pjdk17-NioNotOpen, -Plow-memory), not the general coverage run. -->
             <exclude>org/apache/arrow/memory/util/MemoryUtil*</exclude>
             <exclude>org/apache/arrow/memory/ArrowBuf*</exclude>
             <exclude>org/apache/arrow/vector/util/DecimalUtility*</exclude>
+            <exclude>org/apache/arrow/memory/DatabricksAllocationReservation*</exclude>
+            <exclude>org/apache/arrow/memory/DatabricksBufferAllocator*</exclude>
+            <exclude>org/apache/arrow/memory/DatabricksReferenceManager*</exclude>
 
             <!-- Exclude DatabricksArrowBuf. We test only read paths -->
             <exclude>**/DatabricksArrowBuf*</exclude>
@@ -429,6 +434,29 @@
   </build>
 
   <profiles>
+    <profile>
+      <id>local</id>
+      <properties>
+        <dependency-check.skip>true</dependency-check.skip>
+      </properties>
+      <build>
+        <plugins>
+          <plugin>
+            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+            <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
+            <configuration>
+              <groups>!Jvm17PlusAndArrowToNioReflectionDisabled</groups>
+              <excludes>
+                <exclude>**/integration/**</exclude>
+                <exclude>org/apache/arrow/memory/**</exclude>
+                <exclude>com/databricks/client/jdbc/**</exclude>
+              </excludes>
+            </configuration>
+          </plugin>
+        </plugins>
+      </build>
+    </profile>
+
     <profile>
       <id>low-memory</id>
       <build>