diff --git a/dibi/libs/DibiResult.php b/dibi/libs/DibiResult.php
index dca12f76..c65b6ca9 100644
--- a/dibi/libs/DibiResult.php
+++ b/dibi/libs/DibiResult.php
@@ -291,13 +291,87 @@ class DibiResult extends DibiObject implements IDataSource
 
 	/**
 	 * Fetches all records from table and returns associative tree.
-	 * Associative descriptor:  assoc1,#,assoc2,=,assoc3,@
-	 * builds a tree:           $data[assoc1][index][assoc2]['assoc3']->value = {record}
+	 * Examples:
+	 * - associative descriptor: col1[]col2->col3
+	 *   builds a tree:          $tree[$val1][$index][$val2]->col3[$val3] = {record}
+	 * - associative descriptor: col1|col2->col3=col4
+	 *   builds a tree:          $tree[$val1][$val2]->col3[$val3] = val4
 	 * @param  string  associative descriptor
 	 * @return DibiRow
 	 * @throws InvalidArgumentException
 	 */
 	final public function fetchAssoc($assoc)
+	{
+		if (strpos($assoc, ',') !== FALSE) {
+			return $this->oldFetchAssoc($assoc);
+		}
+
+		$this->seek(0);
+		$row = $this->fetch();
+		if (!$row) return array();  // empty result set
+
+		$data = NULL;
+		$assoc = preg_split('#(\[\]|->|=|\|)#', $assoc, NULL, PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE | PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY);
+
+		// check columns
+		foreach ($assoc as $as) {
+			// offsetExists ignores NULL in PHP 5.2.1, isset() surprisingly NULL accepts
+			if ($as !== '[]' && $as !== '=' && $as !== '->' && $as !== '|' && !isset($row[$as])) {
+				throw new InvalidArgumentException("Unknown column '$as' in associative descriptor.");
+			}
+		}
+
+		if ($as === '->') { // must not be last
+			array_pop($assoc);
+		}
+
+		if (empty($assoc)) {
+			$assoc[] = '[]';
+		}
+
+		// make associative tree
+		do {
+			$x = & $data;
+
+			// iterative deepening
+			foreach ($assoc as $i => $as) {
+				if ($as === '[]') { // indexed-array node
+					$x = & $x[];
+
+				} elseif ($as === '=') { // "value" node
+					$x = $row->{$assoc[$i+1]};
+					break;
+
+				} elseif ($as === '->') { // "object" node
+					if ($x === NULL) {
+						$x = clone $row;
+						$x = & $x->{$assoc[$i+1]};
+						$x = NULL; // prepare child node
+					} else {
+						$x = & $x->{$assoc[$i+1]};
+					}
+
+				} elseif ($as !== '|') { // associative-array node
+					$x = & $x[$row->$as];
+				}
+			}
+
+			if ($x === NULL) { // build leaf
+				$x = $row;
+			}
+
+		} while ($row = $this->fetch());
+
+		unset($x);
+		return $data;
+	}
+
+
+
+	/**
+	 * @deprecated
+	 */
+	private function oldFetchAssoc($assoc)
 	{
 		$this->seek(0);
 		$row = $this->fetch();
@@ -306,14 +380,6 @@ class DibiResult extends DibiObject implements IDataSource
 		$data = NULL;
 		$assoc = explode(',', $assoc);
 
-		// check columns
-		foreach ($assoc as $as) {
-			// offsetExists ignores NULL in PHP 5.2.1, isset() surprisingly NULL accepts
-			if ($as !== '#' && $as !== '=' && $as !== '@' && !isset($row[$as])) {
-				throw new InvalidArgumentException("Unknown column '$as' in associative descriptor.");
-			}
-		}
-
 		// strip leading = and @
 		$leaf = '@';  // gap
 		$last = count($assoc) - 1;
@@ -328,11 +394,9 @@ class DibiResult extends DibiObject implements IDataSource
 			}
 		}
 
-		// make associative tree
 		do {
 			$x = & $data;
 
-			// iterative deepening
 			foreach ($assoc as $i => $as) {
 				if ($as === '#') { // indexed-array node
 					$x = & $x[];
diff --git a/examples/fetch.php b/examples/fetch.php
index 6c67de55..c3eecfab 100644
--- a/examples/fetch.php
+++ b/examples/fetch.php
@@ -81,14 +81,14 @@ INNER JOIN [orders] USING ([product_id])
 INNER JOIN [customers] USING ([customer_id])
 ');
 
-$assoc = $res->fetchAssoc('customers.name,products.title'); // key
+$assoc = $res->fetchAssoc('customers.name|products.title'); // key
 Debug::dump($assoc);
 echo '<hr>';
 
-$assoc = $res->fetchAssoc('customers.name,#,products.title'); // key
+$assoc = $res->fetchAssoc('customers.name[]products.title'); // key
 Debug::dump($assoc);
 echo '<hr>';
 
-$assoc = $res->fetchAssoc('customers.name,=,products.title'); // key
+$assoc = $res->fetchAssoc('customers.name->products.title'); // key
 Debug::dump($assoc);
 echo '<hr>';