diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index cc8884f..5f03a49 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -670,7 +670,7 @@
     <properties>
         <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
         <project.reporting.outputEncoding>UTF-8</project.reporting.outputEncoding>
-        <hyracks.version>0.2.17-incubating</hyracks.version>
+        <hyracks.version>0.3.0</hyracks.version>
         <apache-rat-plugin.version>0.11</apache-rat-plugin.version>
     </properties>
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/pom.xml b/vxquery-core/pom.xml
index 47015a9..38908d7 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/pom.xml
+++ b/vxquery-core/pom.xml
@@ -182,6 +182,11 @@
 
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.apache.hyracks</groupId>
+            <artifactId>algebricks-rewriter</artifactId>
+        </dependency>
+
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>org.apache.hyracks</groupId>
             <artifactId>algebricks-data</artifactId>
         </dependency>
 
@@ -271,50 +276,59 @@
             <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <artifactId>lucene-core</artifactId>
             <groupId>org.apache.lucene</groupId>
             <type>jar</type>
             <version>5.5.1</version>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <artifactId>lucene-queryparser</artifactId>
             <groupId>org.apache.lucene</groupId>
             <type>jar</type>
             <version>5.5.1</version>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <artifactId>lucene-analyzers-common</artifactId>
             <groupId>org.apache.lucene</groupId>
             <type>jar</type>
             <version>5.5.1</version>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <artifactId>lucene-demo</artifactId>
             <groupId>org.apache.lucene</groupId>
             <type>jar</type>
             <version>5.5.1</version>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <artifactId>lucene-backward-codecs</artifactId>
             <groupId>org.apache.lucene</groupId>
             <type>jar</type>
             <version>5.5.1</version>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.apache.hadoop</groupId>
             <artifactId>hadoop-mapreduce-client-core</artifactId>
             <version>2.7.0</version>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.apache.hadoop</groupId>
             <artifactId>hadoop-common</artifactId>
             <version>2.7.0</version>
         </dependency>
+
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.apache.hadoop</groupId>
             <artifactId>hadoop-hdfs</artifactId>
         </dependency>
+
     </dependencies>
 
     <reporting>
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryConstantValue.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryConstantValue.java
index e105546..92b35ba 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryConstantValue.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryConstantValue.java
@@ -17,9 +17,8 @@
 package org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks;
 
 import org.apache.commons.codec.binary.Hex;
-import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IAlgebricksConstantValue;
+import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
 public class VXQueryConstantValue implements IAlgebricksConstantValue {
     private final SequenceType type;
@@ -61,4 +60,9 @@
                 .append("])");
         return buffer.toString();
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean isMissing() {
+        return false;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryExpressionRuntimeProvider.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryExpressionRuntimeProvider.java
index 04d15e7..dcd285c 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryExpressionRuntimeProvider.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryExpressionRuntimeProvider.java
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.mutable.Mutable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-import org.apache.vxquery.functions.Function;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.ILogicalExpression;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.AggregateFunctionCallExpression;
@@ -37,15 +33,18 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.operators.logical.IOperatorSchema;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.jobgen.impl.JobGenContext;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.ICopySerializableAggregateFunctionFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IRunningAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.ISerializedAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.evaluators.ConstantEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.evaluators.ConstantEvalFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.evaluators.TupleFieldEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.functions.Function;
 
 public class VXQueryExpressionRuntimeProvider implements IExpressionRuntimeProvider {
     @Override
@@ -53,23 +52,23 @@
             IOperatorSchema[] inputSchemas, JobGenContext context) throws AlgebricksException {
         switch (expr.getExpressionTag()) {
             case CONSTANT:
-                IAlgebricksConstantValue constantValue = (IAlgebricksConstantValue) ((ConstantExpression) expr)
+                IAlgebricksConstantValue constantValue = ((ConstantExpression) expr)
                         .getValue();
                 if (constantValue.isFalse()) {
                     IPointable p = (BooleanPointable) BooleanPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
                     XDMConstants.setFalse(p);
-                    return new ConstantEvaluatorFactory(p.getByteArray());
+                    return new ConstantEvalFactory(p.getByteArray());
                 } else if (constantValue.isNull()) {
                     IPointable p = (VoidPointable) VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
                     XDMConstants.setEmptySequence(p);
-                    return new ConstantEvaluatorFactory(p.getByteArray());
+                    return new ConstantEvalFactory(p.getByteArray());
                 } else if (constantValue.isTrue()) {
                     IPointable p = (BooleanPointable) BooleanPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
                     XDMConstants.setTrue(p);
-                    return new ConstantEvaluatorFactory(p.getByteArray());
+                    return new ConstantEvalFactory(p.getByteArray());
                 }
                 VXQueryConstantValue cv = (VXQueryConstantValue) ((ConstantExpression) expr).getValue();
-                return new ConstantEvaluatorFactory(cv.getValue());
+                return new ConstantEvalFactory(cv.getValue());
 
             case VARIABLE:
                 VariableReferenceExpression vrExpr = (VariableReferenceExpression) expr;
@@ -82,7 +81,11 @@
 
                 IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] argFactories = createArgumentEvaluatorFactories(env, inputSchemas, context,
                         fcExpr.getArguments());
-                return fn.createScalarEvaluatorFactory(argFactories);
+                try {
+                    return fn.createScalarEvaluatorFactory(argFactories);
+                } catch (SystemException e) {
+                    throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                }
         }
         throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Cannot create runtime for " + expr.getExpressionTag());
     }
@@ -106,11 +109,15 @@
 
         IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] argFactories = createArgumentEvaluatorFactories(env, inputSchemas, context,
                 expr.getArguments());
-        return fn.createAggregateEvaluatorFactory(argFactories);
+        try {
+            return fn.createAggregateEvaluatorFactory(argFactories);
+        } catch (SystemException e) {
+            throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
-    public ICopySerializableAggregateFunctionFactory createSerializableAggregateFunctionFactory(
+    public ISerializedAggregateEvaluatorFactory createSerializableAggregateFunctionFactory(
             AggregateFunctionCallExpression expr, IVariableTypeEnvironment env, IOperatorSchema[] inputSchemas,
             JobGenContext context) throws AlgebricksException {
         return null;
@@ -131,6 +138,10 @@
 
         IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] argFactories = createArgumentEvaluatorFactories(env, inputSchemas, context,
                 expr.getArguments());
-        return fn.createUnnestingEvaluatorFactory(argFactories);
+        try {
+            return fn.createUnnestingEvaluatorFactory(argFactories);
+        } catch (SystemException e) {
+            throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryNullWriterFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryMissingWriterFactory.java
similarity index 80%
rename from vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryNullWriterFactory.java
rename to vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryMissingWriterFactory.java
index f0220dd..4003d79 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryNullWriterFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryMissingWriterFactory.java
@@ -19,22 +19,21 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.INullWriter;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.INullWriterFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.IMissingWriter;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.IMissingWriterFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
 
-public class VXQueryNullWriterFactory implements INullWriterFactory {
+public class VXQueryMissingWriterFactory implements IMissingWriterFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
     @Override
-    public INullWriter createNullWriter() {
+    public IMissingWriter createMissingWriter() {
         final VoidPointable vp = (VoidPointable) VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-        return new INullWriter() {
+        return new IMissingWriter() {
             @Override
-            public void writeNull(DataOutput out) throws HyracksDataException {
+            public void writeMissing(DataOutput out) throws HyracksDataException {
                 XDMConstants.setEmptySequence(vp);
                 try {
                     out.write(vp.getByteArray(), vp.getStartOffset(), vp.getLength());
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryPrinterFactoryProvider.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryPrinterFactoryProvider.java
index 65ef917..11d6204 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryPrinterFactoryProvider.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/algebricks/VXQueryPrinterFactoryProvider.java
@@ -16,15 +16,15 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.data.IPrinterFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.data.IPrinterFactoryProvider;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 
 public class VXQueryPrinterFactoryProvider implements IPrinterFactoryProvider {
     public static final IPrinterFactoryProvider INSTANCE = new VXQueryPrinterFactoryProvider();
 
     @Override
-    public IPrinterFactory getPrinterFactory(Object type) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public IPrinterFactory getPrinterFactory(Object type) throws HyracksDataException {
 
         return new VXQueryPrinterFactory();
     }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/RewriteRuleset.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/RewriteRuleset.java
index d5909c6..1ee4833 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/RewriteRuleset.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/RewriteRuleset.java
@@ -19,6 +19,46 @@
 import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.HeuristicOptimizer;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.IAlgebraicRewriteRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.BreakSelectIntoConjunctsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ComplexJoinInferenceRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ComplexUnnestToProductRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ConsolidateAssignsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ConsolidateSelectsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.CopyLimitDownRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.EliminateGroupByEmptyKeyRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.EnforceStructuralPropertiesRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ExtractCommonOperatorsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ExtractGbyExpressionsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.FactorRedundantGroupAndDecorVarsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InferTypesRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InlineAssignIntoAggregateRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InlineVariablesRule;
+//import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InsertOuterJoinRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroJoinInsideSubplanRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroduceAggregateCombinerRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroduceGroupByCombinerRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroduceProjectsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IsolateHyracksOperatorsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PullSelectOutOfEqJoin;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushMapOperatorDownThroughProductRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushProjectDownRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushProjectIntoDataSourceScanRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushSelectDownRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushSelectIntoJoinRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushSubplanWithAggregateDownThroughProductRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ReinferAllTypesRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.RemoveRedundantVariablesRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.RemoveUnusedAssignAndAggregateRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.SetAlgebricksPhysicalOperatorsRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.SetExecutionModeRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.SimpleUnnestToProductRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.subplan.EliminateSubplanRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.subplan.EliminateSubplanWithInputCardinalityOneRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.subplan.NestedSubplanToJoinRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.subplan.PushSubplanIntoGroupByRule;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.subplan.SubplanOutOfGroupRule;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.ConsolidateAssignAggregateRule;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.ConsolidateDescandantChild;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.ConvertAssignToUnnestRule;
@@ -46,56 +86,17 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.algebricksalternatives.InlineNestedVariablesRule;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.algebricksalternatives.MoveFreeVariableOperatorOutOfSubplanRule;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.HeuristicOptimizer;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.IAlgebraicRewriteRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.BreakSelectIntoConjunctsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ComplexJoinInferenceRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ComplexUnnestToProductRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ConsolidateAssignsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ConsolidateSelectsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.CopyLimitDownRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.EliminateGroupByEmptyKeyRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.EliminateSubplanRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.EliminateSubplanWithInputCardinalityOneRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.EnforceStructuralPropertiesRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ExtractCommonOperatorsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ExtractGbyExpressionsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.FactorRedundantGroupAndDecorVarsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InferTypesRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InlineAssignIntoAggregateRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InlineVariablesRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.InsertOuterJoinRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroJoinInsideSubplanRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroduceAggregateCombinerRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroduceGroupByCombinerRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroduceGroupByForSubplanRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IntroduceProjectsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.IsolateHyracksOperatorsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.NestedSubplanToJoinRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PullSelectOutOfEqJoin;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushMapOperatorDownThroughProductRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushProjectDownRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushProjectIntoDataSourceScanRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushSelectDownRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushSelectIntoJoinRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushSubplanIntoGroupByRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.PushSubplanWithAggregateDownThroughProductRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.ReinferAllTypesRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.RemoveRedundantVariablesRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.RemoveUnusedAssignAndAggregateRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.SetAlgebricksPhysicalOperatorsRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.SetExecutionModeRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.SimpleUnnestToProductRule;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.rewriter.rules.SubplanOutOfGroupRule;
-
 public class RewriteRuleset {
+    RewriteRuleset() {
+    }
+
     /**
      * Optimizations specific to XQuery.
      *
      * @return List of algebraic rewrite rules.
      */
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildPathStepNormalizationRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildPathStepNormalizationRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<>();
         normalization.add(new SetVariableIdContextRule());
 
         // Remove unused functions.
@@ -153,8 +154,8 @@
      *
      * @return List of algebraic rewrite rules.
      */
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildXQueryNormalizationRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildXQueryNormalizationRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<>();
 
         // Find assign for scalar aggregate function followed by an aggregate operator.
         normalization.add(new ConsolidateAssignAggregateRule());
@@ -179,8 +180,8 @@
      *
      * @return List of algebraic rewrite rules.
      */
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildInlineRedundantExpressionNormalizationRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildInlineRedundantExpressionNormalizationRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<>();
         normalization.add(new InlineNestedVariablesRule());
         normalization.add(new RemoveRedundantTreatExpressionsRule());
         normalization.add(new RemoveRedundantDataExpressionsRule());
@@ -199,8 +200,8 @@
      *
      * @return List of algebraic rewrite rules.
      */
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildNestedDataSourceRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> xquery = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildNestedDataSourceRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> xquery = new LinkedList<>();
         xquery.add(new BreakSelectIntoConjunctsRule());
         xquery.add(new SimpleUnnestToProductRule());
         xquery.add(new PushMapOperatorDownThroughProductRule());
@@ -213,8 +214,8 @@
         return xquery;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildTypeInferenceRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> typeInfer = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildTypeInferenceRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> typeInfer = new LinkedList<>();
         typeInfer.add(new InferTypesRule());
         return typeInfer;
     }
@@ -224,8 +225,8 @@
      *
      * @return List of algebraic rewrite rules.
      */
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildUnnestingRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> xquery = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildUnnestingRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> xquery = new LinkedList<>();
 
         xquery.add(new PushSelectDownRule());
         xquery.add(new SimpleUnnestToProductRule());
@@ -235,9 +236,9 @@
         xquery.add(new IntroJoinInsideSubplanRule());
         xquery.add(new PushMapOperatorDownThroughProductRule());
         xquery.add(new PushSubplanWithAggregateDownThroughProductRule());
-        xquery.add(new IntroduceGroupByForSubplanRule());
+        //xquery.add(new IntroduceGroupByForSubplanRule());
         xquery.add(new SubplanOutOfGroupRule());
-        xquery.add(new InsertOuterJoinRule());
+        //        xquery.add(new InsertOuterJoinRule());
         xquery.add(new ExtractFunctionsFromJoinConditionRule());
 
         xquery.add(new RemoveRedundantVariablesRule());
@@ -253,8 +254,8 @@
         return xquery;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildNormalizationRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildNormalizationRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> normalization = new LinkedList<>();
         normalization.add(new EliminateSubplanRule());
         normalization.add(new BreakSelectIntoConjunctsRule());
         normalization.add(new PushSelectIntoJoinRule());
@@ -262,8 +263,8 @@
         return normalization;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildCondPushDownRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> condPushDown = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildCondPushDownRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> condPushDown = new LinkedList<>();
         condPushDown.add(new PushSelectDownRule());
         condPushDown.add(new InlineVariablesRule());
         condPushDown.add(new FactorRedundantGroupAndDecorVarsRule());
@@ -271,34 +272,34 @@
         return condPushDown;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildJoinInferenceRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> joinInference = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildJoinInferenceRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> joinInference = new LinkedList<>();
         joinInference.add(new InlineVariablesRule());
         joinInference.add(new ComplexJoinInferenceRule());
         return joinInference;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildOpPushDownRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> opPushDown = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildOpPushDownRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> opPushDown = new LinkedList<>();
         opPushDown.add(new PushProjectDownRule());
         opPushDown.add(new PushSelectDownRule());
         return opPushDown;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildIntroduceProjectRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> project = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildIntroduceProjectRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> project = new LinkedList<>();
         project.add(new IntroduceProjectsRule());
         return project;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildDataExchangeRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> dataExchange = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildDataExchangeRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> dataExchange = new LinkedList<>();
         dataExchange.add(new SetExecutionModeRule());
         return dataExchange;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildConsolidationRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> consolidation = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildConsolidationRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> consolidation = new LinkedList<>();
         consolidation.add(new ConsolidateSelectsRule());
         consolidation.add(new ConsolidateAssignsRule());
         consolidation.add(new InlineAssignIntoAggregateRule());
@@ -308,8 +309,8 @@
         return consolidation;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildPhysicalRewritesAllLevelsRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> physicalPlanRewrites = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildPhysicalRewritesAllLevelsRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> physicalPlanRewrites = new LinkedList<>();
         physicalPlanRewrites.add(new PullSelectOutOfEqJoin());
         physicalPlanRewrites.add(new PushFunctionsOntoEqJoinBranches());
         physicalPlanRewrites.add(new SetAlgebricksPhysicalOperatorsRule());
@@ -320,15 +321,15 @@
         return physicalPlanRewrites;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildPhysicalRewritesTopLevelRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> physicalPlanRewrites = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> buildPhysicalRewritesTopLevelRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> physicalPlanRewrites = new LinkedList<>();
         physicalPlanRewrites.add(new CopyLimitDownRule());
         physicalPlanRewrites.add(new SetExecutionModeRule());
         return physicalPlanRewrites;
     }
 
-    public final static List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> prepareForJobGenRuleCollection() {
-        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> prepareForJobGenRewrites = new LinkedList<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>();
+    public static final List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> prepareForJobGenRuleCollection() {
+        List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule> prepareForJobGenRewrites = new LinkedList<>();
         prepareForJobGenRewrites.add(new ConvertFromAlgebricksExpressionsRule());
         prepareForJobGenRewrites
                 .add(new IsolateHyracksOperatorsRule(HeuristicOptimizer.hyraxOperatorsBelowWhichJobGenIsDisabled));
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/VXQueryOptimizationContext.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/VXQueryOptimizationContext.java
index eef9495..ec31dbc 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/VXQueryOptimizationContext.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/VXQueryOptimizationContext.java
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
  * you may obtain a copy of the License from
- * 
+ *
  *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- * 
+ *
  * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
  * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
  * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
@@ -17,34 +17,36 @@
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.constraints.AlgebricksPartitionConstraint;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.ILogicalOperator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IConflictingTypeResolver;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IExpressionEvalSizeComputer;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IExpressionTypeComputer;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IMergeAggregationExpressionFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IMissableTypeComputer;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.prettyprint.LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.AlgebricksOptimizationContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.PhysicalOptimizationConfig;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.propagationpolicies.cardinality.Cardinality;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.propagationpolicies.documentorder.DocumentOrder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.propagationpolicies.uniquenodes.UniqueNodes;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.ILogicalOperator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IExpressionEvalSizeComputer;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IExpressionTypeComputer;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IMergeAggregationExpressionFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.INullableTypeComputer;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.prettyprint.LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.AlgebricksOptimizationContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.PhysicalOptimizationConfig;
-
 public class VXQueryOptimizationContext extends AlgebricksOptimizationContext {
 
-    private final Map<ILogicalOperator, HashMap<Integer, DocumentOrder>> documentOrderOperatorVariableMap = new HashMap<ILogicalOperator, HashMap<Integer, DocumentOrder>>();
-    private final Map<ILogicalOperator, HashMap<Integer, UniqueNodes>> uniqueNodesOperatorVariableMap = new HashMap<ILogicalOperator, HashMap<Integer, UniqueNodes>>();
-    private final Map<ILogicalOperator, Cardinality> cardinalityOperatorMap = new HashMap<ILogicalOperator, Cardinality>();
+    private final Map<ILogicalOperator, HashMap<Integer, DocumentOrder>> documentOrderOperatorVariableMap = new HashMap<>();
+    private final Map<ILogicalOperator, HashMap<Integer, UniqueNodes>> uniqueNodesOperatorVariableMap = new HashMap<>();
+    private final Map<ILogicalOperator, Cardinality> cardinalityOperatorMap = new HashMap<>();
 
     private int totalDataSources = 0;
     private int collectionId = 0;
 
     public VXQueryOptimizationContext(int varCounter, IExpressionEvalSizeComputer expressionEvalSizeComputer,
             IMergeAggregationExpressionFactory mergeAggregationExpressionFactory,
-            IExpressionTypeComputer expressionTypeComputer, INullableTypeComputer nullableTypeComputer,
-            PhysicalOptimizationConfig physicalOptimizationConfig, LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor prettyPrintVisitor) {
+            IExpressionTypeComputer expressionTypeComputer, IMissableTypeComputer missableTypeComputer,
+            IConflictingTypeResolver conflictingTypeResovler, PhysicalOptimizationConfig physicalOptimizationConfig,
+            AlgebricksPartitionConstraint clusterLocations, LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor prettyPrintVisitor) {
         super(varCounter, expressionEvalSizeComputer, mergeAggregationExpressionFactory, expressionTypeComputer,
-                nullableTypeComputer, physicalOptimizationConfig, prettyPrintVisitor);
+                missableTypeComputer, conflictingTypeResovler, physicalOptimizationConfig, clusterLocations, prettyPrintVisitor);
     }
 
     public void incrementTotalDataSources() {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/AbstractCollectionRule.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/AbstractCollectionRule.java
index 2e8a8ac..b62242b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/AbstractCollectionRule.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/AbstractCollectionRule.java
@@ -17,9 +17,6 @@
 package org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules;
 
 import java.io.DataInputStream;
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
-import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Set;
 
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.mutable.Mutable;
@@ -79,7 +76,7 @@
         AssignOperator assign = (AssignOperator) op2;
 
         // Check to see if the expression is a function and fn:Collection.
-        ILogicalExpression logicalExpression = (ILogicalExpression) assign.getExpressions().get(0).getValue();
+        ILogicalExpression logicalExpression = assign.getExpressions().get(0).getValue();
         if (logicalExpression.getExpressionTag() != LogicalExpressionTag.FUNCTION_CALL) {
             return null;
         }
@@ -92,7 +89,7 @@
         // Get arguments
         int size = functionCall.getArguments().size();
         if (size > 0) {
-            String args[] = new String[size];
+            String[] args = new String[size];
             for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
                 args[i] = getArgument(functionCall, opRef, i);
             }
@@ -103,7 +100,7 @@
 
     private String getArgument(AbstractFunctionCallExpression functionCall, Mutable<ILogicalOperator> opRef, int pos) {
         VXQueryConstantValue constantValue;
-        ILogicalExpression logicalExpression2 = (ILogicalExpression) functionCall.getArguments().get(pos).getValue();
+        ILogicalExpression logicalExpression2 = functionCall.getArguments().get(pos).getValue();
         if (logicalExpression2.getExpressionTag() != LogicalExpressionTag.VARIABLE) {
             return null;
         } else if (logicalExpression2 == null) {
@@ -118,7 +115,7 @@
             AssignOperator assign2 = (AssignOperator) op3;
 
             // Check to see if the expression is a constant expression and type string.
-            ILogicalExpression logicalExpression3 = (ILogicalExpression) assign2.getExpressions().get(0).getValue();
+            ILogicalExpression logicalExpression3 = assign2.getExpressions().get(0).getValue();
             if (logicalExpression3.getExpressionTag() != LogicalExpressionTag.CONSTANT) {
                 return null;
             }
@@ -132,17 +129,9 @@
         }
         // Constant value is now in a TaggedValuePointable. Convert the value into a java String.
         tvp.set(constantValue.getValue(), 0, constantValue.getValue().length);
-        String collectionName = null;
         if (tvp.getTag() == ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG) {
             tvp.getValue(stringp);
-            try {
-                bbis.setByteBuffer(ByteBuffer.wrap(Arrays.copyOfRange(stringp.getByteArray(), stringp.getStartOffset(),
-                        stringp.getLength() + stringp.getStartOffset())), 0);
-                collectionName = di.readUTF();
-                return collectionName;
-            } catch (IOException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
-            }
+            return stringp.toString();
         }
         return null;
     }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/IntroduceCollectionRule.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/IntroduceCollectionRule.java
index 42d59aa..20283d8 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/IntroduceCollectionRule.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/IntroduceCollectionRule.java
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
     @Override
     public boolean rewritePre(Mutable<ILogicalOperator> opRef, IOptimizationContext context) {
         VXQueryOptimizationContext vxqueryContext = (VXQueryOptimizationContext) context;
-        String args[] = getFunctionalArguments(opRef, VXQueryCommons.collectionFunctions);
+        String[] args = getFunctionalArguments(opRef, VXQueryCommons.collectionFunctions);
 
         if (args != null) {
             String collectionName = args[0];
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/ReplaceSourceMapInDocExpression.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/ReplaceSourceMapInDocExpression.java
index 8f241b3..08766b0 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/ReplaceSourceMapInDocExpression.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/compiler/rewriter/rules/ReplaceSourceMapInDocExpression.java
@@ -23,18 +23,6 @@
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.mutable.Mutable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryConstantValue;
-import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.util.ExpressionToolbox;
-import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.util.OperatorToolbox;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.StringValueBuilder;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
-import org.apache.vxquery.functions.BuiltinFunctions;
-import org.apache.vxquery.metadata.VXQueryMetadataProvider;
-import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
-import org.apache.vxquery.types.Quantifier;
-import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.ILogicalExpression;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.ILogicalOperator;
@@ -47,27 +35,38 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.ByteBufferInputStream;
+import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryConstantValue;
+import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.util.ExpressionToolbox;
+import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.util.OperatorToolbox;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.StringValueBuilder;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
+import org.apache.vxquery.functions.BuiltinFunctions;
+import org.apache.vxquery.metadata.VXQueryMetadataProvider;
+import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
+import org.apache.vxquery.types.Quantifier;
+import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
 /**
  * The rule searches for where the function_doc1 function is in the plan in place of XQuery function.
  * It replaces the string contained in the function with its absolute file path.
- * 
+ *
  * <pre>
  * Before
- * 
+ *
  *   plan__parent
  *   %OPERATOR( $v1 : fn:doc( \@string ) )
  *   plan__child
- *   
+ *
  *   Where xquery_function creates an atomic value.
- *   
- * After 
- * 
+ *
+ * After
+ *
  *   plan__parent
  *   %OPERATOR( $v1 : fn:doc( \@absolute_file_path ) ) )
  *   plan__child
  * </pre>
- * 
+ *
  * @author shivanim
  */
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSDatePointable.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSDatePointable.java
index d728927..f635b1d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSDatePointable.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSDatePointable.java
@@ -16,23 +16,20 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.api.IDate;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.api.ITimezone;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.ITypeTraits;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.AbstractPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointableFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.api.IDate;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.api.ITimezone;
 
 /**
  * The date is split up into five sections. Due to leap year, we have decided to keep the
  * storage simple by saving each date section separately. For calculations you can access
  * YearMonth (months) and DayTime (milliseconds) values.
  * The date pointable is also used for GDay, GMonth, GYear, GDayMonth and GMonthYear.
- * 
- * @author prestoncarman
  */
 public class XSDatePointable extends AbstractPointable implements IDate, ITimezone {
     public final static int YEAR_OFFSET = 0;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSQNamePointable.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSQNamePointable.java
index f8e63b6..977101b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSQNamePointable.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/atomic/XSQNamePointable.java
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.AbstractPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointableFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
 
 /**
  * The XSQNamePointable holds three strings: URI, Prefix and Local Name.
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@
     }
 
     public static int getUriLength(byte[] bytes, int start) {
-        return getUriUTFLength(bytes, start) + 2;
+        int utfLength = getUriUTFLength(bytes, start);
+        return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
     }
 
     public int getUriUTFLength() {
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@
     }
 
     public static int getUriUTFLength(byte[] bytes, int start) {
-        return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(bytes, start);
+        return UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes, start);
     }
 
     public int getPrefixLength() {
@@ -75,7 +76,8 @@
     }
 
     public static int getPrefixLength(byte[] bytes, int start) {
-        return getPrefixUTFLength(bytes, start) + 2;
+        int utfLength = getPrefixUTFLength(bytes, start);
+        return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
     }
 
     public int getPrefixUTFLength() {
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@
     }
 
     public static int getPrefixUTFLength(byte[] bytes, int start) {
-        return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(bytes, start + getUriLength(bytes, start));
+        return UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes, start + getUriLength(bytes, start));
     }
 
     public int getLocalNameLength() {
@@ -91,7 +93,8 @@
     }
 
     public static int getLocalNameLength(byte[] bytes, int start) {
-        return getLocalNameUTFLength(bytes, start) + 2;
+        int utfLength = getLocalNameUTFLength(bytes, start);
+        return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
     }
 
     public int getLocalNameUTFLength() {
@@ -99,7 +102,7 @@
     }
 
     public static int getLocalNameUTFLength(byte[] bytes, int start) {
-        return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(bytes,
+        return UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes,
                 start + getUriLength(bytes, start) + getPrefixLength(bytes, start));
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/jsonitem/ObjectPointable.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/jsonitem/ObjectPointable.java
index ac96210..5311342 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/jsonitem/ObjectPointable.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/jsonitem/ObjectPointable.java
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.jsonitem;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
+
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.ITypeTraits;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.AbstractPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IMutableValueStorage;
@@ -24,12 +26,11 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import java.io.IOException;
-
 /**
  * The datamodel of the JSON object is represented in this class:
  * Byte 1: Value tag of object (109)
@@ -65,8 +66,9 @@
         return IntegerPointable.getInteger(bytes, start);
     }
 
-    private static int getKeyLength(byte[] b, int s) {
-        return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(b, s) + 2;
+    private static int getKeyLength(byte[] bytes, int start) {
+        int utfLength = UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes, start);
+        return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
     }
 
     private static int getSlotArrayOffset(int start) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/NodeTreePointable.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/NodeTreePointable.java
index db03e28..c0c447c 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/NodeTreePointable.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/NodeTreePointable.java
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.nodes;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.ITypeTraits;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.algorithms.BinarySearchAlgorithm;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.AbstractPointable;
@@ -28,6 +26,8 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 
 /*
  * NodeTree {
@@ -36,17 +36,17 @@
  *  Dictionary dictionary?;
  *  ElementNode rootNode;
  * }
- * 
+ *
  * ElementHeader (padded) {
  *  bit nodeIdExists;
  *  bit dictionaryExists;
  *  bit headerTypeExists;
  * }
- * 
+ *
  * NodeId {
  *  int32 id;
  * }
- * 
+ *
  * Dictionary {
  *  int32 numberOfItems
  *  int32[numberOfItems] lengthOfItem
@@ -97,14 +97,15 @@
         public int getStart(int index) {
             int dataAreaStart = getDictionaryDataAreaStartOffset();
             int sortedPtrArrayStart = getDictionarySortedPointerArrayOffset();
-            int sortedSlotValue = IntegerPointable
-                    .getInteger(bytes, sortedPtrArrayStart + index * SORTED_PTR_SLOT_SIZE);
+            int sortedSlotValue = IntegerPointable.getInteger(bytes,
+                    sortedPtrArrayStart + index * SORTED_PTR_SLOT_SIZE);
             return dataAreaStart + sortedSlotValue;
         }
 
         @Override
         public int getLength(int index) {
-            return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(bytes, getStart(index)) + 2;
+            int utfLength = UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes, getStart(index));
+            return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
         }
     };
 
@@ -130,16 +131,18 @@
         return dictionaryExists() ? IntegerPointable.getInteger(bytes, getDictionaryEntryCountOffset()) : 0;
     }
 
-    public void getString(int idx, IPointable string) {
+    public void getString(int idx, UTF8StringPointable string) {
         int nEntries = getDictionaryEntryCount();
         if (idx < 0 || idx >= nEntries) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException(idx + " not within [0, " + nEntries + ")");
         }
         int dataAreaStart = getDictionaryDataAreaStartOffset();
-        int idxSlotValue = idx == 0 ? 0 : IntegerPointable.getInteger(bytes, getDictionaryIndexPointerArrayOffset()
-                + (idx - 1) * IDX_PTR_SLOT_SIZE);
-        int strLen = UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(bytes, dataAreaStart + idxSlotValue);
-        string.set(bytes, dataAreaStart + idxSlotValue, strLen + 2);
+        int idxSlotValue = idx == 0 ? 0
+                : IntegerPointable.getInteger(bytes,
+                        getDictionaryIndexPointerArrayOffset() + (idx - 1) * IDX_PTR_SLOT_SIZE);
+        int strLen = UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes, dataAreaStart + idxSlotValue);
+        int strMetaLen = UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(strLen);
+        string.set(bytes, dataAreaStart + idxSlotValue, strMetaLen + strLen);
     }
 
     public int lookupString(UTF8StringPointable key) {
@@ -197,8 +200,8 @@
     }
 
     private int getDictionaryDataAreaStartOffset() {
-        return getDictionaryIndexPointerArrayOffset() + getDictionaryEntryCount()
-                * (IDX_PTR_SLOT_SIZE + SORTED_PTR_SLOT_SIZE);
+        return getDictionaryIndexPointerArrayOffset()
+                + getDictionaryEntryCount() * (IDX_PTR_SLOT_SIZE + SORTED_PTR_SLOT_SIZE);
     }
 
     private int getRootNodeOffset() {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/PINodePointable.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/PINodePointable.java
index 3ae5126..6aee42b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/PINodePointable.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/accessors/nodes/PINodePointable.java
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataflow.value.ITypeTraits;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointableFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
 
 /*
  * PI {
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@
     }
 
     private int getTargetSize(NodeTreePointable nodeTree) {
-        return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(bytes, getTargetOffset(nodeTree)) + 2;
+        int utfLength = UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes, getTargetOffset(nodeTree));
+        return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
     }
 
     private int getContentOffset(NodeTreePointable nodeTree) {
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@
     }
 
     private int getContentSize(NodeTreePointable nodeTree) {
-        return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(bytes, getContentOffset(nodeTree)) + 2;
+        int utfLength = UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(bytes, getContentOffset(nodeTree));
+        return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/StringValueBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/StringValueBuilder.java
index 215d1b1..453ffe0 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/StringValueBuilder.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/StringValueBuilder.java
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringWriter;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringWriter;
 
 public class StringValueBuilder {
     private final UTF8StringWriter writer;
@@ -29,6 +29,6 @@
     }
 
     public void write(CharSequence string, DataOutput out) throws IOException {
-        writer.writeUTF8String(string, out);
+        writer.writeUTF8(string, out);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/UTF8StringBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/UTF8StringBuilder.java
deleted file mode 100644
index a4d301d..0000000
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/UTF8StringBuilder.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,51 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
- * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
- * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
- * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
- * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
- * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic;
-
-import java.io.DataOutput;
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.io.UTFDataFormatException;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IMutableValueStorage;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.base.IBuilder;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
-
-public class UTF8StringBuilder implements IBuilder {
-    private IMutableValueStorage mvs;
-    private DataOutput out;
-
-    public void reset(IMutableValueStorage mvs) throws IOException {
-        this.mvs = mvs;
-        out = mvs.getDataOutput();
-        out.write(0);
-        out.write(0);
-    }
-
-    public void finish() throws IOException {
-        int utflen = mvs.getLength() - 2;
-        BytePointable.setByte(mvs.getByteArray(), 0, (byte) ((utflen >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-        BytePointable.setByte(mvs.getByteArray(), 1, (byte) ((utflen >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-    }
-
-    public void appendCharArray(char[] ch, int start, int length) throws IOException {
-        FunctionHelper.writeCharArray(ch, start, length, out);
-        if (mvs.getLength() > 65535) {
-            throw new UTFDataFormatException("encoded string too long: " + mvs.getLength() + " bytes");
-        }
-    }
-}
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dcf5bbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/atomic/VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder.java
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
+
+public class VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder extends UTF8StringBuilder {
+
+    public void appendUtf8Bytes(byte[] bytes, int byteStartOffset, int byteLength) throws IOException {
+        out.write(bytes, byteStartOffset, byteLength);
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/CommentNodeBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/CommentNodeBuilder.java
index d596c3d..68f5d4d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/CommentNodeBuilder.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/CommentNodeBuilder.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IValueReference;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 
 public class CommentNodeBuilder extends AbstractNodeBuilder {
@@ -39,4 +40,8 @@
     public void setValue(IValueReference value) throws IOException {
         out.write(value.getByteArray(), value.getStartOffset(), value.getLength());
     }
+
+    public void setValue(GrowableArray value) throws IOException {
+        out.write(value.getByteArray(), 0, value.getLength());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/DictionaryBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/DictionaryBuilder.java
index dae149f..cf13bfe 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/DictionaryBuilder.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/DictionaryBuilder.java
@@ -22,14 +22,15 @@
 import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import java.util.TreeMap;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.util.GrowableIntArray;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.algorithms.BinarySearchAlgorithm;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.collections.api.IValueReferenceVector;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringWriter;
+import org.apache.vxquery.util.GrowableIntArray;
 
 public class DictionaryBuilder {
     private final GrowableIntArray stringEndOffsets;
@@ -46,6 +47,8 @@
 
     private boolean cacheReady;
 
+    private final UTF8StringWriter UTF8Writer = new UTF8StringWriter();
+
     private final IValueReferenceVector sortedStringsVector = new IValueReferenceVector() {
         @Override
         public int getStart(int index) {
@@ -60,7 +63,8 @@
 
         @Override
         public int getLength(int index) {
-            return UTF8StringPointable.getUTFLength(dataBuffer.getByteArray(), getStart(index)) + 2;
+            int utfLength = UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(dataBuffer.getByteArray(), getStart(index));
+            return utfLength + UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(utfLength);
         }
 
         @Override
@@ -77,7 +81,7 @@
         dataBuffer = new ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream();
         dataBufferOut = new DataOutputStream(dataBuffer);
         cache = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
-        hashSlotIndexes = new TreeMap<String, Integer>();
+        hashSlotIndexes = new TreeMap<>();
         cacheReady = false;
     }
 
@@ -120,6 +124,7 @@
             }
         }
         out.write(dataBuffer.getByteArray(), 0, dataBuffer.size());
+        // TODO can this value be determined before writing. Could this be append only.
         IntegerPointable.setInteger(abvs.getByteArray(), sizeOffset, abvs.getLength() - sizeOffset);
     }
 
@@ -127,7 +132,7 @@
         Integer slotIndex = hashSlotIndexes.get(str);
         if (slotIndex == null) {
             try {
-                dataBufferOut.writeUTF(str);
+                UTF8Writer.writeUTF8(str, dataBufferOut);
                 slotIndex = stringEndOffsets.getSize();
                 dataBufferOut.writeInt(slotIndex);
             } catch (IOException e) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/PINodeBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/PINodeBuilder.java
index 0e62762..05a1a88 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/PINodeBuilder.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/PINodeBuilder.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IValueReference;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 
 public class PINodeBuilder extends AbstractNodeBuilder {
@@ -43,4 +44,12 @@
     public void setContent(IValueReference value) throws IOException {
         out.write(value.getByteArray(), value.getStartOffset(), value.getLength());
     }
+
+    public void setTarget(GrowableArray value) throws IOException {
+        out.write(value.getByteArray(), 0, value.getLength());
+    }
+
+    public void setContent(GrowableArray value) throws IOException {
+        out.write(value.getByteArray(), 0, value.getLength());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/TextNodeBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/TextNodeBuilder.java
index 67aa487..4456b35 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/TextNodeBuilder.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/builders/nodes/TextNodeBuilder.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IValueReference;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 
 public class TextNodeBuilder extends AbstractNodeBuilder {
@@ -39,4 +40,8 @@
     public void setValue(IValueReference value) throws IOException {
         out.write(value.getByteArray(), value.getStartOffset(), value.getLength());
     }
+
+    public void setValue(GrowableArray value) throws IOException {
+        out.write(value.getByteArray(), 0, value.getLength());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/values/XDMConstants.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/values/XDMConstants.java
index 3dc7e9e..c74c0b0 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/values/XDMConstants.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/datamodel/values/XDMConstants.java
@@ -54,10 +54,9 @@
         }
         EMPTY_SEQUENCE = Arrays.copyOf(abvs.getByteArray(), abvs.getLength());
 
-        EMPTY_STRING = new byte[3];
+        EMPTY_STRING = new byte[2];
         EMPTY_STRING[0] = ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG;
         EMPTY_STRING[1] = 0;
-        EMPTY_STRING[2] = 0;
 
         JS_NULL_CONSTANT = new byte[1];
         JS_NULL_CONSTANT[0] = ValueTag.JS_NULL_TAG;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/SystemException.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/SystemException.java
index fccbc55..a3f7bf8 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/SystemException.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/SystemException.java
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@
 import java.text.MessageFormat;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.util.SourceLocation;
 
-public class SystemException extends AlgebricksException {
+public class SystemException extends HyracksDataException {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
     private final ErrorCode code;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryDataException.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryDataException.java
index e41872c..28c556f 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryDataException.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryDataException.java
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@
 
     private File file;
 
-    public VXQueryDataException(String message, Exception ex, File file) {
-        super(message, ex);
+    public VXQueryDataException(String message, Exception ex, File file, String nodeId) {
+        super(message, ex, nodeId);
         this.file = file;
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryFileNotFoundException.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryFileNotFoundException.java
index 2856178..22dc754 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryFileNotFoundException.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryFileNotFoundException.java
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@
 
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
-    public VXQueryFileNotFoundException(Exception ex, File file) {
-        super("The file ([nodeId]:[path]) can not be found.", ex, file);
+    public VXQueryFileNotFoundException(Exception ex, File file, String nodeId) {
+        super("The file ([nodeId]:[path]) can not be found.", ex, file, nodeId);
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryParseException.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryParseException.java
index f0d66fb..8a367e3 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryParseException.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/exceptions/VXQueryParseException.java
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@
 
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
-    public VXQueryParseException(Exception ex, File file) {
-        super("The file ([nodeId]:[path]) threw a SAXException during parsing.", ex, file);
+    public VXQueryParseException(Exception ex, File file, String nodeId) {
+        super("The file ([nodeId]:[path]) threw a SAXException during parsing.", ex, file, nodeId);
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/index/IndexDocumentBuilder.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/index/IndexDocumentBuilder.java
index bccd28d..7524da4 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/index/IndexDocumentBuilder.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/index/IndexDocumentBuilder.java
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@
         print(bstart, sstart, lstart, "0", "");
         for (int i = 1; i < results.size() - 1; i++) {
             //TODO: Since each doc is a file,
-            //we can only handle files 
+            //we can only handle files
             //small enough to fit in memory
             doc.add(results.get(i).sf);
         }
@@ -813,8 +813,8 @@
     }
 
     private String[] printString(UTF8StringPointable utf8sp, String path) {
-        int utfLen = utf8sp.getUTFLength();
-        int offset = 2;
+        int utfLen = utf8sp.getUTF8Length();
+        int offset = utf8sp.getMetaDataLength();
         String[] result = { "", path };
         while (utfLen > 0) {
             char c = utf8sp.charAt(offset);
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@
                     result[0] += Character.toString(c);
                     break;
             }
-            int cLen = UTF8StringPointable.getModifiedUTF8Len(c);
+            int cLen = utf8sp.charSize(offset);
             offset += cLen;
             utfLen -= cLen;
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/AbstractVXQueryDataSource.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/AbstractVXQueryDataSource.java
index dd9898c..df6fb4b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/AbstractVXQueryDataSource.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/AbstractVXQueryDataSource.java
@@ -16,11 +16,13 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.metadata;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IDataSourcePropertiesProvider;
-
 import java.util.List;
 
-public abstract class AbstractVXQueryDataSource {
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IDataSource;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IDataSourcePropertiesProvider;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.INodeDomain;
+
+public abstract class AbstractVXQueryDataSource implements IDataSource<String> {
     protected static final String DELIMITER = "\\|";
     protected int dataSourceId;
     protected String collectionName;
@@ -36,4 +38,17 @@
     protected IDataSourcePropertiesProvider propProvider;
 
     public abstract String getFunctionCall();
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean isScanAccessPathALeaf() {
+        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public INodeDomain getDomain() {
+        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
+        return null;
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/QueryResultDataSink.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/QueryResultDataSink.java
index 8286d1b..f8d6d1d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/QueryResultDataSink.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/QueryResultDataSink.java
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.FileSplitDomain;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.IPartitioningProperty;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.RandomPartitioningProperty;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.std.file.FileSplit;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.io.FileSplit;
 
 public class QueryResultDataSink implements IDataSink {
     private final FileSplit[] fileSplits;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionDataSource.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionDataSource.java
index b4bc858..bee7c7b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionDataSource.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionDataSource.java
@@ -19,18 +19,16 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.CollectionFileDomain;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.LogicalVariable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IDataSource;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IDataSourcePropertiesProvider;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.FunctionalDependency;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.ILocalStructuralProperty;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.IPhysicalPropertiesVector;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.RandomPartitioningProperty;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.StructuralPropertiesVector;
+import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.CollectionFileDomain;
 
-public class VXQueryCollectionDataSource extends AbstractVXQueryDataSource implements IDataSource<String> {
+public class VXQueryCollectionDataSource extends AbstractVXQueryDataSource {
 
     private VXQueryCollectionDataSource(int id, String file, Object[] types) {
         this.dataSourceId = id;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionOperatorDescriptor.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionOperatorDescriptor.java
index 7736edd..be95f93 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionOperatorDescriptor.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryCollectionOperatorDescriptor.java
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
     protected static final Logger LOGGER = Logger.getLogger(VXQueryCollectionOperatorDescriptor.class.getName());
     private HDFSFunctions hdfs;
     private String tag;
-    private final String START_TAG = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n";
+    private static final String START_TAG = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n";
     private final String hdfsConf;
     private final Map<String, NodeControllerInfo> nodeControllerInfos;
 
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@
             public void close() throws HyracksDataException {
                 // Check if needed?
                 if (appender.getTupleCount() > 0) {
-                    appender.flush(writer, true);
+                    appender.flush(writer);
                 }
                 writer.close();
             }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingDataSource.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingDataSource.java
index da75108..ddbc984 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingDataSource.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingDataSource.java
@@ -16,21 +16,20 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.metadata;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.LogicalVariable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IDataSource;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IDataSourcePropertiesProvider;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.IPhysicalPropertiesVector;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.RandomPartitioningProperty;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.properties.StructuralPropertiesVector;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.rules.CollectionFileDomain;
 
-import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.List;
-
 /**
  * Datasource object for indexing.
  */
-public class VXQueryIndexingDataSource extends AbstractVXQueryDataSource implements IDataSource<String> {
+public class VXQueryIndexingDataSource extends AbstractVXQueryDataSource {
 
     protected Object[] types;
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingOperatorDescriptor.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingOperatorDescriptor.java
index ae637ac..a24a629 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingOperatorDescriptor.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryIndexingOperatorDescriptor.java
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.FrameUtils;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.std.base.AbstractSingleActivityOperatorDescriptor;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.std.base.AbstractUnaryInputUnaryOutputOperatorNodePushable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
@@ -87,11 +86,10 @@
         final short partitionId = (short) ctx.getTaskAttemptId().getTaskId().getPartition();
         final ITreeNodeIdProvider nodeIdProvider = new TreeNodeIdProvider(partitionId, dataSourceId, totalDataSources);
         final String nodeId = ctx.getJobletContext().getApplicationContext().getNodeId();
-        final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final String collectionName = collectionPartitions[partition % collectionPartitions.length];
         String collectionModifiedName = collectionName.replace("${nodeId}", nodeId);
         IndexCentralizerUtil indexCentralizerUtil = new IndexCentralizerUtil(
-                ctx.getIOManager().getIODevices().get(0).getPath());
+                ctx.getIOManager().getIODevices().get(0).getMount());
         indexCentralizerUtil.readIndexDirectory();
 
         return new AbstractUnaryInputUnaryOutputOperatorNodePushable() {
@@ -158,7 +156,7 @@
                             XDMConstants.setTrue(result);
                             FrameUtils.appendFieldToWriter(writer, appender, result.getByteArray(),
                                     result.getStartOffset(), result.getLength());
-                        } catch (IOException | SystemException e) {
+                        } catch (IOException e) {
                             throw new HyracksDataException(
                                     "Could not update index in " + indexModifiedName + " " + e.getMessage());
                         }
@@ -174,7 +172,7 @@
                             XDMConstants.setTrue(result);
                             FrameUtils.appendFieldToWriter(writer, appender, result.getByteArray(),
                                     result.getStartOffset(), result.getLength());
-                        } catch (SystemException | IOException e) {
+                        } catch (IOException e) {
                             throw new HyracksDataException(
                                     "Could not delete index in " + indexModifiedName + " " + e.getMessage());
                         }
@@ -208,7 +206,7 @@
             public void close() throws HyracksDataException {
                 // Check if needed?
                 if (appender.getTupleCount() > 0) {
-                    appender.flush(writer, true);
+                    appender.flush(writer);
                 }
                 writer.close();
                 indexCentralizerUtil.writeIndexDirectory();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryMetadataProvider.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryMetadataProvider.java
index b7b37b9..e552f68 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryMetadataProvider.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/metadata/VXQueryMetadataProvider.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@
             List<LogicalVariable> scanVariables, List<LogicalVariable> projectVariables, boolean projectPushed,
             List<LogicalVariable> minFilterVars, List<LogicalVariable> maxFilterVars, IOperatorSchema opSchema,
             IVariableTypeEnvironment typeEnv, JobGenContext context, JobSpecification jobSpec, Object implConfig)
-                    throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws AlgebricksException {
         VXQueryCollectionDataSource ds = null;
         VXQueryIndexingDataSource ids = null;
 
@@ -126,10 +127,10 @@
             constraint = getClusterLocations(nodeList, ids.getPartitionCount());
         }
 
-        return new Pair<IOperatorDescriptor, AlgebricksPartitionConstraint>(scanner, constraint);
+        return new Pair<>(scanner, constraint);
     }
 
-    public static AlgebricksPartitionConstraint getClusterLocations(String[] nodeList) {
+    public static AlgebricksAbsolutePartitionConstraint getClusterLocations(String[] nodeList) {
         int availableProcessors = Runtime.getRuntime().availableProcessors();
         if (availableProcessors < 1) {
             availableProcessors = 1;
@@ -137,8 +138,8 @@
         return getClusterLocations(nodeList, availableProcessors);
     }
 
-    public static AlgebricksPartitionConstraint getClusterLocations(String[] nodeList, int partitions) {
-        ArrayList<String> locs = new ArrayList<String>();
+    public static AlgebricksAbsolutePartitionConstraint getClusterLocations(String[] nodeList, int partitions) {
+        ArrayList<String> locs = new ArrayList<>();
         for (String node : nodeList) {
             for (int j = 0; j < partitions; j++) {
                 locs.add(node);
@@ -150,14 +151,9 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public boolean scannerOperatorIsLeaf(IDataSource<String> dataSource) {
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    @Override
     public Pair<IPushRuntimeFactory, AlgebricksPartitionConstraint> getWriteFileRuntime(IDataSink sink,
             int[] printColumns, IPrinterFactory[] printerFactories, RecordDescriptor inputDesc)
-                    throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws AlgebricksException {
         throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
     }
 
@@ -183,7 +179,7 @@
             IOperatorSchema[] inputSchemas, IVariableTypeEnvironment typeEnv, List<LogicalVariable> primaryKeys,
             List<LogicalVariable> secondaryKeys, List<LogicalVariable> additionalNonKeyFields,
             ILogicalExpression filterExpr, RecordDescriptor recordDesc, JobGenContext context, JobSpecification spec)
-                    throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws AlgebricksException {
         throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
     }
 
@@ -201,6 +197,7 @@
                 return fid;
             }
 
+            @Override
             public boolean isFunctional() {
                 return true;
             }
@@ -212,7 +209,7 @@
             int[] printColumns, IPrinterFactory[] printerFactories, RecordDescriptor inputDesc, boolean ordered,
             JobSpecification spec) throws AlgebricksException {
         QueryResultSetDataSink rsds = (QueryResultSetDataSink) sink;
-        ResultSetId rssId = (ResultSetId) rsds.getId();
+        ResultSetId rssId = rsds.getId();
 
         IResultSerializerFactoryProvider resultSerializerFactoryProvider = ResultSerializerFactoryProvider.INSTANCE;
         IAWriterFactory writerFactory = PrinterBasedWriterFactory.INSTANCE;
@@ -227,15 +224,7 @@
             throw new AlgebricksException(e);
         }
 
-        return new Pair<IOperatorDescriptor, AlgebricksPartitionConstraint>(resultWriter, null);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public Pair<IOperatorDescriptor, AlgebricksPartitionConstraint> getInsertRuntime(IDataSource<String> dataSource,
-            IOperatorSchema propagatedSchema, IVariableTypeEnvironment typeEnv, List<LogicalVariable> keys,
-            LogicalVariable payLoadVar, List<LogicalVariable> additionalNonKeyFields, RecordDescriptor recordDesc,
-            JobGenContext context, JobSpecification jobSpec, boolean bulkload) throws AlgebricksException {
-        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
+        return new Pair<>(resultWriter, null);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -257,4 +246,38 @@
         throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public Pair<IOperatorDescriptor, AlgebricksPartitionConstraint> getInsertRuntime(IDataSource<String> dataSource,
+            IOperatorSchema propagatedSchema, IVariableTypeEnvironment typeEnv, List<LogicalVariable> keys,
+            LogicalVariable payLoadVar, List<LogicalVariable> additionalFilterKeyFields,
+            List<LogicalVariable> additionalNonFilteringFields, RecordDescriptor recordDesc, JobGenContext context,
+            JobSpecification jobSpec, boolean bulkload) throws AlgebricksException {
+        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Pair<IOperatorDescriptor, AlgebricksPartitionConstraint> getUpsertRuntime(IDataSource<String> dataSource,
+            IOperatorSchema inputSchema, IVariableTypeEnvironment typeEnv, List<LogicalVariable> keys,
+            LogicalVariable payLoadVar, List<LogicalVariable> additionalFilterFields,
+            List<LogicalVariable> additionalNonFilteringFields, RecordDescriptor recordDesc, JobGenContext context,
+            JobSpecification jobSpec) throws AlgebricksException {
+        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Pair<IOperatorDescriptor, AlgebricksPartitionConstraint> getIndexUpsertRuntime(
+            IDataSourceIndex<String, String> dataSourceIndex, IOperatorSchema propagatedSchema,
+            IOperatorSchema[] inputSchemas, IVariableTypeEnvironment typeEnv, List<LogicalVariable> primaryKeys,
+            List<LogicalVariable> secondaryKeys, List<LogicalVariable> additionalFilteringKeys,
+            ILogicalExpression filterExpr, List<LogicalVariable> prevSecondaryKeys,
+            LogicalVariable prevAdditionalFilteringKeys, RecordDescriptor inputDesc, JobGenContext context,
+            JobSpecification spec) throws AlgebricksException {
+        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Map<String, String> getConfig() {
+        return new HashMap<>();
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index 325fb71..bd628e4 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
@@ -31,13 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.comparison.AbstractValueComparisonOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractMaxMinAggregateEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -46,7 +45,8 @@
         super(args);
     }
 
-    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+    @Override
+    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         final AbstractValueComparisonOperation aOpComparison = createValueComparisonOperation();
         final TaggedValuePointable tvp2 = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -60,17 +60,17 @@
             long count;
 
             @Override
-            public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void init() {
                 count = 0;
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) {
                 finish(result);
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finish(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finish(IPointable result) {
                 if (count == 0) {
                     XDMConstants.setEmptySequence(result);
                 } else {
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@
             }
 
             @Override
-            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp1 = args[0];
                 if (tvp1.getTag() == ValueTag.SEQUENCE_TAG) {
                     // The local aggregate did not find a value so the global aggregate is receiving a empty sequence.
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 82d938e..06762d1 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AbstractMaxMinScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,25 +16,23 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.aggregate;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.comparison.AbstractValueComparisonOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-
 public abstract class AbstractMaxMinScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +42,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final AbstractValueComparisonOperation aOpComparison = createValueComparisonOperation();
@@ -56,7 +54,7 @@
 
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
-            protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
+            protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 // TODO Update the results to be based on specs when different types in sequence.
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
                 if (tvp.getTag() == ValueTag.SEQUENCE_TAG) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgGlobalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgGlobalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index 828efd4..f33aa9d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgGlobalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgGlobalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -30,14 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.ArithmeticHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class AvgGlobalAggregateEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsCount = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutCount = abvsCount.getDataOutput();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsSum = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
@@ -65,7 +64,7 @@
             TaggedValuePointable tvpCount = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
             @Override
-            public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void init() throws HyracksDataException {
                 try {
                     abvsCount.reset();
                     dOutCount.write(ValueTag.XS_INTEGER_TAG);
@@ -76,17 +75,17 @@
                     dOutSum.writeLong(0);
                     tvpSum.set(abvsSum);
                 } catch (Exception e) {
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                    throw new HyracksDataException(e);
                 }
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 finish(result);
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finish(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finish(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 tvpCount.getValue(longp);
                 if (longp.getLong() == 0) {
                     XDMConstants.setEmptySequence(result);
@@ -96,13 +95,13 @@
                         divide.compute(tvpSum, tvpCount, tvpSum);
                         result.set(tvpSum);
                     } catch (Exception e) {
-                        throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                        throw new HyracksDataException(e);
                     }
                 }
             }
 
             @Override
-            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
                 if (tvp.getTag() == ValueTag.SEQUENCE_TAG) {
                     tvp.getValue(seq);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgLocalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgLocalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index db2aa57..bdfc1ad 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgLocalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/AvgLocalAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,23 +18,21 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.arithmetic.AddOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.ArithmeticHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class AvgLocalAggregateEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -43,7 +41,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         final TaggedValuePointable tvpCount = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsCount = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutCount = abvsCount.getDataOutput();
@@ -53,13 +51,13 @@
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final AddOperation aOpAdd = new AddOperation();
         final ArithmeticHelper add = new ArithmeticHelper(aOpAdd, dCtx);
-        
+
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator(args) {
             long count;
             TaggedValuePointable tvpSum = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
             @Override
-            public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void init() throws HyracksDataException {
                 count = 0;
                 try {
                     abvsSum.reset();
@@ -67,17 +65,17 @@
                     dOutSum.writeLong(0);
                     tvpSum.set(abvsSum);
                 } catch (Exception e) {
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                    throw new HyracksDataException(e);
                 }
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 finish(result);
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finish(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finish(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 if (count == 0) {
                     XDMConstants.setEmptySequence(result);
                 } else {
@@ -96,13 +94,13 @@
                         sb.finish();
                         result.set(abvsSeq);
                     } catch (Exception e) {
-                        throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                        throw new HyracksDataException(e);
                     }
                 }
             }
 
             @Override
-            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
                 add.compute(tvp, tvpSum, tvpSum);
                 count++;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index 09a611f..2ce95cb 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
@@ -30,13 +36,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.ArithmeticHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnAvgAggregateEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         final TaggedValuePointable tvpCount = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsSum = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutSum = abvsSum.getDataOutput();
@@ -61,17 +60,17 @@
             TaggedValuePointable tvpSum = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
             @Override
-            public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void init() throws HyracksDataException {
                 count = 0;
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 finish(result);
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finish(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finish(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 if (count == 0) {
                     XDMConstants.setEmptySequence(result);
                 } else {
@@ -85,13 +84,13 @@
                         divide.compute(tvpSum, tvpCount, tvpSum);
                         result.set(tvpSum);
                     } catch (Exception e) {
-                        throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                        throw new HyracksDataException(e);
                     }
                 }
             }
 
             @Override
-            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
                 if (count == 0) {
                     // Init.
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 9a511cd..435d4e4 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnAvgScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -31,13 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.ArithmeticHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnAvgScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final TaggedValuePointable tvpNext = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -62,7 +61,7 @@
 
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
-            protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
+            protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
                 if (tvp.getTag() == ValueTag.SEQUENCE_TAG) {
                     tvp.getValue(seqp);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index 8c55630..77ff018 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,18 +18,16 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class FnCountAggregateEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -39,36 +37,36 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator(args) {
             long count;
 
             @Override
-            public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void init() throws HyracksDataException {
                 count = 0;
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 finish(result);
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finish(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finish(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 try {
                     abvs.reset();
                     dOut.write(ValueTag.XS_INTEGER_TAG);
                     dOut.writeLong(count);
                     result.set(abvs);
                 } catch (Exception e) {
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                    throw new HyracksDataException(e);
                 }
             }
 
             @Override
-            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
                 count++;
             }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 0912f29..ba3e70f 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnCountScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -26,13 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnCountScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -42,15 +41,15 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
-            protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
+            protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
-                long count = 0;
+                long count;
                 if (tvp.getTag() == ValueTag.SEQUENCE_TAG) {
                     tvp.getValue(seqp);
                     count = seqp.getEntryCount();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index b4fdcdc..d03394a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,21 +19,19 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.arithmetic.AddOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.ArithmeticHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnSumAggregateEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -42,7 +40,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsSum = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutSum = abvsSum.getDataOutput();
         final AddOperation aOpAdd = new AddOperation();
@@ -54,29 +52,29 @@
             // TODO Check if the second argument is supplied as the zero value.
 
             @Override
-            public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void init() throws HyracksDataException {
                 try {
                     abvsSum.reset();
                     dOutSum.write(ValueTag.XS_INTEGER_TAG);
                     dOutSum.writeLong(0);
                     tvpSum.set(abvsSum);
                 } catch (IOException e) {
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(e.toString());
+                    throw new HyracksDataException(e.toString());
                 }
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 finish(result);
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finish(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finish(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 result.set(tvpSum);
             }
 
             @Override
-            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+            protected void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
                 add.compute(tvp, tvpSum, tvpSum);
             }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 635fa8a..8055239 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/aggregate/FnSumScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -29,14 +36,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.ArithmeticHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnSumScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/arithmetic/AbstractArithmeticScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/arithmetic/AbstractArithmeticScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index eb253a6..b99354a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/arithmetic/AbstractArithmeticScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/arithmetic/AbstractArithmeticScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.arithmetic;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -26,12 +31,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.ArithmeticHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public abstract class AbstractArithmeticScalarEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final ArithmeticHelper aHelper = new ArithmeticHelper(createArithmeticOperation(), dCtx);
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator.java
index 895294a..c0e7f2c 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator.java
@@ -16,15 +16,13 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePoolFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
 
 public abstract class AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator implements IAggregateEvaluator {
     private final IScalarEvaluator[] args;
@@ -42,12 +40,12 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void step(IFrameTupleReference tuple) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public void step(IFrameTupleReference tuple) throws HyracksDataException {
         for (int i = 0; i < args.length; ++i) {
             args[i].evaluate(tuple, tvps[i]);
         }
         step(tvps);
     }
 
-    protected abstract void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException;
+    protected abstract void step(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException;
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index 2ab0b66..b6d9feb 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,14 +16,13 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 
 public abstract class AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory implements IAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public final IAggregateEvaluator createAggregateEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public final IAggregateEvaluator createAggregateEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx) throws HyracksDataException {
         dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         IScalarEvaluator[] es = new IScalarEvaluator[args.length];
         for (int i = 0; i < es.length; ++i) {
@@ -46,5 +45,5 @@
         return createEvaluator(es);
     }
 
-    protected abstract IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException;
+    protected abstract IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException;
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator.java
index 20f24f6..857b142 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator.java
@@ -16,16 +16,14 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.ArrayBackedValueStoragePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePoolFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
 
 public abstract class AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator implements IScalarEvaluator {
     private final IScalarEvaluator[] args;
@@ -44,12 +42,12 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public final void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public final void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
         for (int i = 0; i < args.length; ++i) {
             args[i].evaluate(tuple, tvps[i]);
         }
         evaluate(tvps, result);
     }
 
-    protected abstract void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException;
+    protected abstract void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException;
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index d07361b..a5a910e 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 
 public abstract class AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory implements IScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public final IScalarEvaluator createScalarEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public final IScalarEvaluator createScalarEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx) throws HyracksDataException {
         IScalarEvaluator[] es = new IScalarEvaluator[args.length];
         for (int i = 0; i < es.length; ++i) {
             es[i] = args[i].createScalarEvaluator(ctx);
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@
     }
 
     protected abstract IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException;
+            throws HyracksDataException;
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator.java
index 3db1a0e..4117774 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator.java
@@ -16,15 +16,13 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePoolFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
 
 public abstract class AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator implements IUnnestingEvaluator {
     private final IScalarEvaluator[] args;
@@ -42,12 +40,12 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public final void init(IFrameTupleReference tuple) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public final void init(IFrameTupleReference tuple) throws HyracksDataException {
         for (int i = 0; i < args.length; ++i) {
             args[i].evaluate(tuple, tvps[i]);
         }
         init(tvps);
     }
 
-    protected abstract void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException;
+    protected abstract void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException;
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
index f32a734..88247b9 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/base/AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -17,16 +17,16 @@
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base;
 
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 
 public abstract class AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory implements IUnnestingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
-    
+
     protected IHyracksTaskContext ctxview;
 
     private final IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args;
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public final IUnnestingEvaluator createUnnestingEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public final IUnnestingEvaluator createUnnestingEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx) throws HyracksDataException {
     	ctxview = ctx;
         IScalarEvaluator[] es = new IScalarEvaluator[args.length];
         for (int i = 0; i < es.length; ++i) {
@@ -45,5 +45,5 @@
         return createEvaluator(ctx, es);
     }
 
-    protected abstract IUnnestingEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException;
+    protected abstract IUnnestingEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException;
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/AndScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/AndScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 599a4d7..f006087 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/AndScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/AndScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,17 +16,16 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.bool;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class AndScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AndScalarEvaluator(args);
     }
 
@@ -53,7 +52,7 @@
         }
 
         @Override
-        public final void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+        public final void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
             for (int i = 0; i < args.length; ++i) {
                 args[i].evaluate(tuple, tvp);
                 tvp.getValue(bp);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnBooleanScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnBooleanScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 7d83a19..b40cfb1 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnBooleanScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnBooleanScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,18 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.bool;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
@@ -26,19 +38,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnBooleanScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new FnBooleanScalarEvaluator(args);
     }
 
@@ -153,7 +152,7 @@
                 case ValueTag.XS_ANY_URI_TAG:
                 case ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG: {
                     tvp.getValue(utf8p);
-                    if (utf8p.getUTFLength() == 0) {
+                    if (utf8p.getStringLength() == 0) {
                         booleanResult = false;
                     }
                     break;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnFalseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnFalseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 53778d2..cb9ad8a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnFalseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnFalseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,18 +16,17 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.bool;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnFalseScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
             protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnNotScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnNotScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index b9d4585..f1a3213 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnNotScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnNotScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,19 +16,18 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.bool;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
-
 public class FnNotScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -38,7 +37,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             private final BooleanPointable bp = (BooleanPointable) BooleanPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnTrueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnTrueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a94d2df..9de862e 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnTrueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/FnTrueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,18 +16,17 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.bool;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnTrueScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
             protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/OrScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/OrScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index da31e14..83db663 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/OrScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/bool/OrScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,17 +16,16 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.bool;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class OrScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new OrScalarEvaluator(args);
     }
 
@@ -53,7 +52,7 @@
         }
 
         @Override
-        public final void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+        public final void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
             for (int i = 0; i < args.length; ++i) {
                 args[i].evaluate(tuple, tvp);
                 tvp.getValue(bp);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 739e197..6cfd9a8 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -27,13 +33,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class CastScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTypeScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTypeScalarEvaluator(args, ctx) {
             final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
             final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
@@ -62,140 +61,117 @@
                         case ValueTag.XS_ANY_URI_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertAnyURI(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_BASE64_BINARY_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.binaryp);
                             aOp.convertBase64Binary(tp.binaryp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_BOOLEAN_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.boolp);
                             aOp.convertBoolean(tp.boolp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_DATE_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.datep);
                             aOp.convertDate(tp.datep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_DATETIME_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.datetimep);
                             aOp.convertDatetime(tp.datetimep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_DAY_TIME_DURATION_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertDTDuration(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_DECIMAL_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.decp);
                             aOp.convertDecimal(tp.decp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_DOUBLE_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.doublep);
                             aOp.convertDouble(tp.doublep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_DURATION_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.durationp);
                             aOp.convertDuration(tp.durationp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_FLOAT_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.floatp);
                             aOp.convertFloat(tp.floatp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_G_DAY_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.datep);
                             aOp.convertGDay(tp.datep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_G_MONTH_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.datep);
                             aOp.convertGMonth(tp.datep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_G_MONTH_DAY_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.datep);
                             aOp.convertGMonthDay(tp.datep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_G_YEAR_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.datep);
                             aOp.convertGYear(tp.datep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_G_YEAR_MONTH_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.datep);
                             aOp.convertGYearMonth(tp.datep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_HEX_BINARY_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.binaryp);
                             aOp.convertHexBinary(tp.binaryp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_INTEGER_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertInteger(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NOTATION_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertNotation(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_QNAME_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.qnamep);
                             aOp.convertQName(tp.qnamep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertString(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_TIME_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.timep);
                             aOp.convertTime(tp.timep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_UNTYPED_ATOMIC_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertUntypedAtomic(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_YEAR_MONTH_DURATION_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.intp);
                             aOp.convertYMDuration(tp.intp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         /**
                          * Derived Numeric Datatypes (Alphabetical)
@@ -203,74 +179,62 @@
                         case ValueTag.XS_BYTE_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.bytep);
                             aOp.convertByte(tp.bytep, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_INT_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.intp);
                             aOp.convertInt(tp.intp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_LONG_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertLong(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NEGATIVE_INTEGER_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertNegativeInteger(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NON_NEGATIVE_INTEGER_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertNonNegativeInteger(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NON_POSITIVE_INTEGER_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertNonPositiveInteger(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_POSITIVE_INTEGER_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertPositiveInteger(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_SHORT_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.shortp);
                             aOp.convertShort(tp.shortp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_UNSIGNED_BYTE_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.shortp);
                             aOp.convertUnsignedByte(tp.shortp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_UNSIGNED_INT_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertUnsignedInt(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_UNSIGNED_LONG_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.longp);
                             aOp.convertUnsignedLong(tp.longp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_UNSIGNED_SHORT_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.intp);
                             aOp.convertUnsignedShort(tp.intp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         /**
                          * Derived String Datatypes (Alphabetical)
@@ -278,71 +242,65 @@
                         case ValueTag.XS_ENTITY_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertEntity(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_ID_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertID(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_IDREF_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertIDREF(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_LANGUAGE_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertIDREF(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NAME_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertName(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NCNAME_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertNCName(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NMTOKEN_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertNMToken(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_NORMALIZED_STRING_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertNormalizedString(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
 
                         case ValueTag.XS_TOKEN_TAG:
                             tvp.getValue(tp.utf8sp);
                             aOp.convertToken(tp.utf8sp, dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
-                        
+                            break;
+
                         /**
                          * JSON null
                          */
                         case ValueTag.JS_NULL_TAG:
                             aOp.convertNull(dOut);
-                            result.set(abvs);
-                            return;
+                            break;
+
+                        default:
+                            throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.XPTY0004);
                     }
+                    result.set(abvs.getByteArray(), abvs.getStartOffset(), abvs.getLength());
                 } catch (SystemException se) {
                     throw se;
                 } catch (Exception e) {
                     throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.SYSE0001, e);
                 }
-                throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.XPTY0004);
+
             }
 
             @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBase64BinaryOperation.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBase64BinaryOperation.java
index 680ce08..8e9aaa7 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBase64BinaryOperation.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBase64BinaryOperation.java
@@ -20,13 +20,12 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 import org.apache.commons.codec.binary.Base64OutputStream;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSBinaryPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream;
-
 public class CastToBase64BinaryOperation extends AbstractCastToOperation {
     private ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream baaos = new ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream();
 
@@ -46,13 +45,14 @@
     public void convertString(UTF8StringPointable stringp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
         baaos.reset();
         Base64OutputStream b64os = new Base64OutputStream(baaos, false);
-        b64os.write(stringp.getByteArray(), stringp.getStartOffset() + 2, stringp.getLength() - 2);
-        b64os.close();
+        b64os.write(stringp.getByteArray(), stringp.getCharStartOffset(), stringp.getUTF8Length());
 
         dOut.write(ValueTag.XS_BASE64_BINARY_TAG);
         dOut.write((byte) ((baaos.size() >>> 8) & 0xFF));
         dOut.write((byte) ((baaos.size() >>> 0) & 0xFF));
         dOut.write(baaos.getByteArray(), 0, baaos.size());
+
+        b64os.close();
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBooleanOperation.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBooleanOperation.java
index edfae66..e37d55d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBooleanOperation.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToBooleanOperation.java
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
@@ -27,12 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.LowerCaseCharacterIterator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.UTF8StringCharacterIterator;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class CastToBooleanOperation extends AbstractCastToOperation {
 
     @Override
@@ -82,7 +81,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void convertString(UTF8StringPointable stringp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
+    public void convertString(UTF8StringPointable stringp, DataOutput dOut) throws IOException {
         byte result = 2;
         ICharacterIterator charIterator = new LowerCaseCharacterIterator(new UTF8StringCharacterIterator(stringp));
         charIterator.reset();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToDecimalOperation.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToDecimalOperation.java
index 8117d0e..cea4cf2 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToDecimalOperation.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToDecimalOperation.java
@@ -19,13 +19,6 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.ICharacterIterator;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.UTF8StringCharacterIterator;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.INumeric;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
@@ -36,12 +29,20 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringWriter;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.ICharacterIterator;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.UTF8StringCharacterIterator;
 
 public class CastToDecimalOperation extends AbstractCastToOperation {
     private ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
     private DataOutput dOutInner = abvsInner.getDataOutput();
     private CastToStringOperation castToString = new CastToStringOperation();
     private UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private UTF8StringWriter sw = new UTF8StringWriter();
 
     @Override
     public void convertBoolean(BooleanPointable boolp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
@@ -70,9 +71,11 @@
             throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0001);
         }
         abvsInner.reset();
-        dOutInner.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
-        dOutInner.writeUTF(Double.toString(doublep.getDouble()));
-        stringp.set(abvsInner.getByteArray(), abvsInner.getStartOffset() + 1, abvsInner.getLength() - 1);
+        sw.writeUTF8(Double.toString(doublep.getDouble()), dOutInner);
+        stringp.set(abvsInner.getByteArray(), abvsInner.getStartOffset(), abvsInner.getLength());
+//        dOutInner.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
+//        sw.writeUTF8(Double.toString(doublep.getDouble()), dOutInner);
+//        stringp.set(abvsInner.getByteArray(), abvsInner.getStartOffset() + 1, abvsInner.getLength() - 1);
         convertStringExtra(stringp, dOut, true);
     }
 
@@ -169,7 +172,7 @@
 
         dOut.write(ValueTag.XS_DECIMAL_TAG);
         dOut.write(decimalPlace);
-        dOut.writeLong((negativeValue ? -value : value));
+        dOut.writeLong(negativeValue ? -value : value);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToQNameOperation.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToQNameOperation.java
index e400af7..12d4702 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToQNameOperation.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToQNameOperation.java
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSQNamePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
@@ -26,10 +30,11 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.UTF8StringCharacterIterator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class CastToQNameOperation extends AbstractCastToOperation {
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
+    private final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
+    private final UTF8StringBuilder sb = new UTF8StringBuilder();
+
     ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
     DataOutput dOutInner = abvsInner.getDataOutput();
 
@@ -44,29 +49,43 @@
         abvsInner.reset();
         ICharacterIterator charIterator = new UTF8StringCharacterIterator(stringp);
         charIterator.reset();
-        int c = 0;
-        int prefixLength = 0;
-        while ((c = charIterator.next()) != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR) {
-            if (c == Character.valueOf(':')) {
-                prefixLength = abvsInner.getLength();
-            } else {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, dOutInner);
-            }
-        }
+        int c;
+        boolean prefixFound = false;
 
         dOut.write(ValueTag.XS_QNAME_TAG);
-        dOut.write((byte) ((0 >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write((byte) ((0 >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-        // No URI
 
-        dOut.write((byte) ((prefixLength >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write((byte) ((prefixLength >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write(abvsInner.getByteArray(), abvsInner.getStartOffset(), prefixLength);
+        // URI
+        dOut.write((byte) 0);
 
-        int localNameLength = abvsInner.getLength() - prefixLength;
-        dOut.write((byte) ((localNameLength >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write((byte) ((localNameLength >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write(abvsInner.getByteArray(), abvsInner.getStartOffset() + prefixLength, localNameLength);
+        // Prefix and Local Name
+        ga.reset();
+        sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
+        while ((c = charIterator.next()) != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR) {
+            if (c == Character.valueOf(':')) {
+                prefixFound = true;
+                break;
+            } else {
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, sb);
+            }
+        }
+        if (prefixFound) {
+            // Finish Prefix
+            sb.finish();
+            dOut.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
+
+            // Local Name
+            ga.reset();
+            sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
+            while ((c = charIterator.next()) != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR) {
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, sb);
+            }
+        } else {
+            // No Prefix
+            dOut.write((byte) 0);
+            // Local Name is in ga variable
+        }
+        sb.finish();
+        dOut.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToStringOperation.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToStringOperation.java
index dcc0d07..d541ccd 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToStringOperation.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/cast/CastToStringOperation.java
@@ -20,19 +20,6 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 import org.apache.commons.codec.binary.Base64OutputStream;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSBinaryPointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDatePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDurationPointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSQNamePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSTimePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.StringValueBuilder;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.util.DateTime;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
-
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
@@ -43,13 +30,31 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSBinaryPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDatePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDurationPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSQNamePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSTimePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.StringValueBuilder;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.util.DateTime;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
 public class CastToStringOperation extends AbstractCastToOperation {
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
+    private final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
+    private final VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder sb = new VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder();
     private ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream baaos = new ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream();
     private ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
     private DataOutput dOutInner = abvsInner.getDataOutput();
-    int returnTag = ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG;
+    protected int returnTag = ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG;
     private final char[] hex = { '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F' };
+    private final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
     @Override
     public void convertAnyURI(UTF8StringPointable stringp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
@@ -59,63 +64,60 @@
 
     @Override
     public void convertBase64Binary(XSBinaryPointable binaryp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        baaos.reset();
-        @SuppressWarnings("resource")
+        // Read binary
         Base64OutputStream b64os = new Base64OutputStream(baaos, true);
         b64os.write(binaryp.getByteArray(), binaryp.getStartOffset() + 2, binaryp.getLength() - 2);
 
-        dOut.write(returnTag);
-        dOut.write((byte) ((baaos.size() >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write((byte) ((baaos.size() >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write(baaos.getByteArray(), 0, baaos.size());
+        // Write string
+        startString();
+        sb.appendUtf8Bytes(baaos.getByteArray(), 0, baaos.size());
+        sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertBoolean(BooleanPointable boolp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         if (boolp.getBoolean()) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("true", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("true", sb);
         } else {
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("false", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("false", sb);
         }
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertDate(XSDatePointable datep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeDateAsString(datep, dOutInner);
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, dOutInner);
-
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeDateAsString(datep, sb);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertDatetime(XSDateTimePointable datetimep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeDateAsString(datetimep, dOutInner);
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('T', dOutInner);
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimeAsString(datetimep, dOutInner);
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datetimep, dOutInner);
-
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeDateAsString(datetimep, sb);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('T', sb);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimeAsString(datetimep, sb);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datetimep, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertDecimal(XSDecimalPointable decp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         byte decimalPlace = decp.getDecimalPlace();
         long value = decp.getDecimalValue();
         byte nDigits = decp.getDigitCount();
 
         if (!FunctionHelper.isNumberPostive(value)) {
             // Negative result, but the rest of the calculations can be based on a positive value.
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
             value *= -1;
         }
 
         if (value == 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('0', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('0', sb);
         } else {
             long pow10 = (long) Math.pow(10, nDigits - 1);
             int start = Math.max(decimalPlace, nDigits - 1);
@@ -123,14 +125,14 @@
 
             for (int i = start; i >= end; --i) {
                 if (i >= nDigits || i < 0) {
-                    FunctionHelper.writeChar('0', dOutInner);
+                    FunctionHelper.writeChar('0', sb);
                 } else {
-                    FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) ('0' + (value / pow10)), dOutInner);
+                    FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) ('0' + (value / pow10)), sb);
                     value %= pow10;
                     pow10 /= 10;
                 }
                 if (i == decimalPlace && value > 0) {
-                    FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', dOutInner);
+                    FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', sb);
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -140,29 +142,30 @@
     @Override
     public void convertDouble(DoublePointable doublep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
         abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         double value = doublep.getDouble();
 
         if (Double.isInfinite(value)) {
             if (value == Double.NEGATIVE_INFINITY) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("-", dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("-", sb);
             }
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("INF", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("INF", sb);
             sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
         } else if (Double.isNaN(value)) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("NaN", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("NaN", sb);
             sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
         } else if (value == -0.0 || value == 0.0) {
             long bits = Double.doubleToLongBits(value);
             boolean negative = ((bits >> 63) == 0) ? false : true;
 
             if (negative) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("-", sb);
             }
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("0", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("0", sb);
             sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
         } else if (Math.abs(value) >= 0.000001 && Math.abs(value) <= 10000000) {
-            //the jdk (toString function) does not output number in desired format when 
-            //a number is between one and ten million, so we take care of this 
+            //the jdk (toString function) does not output number in desired format when
+            //a number is between one and ten million, so we take care of this
             //case separately here.
             CastToDecimalOperation castToDecimal = new CastToDecimalOperation();
             castToDecimal.convertDouble(doublep, dOutInner);
@@ -175,67 +178,65 @@
                 decimalToScientificNotn(decp, dOut);
             }
         } else {
-            dOut.write(returnTag);
-            dOut.writeUTF(Double.toString(value));
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence(Double.toString(value), sb);
+            sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
         }
     }
 
     public void convertDoubleCanonical(DoublePointable doublep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         double value = doublep.getDouble();
-
-        dOut.write(returnTag);
-        dOut.writeUTF(Double.toString(value));
-        return;
+        FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence(Double.toString(value), sb);
+        sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertDTDuration(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         long dayTime = longp.getLong();
 
         if (dayTime == 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("PT0S", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("PT0S", sb);
         } else {
             if (dayTime < 0) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
                 dayTime *= -1;
             }
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('P', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('P', sb);
 
             // Day
             if (dayTime >= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY, 1, dOutInner);
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('D', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY, 1, sb);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('D', sb);
                 dayTime %= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY;
             }
 
             if (dayTime > 0) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('T', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('T', sb);
             }
 
             // Hour
             if (dayTime >= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR, 1, dOutInner);
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('H', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR, 1, sb);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('H', sb);
                 dayTime %= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR;
             }
 
             // Minute
             if (dayTime >= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE, 1, dOutInner);
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE, 1, sb);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', sb);
                 dayTime %= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE;
             }
 
             // Milliseconds
             if (dayTime > 0) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 1, dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 1, sb);
                 if (dayTime % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND != 0) {
-                    FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', dOutInner);
-                    FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 3, dOutInner);
+                    FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', sb);
+                    FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 3, sb);
                 }
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('S', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('S', sb);
             }
         }
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
@@ -243,62 +244,62 @@
 
     @Override
     public void convertDuration(XSDurationPointable durationp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         int yearMonth = durationp.getYearMonth();
         long dayTime = durationp.getDayTime();
 
         if (yearMonth < 0 || dayTime < 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
             yearMonth *= -1;
             dayTime *= -1;
         }
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('P', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('P', sb);
 
         // Year
         if (yearMonth >= 12) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth / 12, 1, dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('Y', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth / 12, 1, sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('Y', sb);
         }
 
         // Month
         if (yearMonth % 12 > 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth % 12, 1, dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth % 12, 1, sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', sb);
         }
 
         // Day
         if (dayTime >= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY, 1, dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('D', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY, 1, sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('D', sb);
             dayTime %= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_DAY;
         }
 
         if (dayTime > 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('T', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('T', sb);
         }
 
         // Hour
         if (dayTime >= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR, 1, dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('H', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR, 1, sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('H', sb);
             dayTime %= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR;
         }
 
         // Minute
         if (dayTime >= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE, 1, dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE, 1, sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', sb);
             dayTime %= DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE;
         }
 
         // Milliseconds
         if (dayTime > 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 1, dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 1, sb);
             if (dayTime % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND != 0) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', dOutInner);
-                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 3, dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', sb);
+                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(dayTime % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 3, sb);
             }
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('S', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('S', sb);
         }
 
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
@@ -307,6 +308,7 @@
     @Override
     public void convertFloat(FloatPointable floatp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
         abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         float value = floatp.getFloat();
 
         if (!Float.isInfinite(value) && !Float.isNaN(value) && Math.abs(value) >= 0.000001
@@ -321,9 +323,9 @@
             boolean negative = ((bits >> 31) == 0) ? false : true;
 
             if (negative) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
             }
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("0", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("0", sb);
             sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
         } else {
             convertFloatCanonical(floatp, dOut);
@@ -331,128 +333,126 @@
     }
 
     public void convertFloatCanonical(FloatPointable floatp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         float value = floatp.getFloat();
 
         if (Float.isInfinite(value)) {
             if (value == Float.NEGATIVE_INFINITY) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("-", dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("-", sb);
             }
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("INF", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("INF", sb);
         } else if (Float.isNaN(value)) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("NaN", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("NaN", sb);
         } else {
-            dOut.write(returnTag);
-            dOut.writeUTF(Float.toString(value));
-            return;
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence(Float.toString(value), sb);
         }
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertGDay(XSDatePointable datep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         // Default
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Year
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Month
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Day
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getDay(), 2, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getDay(), 2, sb);
 
         // Timezone
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, sb);
 
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertGMonth(XSDatePointable datep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         // Default
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Year
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Month
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getMonth(), 2, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getMonth(), 2, sb);
 
         // Timezone
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, sb);
 
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertGMonthDay(XSDatePointable datep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         // Default
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Year
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Month
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getMonth(), 2, dOutInner);
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getMonth(), 2, sb);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Day
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getDay(), 2, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getDay(), 2, sb);
 
         // Timezone
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, sb);
 
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertGYear(XSDatePointable datep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         // Year
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getYear(), 4, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getYear(), 4, sb);
 
         // Timezone
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, sb);
 
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertGYearMonth(XSDatePointable datep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         // Year
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getYear(), 4, dOutInner);
-        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getYear(), 4, sb);
+        FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
 
         // Month
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getMonth(), 2, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(datep.getMonth(), 2, sb);
 
         // Timezone
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, dOutInner);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(datep, sb);
 
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertHexBinary(XSBinaryPointable binaryp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         for (int index = 0; index < binaryp.getBinaryLength(); ++index) {
             int bi = binaryp.getByteArray()[binaryp.getBinaryStart() + index] & 0xff;
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar(hex[(bi >> 4)], dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar(hex[(bi & 0xf)], dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar(hex[bi >> 4], sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar(hex[bi & 0xf], sb);
         }
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     @Override
     public void convertInteger(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.getLong(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.getLong(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
@@ -464,16 +464,14 @@
 
     @Override
     public void convertQName(XSQNamePointable qnamep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         if (qnamep.getPrefixUTFLength() > 0) {
-            dOutInner.write(qnamep.getByteArray(), qnamep.getStartOffset() + qnamep.getUriLength() + 2,
-                    qnamep.getPrefixUTFLength());
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar(':', dOutInner);
+            qnamep.getPrefix(stringp);
+            sb.appendUtf8StringPointable(stringp);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar(':', sb);
         }
-        dOutInner.write(qnamep.getByteArray(),
-                qnamep.getStartOffset() + qnamep.getUriLength() + qnamep.getPrefixLength() + 2,
-                qnamep.getLocalNameUTFLength());
-
+        qnamep.getLocalName(stringp);
+        sb.appendUtf8StringPointable(stringp);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
@@ -485,10 +483,9 @@
 
     @Override
     public void convertTime(XSTimePointable timep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimeAsString(timep, dOutInner);
-        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(timep, dOutInner);
-
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimeAsString(timep, sb);
+        FunctionHelper.writeTimezoneAsString(timep, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
@@ -499,28 +496,28 @@
 
     @Override
     public void convertYMDuration(IntegerPointable intp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
         int yearMonth = intp.getInteger();
 
         if (yearMonth == 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("P0M", dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeCharSequence("P0M", sb);
         } else {
             if (yearMonth < 0) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
                 yearMonth *= -1;
             }
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('P', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('P', sb);
 
             // Year
             if (yearMonth >= 12) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth / 12, 1, dOutInner);
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('Y', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth / 12, 1, sb);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('Y', sb);
             }
 
             // Month
             if (yearMonth % 12 > 0) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth % 12, 1, dOutInner);
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', dOutInner);
+                FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(yearMonth % 12, 1, sb);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar('M', sb);
             }
         }
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
@@ -530,74 +527,74 @@
      * Derived Numeric Datatypes
      */
     public void convertByte(BytePointable bytep, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(bytep.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(bytep.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertInt(IntegerPointable intp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(intp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(intp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertLong(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertNegativeInteger(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertNonNegativeInteger(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertNonPositiveInteger(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertPositiveInteger(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertShort(ShortPointable shortp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(shortp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(shortp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertUnsignedByte(ShortPointable shortp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(shortp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(shortp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertUnsignedInt(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertUnsignedLong(LongPointable longp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(longp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
     public void convertUnsignedShort(IntegerPointable intp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
-        abvsInner.reset();
-        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(intp.longValue(), 1, dOutInner);
+        startString();
+        FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(intp.longValue(), 1, sb);
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
 
@@ -647,8 +644,8 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void convertNormalizedString(UTF8StringPointable stringp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException,
-            IOException {
+    public void convertNormalizedString(UTF8StringPointable stringp, DataOutput dOut)
+            throws SystemException, IOException {
         // TODO Add check to verify string consists of limited character set.
         convertString(stringp, dOut);
     }
@@ -659,36 +656,40 @@
         convertString(stringp, dOut);
     }
 
+    private void startString() throws IOException {
+        ga.reset();
+        sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
+    }
+
     private void sendStringDataOutput(DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
         dOut.write(returnTag);
-        dOut.write((byte) ((abvsInner.getLength() >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write((byte) ((abvsInner.getLength() >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-        dOut.write(abvsInner.getByteArray(), abvsInner.getStartOffset(), abvsInner.getLength());
+        sb.finish();
+        dOut.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
     }
 
     public void decimalToScientificNotn(XSDecimalPointable decp, DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
         byte decimalPlace = decp.getDecimalPlace();
         long value = decp.getDecimalValue();
         byte nDigits = decp.getDigitCount();
-        abvsInner.reset();
+        startString();
 
         if (!FunctionHelper.isNumberPostive(value)) {
             // Negative result, but the rest of the calculations can be based on a positive value.
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('-', sb);
             value *= -1;
         }
 
         if (value == 0) {
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('0', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('0', sb);
         } else {
             long pow10 = (long) Math.pow(10, nDigits - 1);
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding((value / pow10), 0, dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding((value / pow10), 0, sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('.', sb);
             long mod = value % pow10;
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(mod, (nDigits - 1), dOutInner);
-            FunctionHelper.writeChar('E', dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(mod, (nDigits - 1), sb);
+            FunctionHelper.writeChar('E', sb);
             long power = (nDigits - 1) - decimalPlace;
-            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(power, 0, dOutInner);
+            FunctionHelper.writeNumberWithPadding(power, 0, sb);
         }
         sendStringDataOutput(dOut);
     }
@@ -697,6 +698,6 @@
     public void convertNull(DataOutput dOut) throws SystemException, IOException {
         StringValueBuilder svb = new StringValueBuilder();
         dOut.write(returnTag);
-        svb.write("null",dOut);
+        svb.write("null", dOut);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/castable/CastableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/castable/CastableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a3da889..5334c92 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/castable/CastableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/castable/CastableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class CastableScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTypeScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTypeScalarEvaluator(args, ctx) {
             final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
             final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/AbstractValueComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/AbstractValueComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 4d5eca2..58aa35d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/AbstractValueComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/AbstractValueComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -30,14 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractValueComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         final AbstractValueComparisonOperation aOp = createValueComparisonOperation();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/general/AbstractGeneralComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/general/AbstractGeneralComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index cc1e117..ea156f0 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/general/AbstractGeneralComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/comparison/general/AbstractGeneralComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -66,15 +74,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.AtomizeHelper;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractGeneralComparisonScalarEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -85,7 +84,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final AbstractValueComparisonOperation aOp = createValueComparisonOperation();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner1 = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutInner1 = abvsInner1.getDataOutput();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/conditional/IfThenElseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/conditional/IfThenElseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a7df0cb..806e067 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/conditional/IfThenElseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/conditional/IfThenElseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,20 +16,19 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.conditional;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.data.accessors.IFrameTupleReference;
-
 public class IfThenElseScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
     private static final int CONDITION = 0;
@@ -42,28 +41,24 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, final IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final TaggedValuePointable conditionTvp = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final BooleanPointable bp = (BooleanPointable) BooleanPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
         return new IScalarEvaluator() {
             @Override
-            public void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void evaluate(IFrameTupleReference tuple, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 args[CONDITION].evaluate(tuple, conditionTvp);
 
-                try {
-                    if (conditionTvp.getTag() != ValueTag.XS_BOOLEAN_TAG) {
-                        throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0006);
-                    }
-                    conditionTvp.getValue(bp);
+                if (conditionTvp.getTag() != ValueTag.XS_BOOLEAN_TAG) {
+                    throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0006);
+                }
+                conditionTvp.getValue(bp);
 
-                    if (bp.getBoolean()) {
-                        args[TRUE_CONDITION].evaluate(tuple, result);
-                    } else {
-                        args[FALSE_CONDITION].evaluate(tuple, result);
-                    }
-                } catch (SystemException e) {
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+                if (bp.getBoolean()) {
+                    args[TRUE_CONDITION].evaluate(tuple, result);
+                } else {
+                    args[FALSE_CONDITION].evaluate(tuple, result);
                 }
             }
         };
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 8c8a091..5437383 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractValueFromDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutInner = abvsInner.getDataOutput();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDurationScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDurationScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index e7479b0..f675207 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDurationScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/AbstractValueFromDurationScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,14 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDurationPointable;
@@ -29,15 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractValueFromDurationScalarEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final XSDurationPointable durationp = (XSDurationPointable) XSDurationPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final LongPointable longp = (LongPointable) LongPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final IntegerPointable intp = (IntegerPointable) IntegerPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index f645fe6..d7299f6 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
@@ -29,14 +36,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnAdjustDateTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final XSDateTimePointable datetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final XSDateTimePointable ctxDatetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 21d08d1..2787771 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustDateToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDatePointable;
@@ -30,14 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnAdjustDateToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final XSDatePointable datep = (XSDatePointable) XSDatePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final XSDateTimePointable ctxDatetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 80a519b..baf861f 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnAdjustTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
@@ -30,14 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnAdjustTimeToTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final XSTimePointable timep = (XSTimePointable) XSTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final XSDateTimePointable datetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 965ce08..4341cfc 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToDateOperation;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnCurrentDateScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final XSDateTimePointable datetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final CastToDateOperation castToDate = new CastToDateOperation();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 8ad2af0..c722ce2 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToDateTimeOperation;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnCurrentDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final XSDateTimePointable datetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final CastToDateTimeOperation castToDateTime = new CastToDateTimeOperation();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 1c22c37..22003be 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnCurrentTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToTimeOperation;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnCurrentTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final XSDateTimePointable datetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final CastToTimeOperation castToTime = new CastToTimeOperation();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 07436ea..5881a4f 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDatePointable;
@@ -32,13 +38,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnDateTimeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final XSDatePointable datep = (XSDatePointable) XSDatePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final XSTimePointable timep = (XSTimePointable) XSTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnImplicitTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnImplicitTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 8172d2e..500a5be 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnImplicitTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/datetime/FnImplicitTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDateTimePointable;
@@ -29,13 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnImplicitTimezoneScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final DynamicContext dCtx = (DynamicContext) ctx.getJobletContext().getGlobalJobData();
         final XSDateTimePointable datetimep = (XSDateTimePointable) XSDateTimePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/error/FnErrorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/error/FnErrorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index e728953..91270f6 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/error/FnErrorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/error/FnErrorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,16 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.error;
 
-import java.io.DataInputStream;
-import java.io.IOException;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.ByteBufferInputStream;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSQNamePointable;
@@ -34,7 +30,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
 public class FnErrorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -46,7 +41,7 @@
     @SuppressWarnings("unused")
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final XSQNamePointable qnamep = (XSQNamePointable) XSQNamePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable urip = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -54,9 +49,6 @@
         final UTF8StringPointable prefixp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable descriptionp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
-        final ByteBufferInputStream bbis = new ByteBufferInputStream();
-        final DataInputStream di = new DataInputStream(bbis);
-
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
             protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
@@ -77,13 +69,8 @@
                     tvp1.getValue(qnamep);
                     qnamep.getUri(urip);
                     qnamep.getLocalName(localnamep);
-                    try {
-                        namespaceURI = FunctionHelper.getStringFromPointable(urip, bbis, di);
-
-                        localPart = FunctionHelper.getStringFromPointable(localnamep, bbis, di);
-                    } catch (IOException e) {
-                        throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FOER0000);
-                    }
+                    namespaceURI = urip.toString();
+                    localPart = localnamep.toString();
                     // TODO Update to dynamic error.
                     throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FOER0000);
                 }
@@ -103,13 +90,8 @@
                         tvp1.getValue(qnamep);
                         qnamep.getUri(urip);
                         qnamep.getLocalName(localnamep);
-                        try {
-                            namespaceURI = FunctionHelper.getStringFromPointable(urip, bbis, di);
-
-                            localPart = FunctionHelper.getStringFromPointable(localnamep, bbis, di);
-                        } catch (IOException e) {
-                            throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0006);
-                        }
+                        namespaceURI = urip.toString();
+                        localPart = localnamep.toString();
                     } else {
                         throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0006);
                     }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/index/ShowIndexScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/index/ShowIndexScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 9b72a34..6677bd9 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/index/ShowIndexScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/index/ShowIndexScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -33,13 +33,15 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.index.indexCentralizer.IndexCentralizerUtil;
 
 public class ShowIndexScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
     public ShowIndexScalarEvaluatorFactory(IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args) {
         super(args);
     }
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
 
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@
                     abvs.reset();
                     sb.reset(abvs);
                     IndexCentralizerUtil indexCentralizerUtil = new IndexCentralizerUtil(
-                            ctx.getIOManager().getIODevices().get(0).getPath());
+                            ctx.getIOManager().getIODevices().get(0).getMount());
                     indexCentralizerUtil.readIndexDirectory();
                     indexCentralizerUtil.getAllCollections(sb);
                     sb.finish();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 827686f..665c812 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@
 import java.io.DataInputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final ByteBufferInputStream bbis = new ByteBufferInputStream();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index f45299b..49e7a29 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class JnKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new JnKeysScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 59a923d..ce42e27 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class JnMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new JnMembersScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnNullScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnNullScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index e042370..300f853 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnNullScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnNullScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class JnNullScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new JnNullScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnParseJsonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnParseJsonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 772118e..8f00082 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnParseJsonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/JnParseJsonScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,11 +16,16 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
+import java.io.BufferedReader;
+import java.io.DataInputStream;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStreamReader;
+
 import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
@@ -34,14 +39,8 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.jsonparser.JSONParser;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 import org.apache.vxquery.xmlparser.IParser;
 
-import java.io.BufferedReader;
-import java.io.DataInputStream;
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.io.InputStreamReader;
-
 public class JnParseJsonScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
 
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ObjectPointable op = (ObjectPointable) ObjectPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -113,7 +112,7 @@
                 int items = 0;
                 try {
                     IParser parser = new JSONParser();
-                    String input = FunctionHelper.getStringFromPointable(stringp, bbis, di);
+                    String input = stringp.toString();
                     InputStreamReader isr = new InputStreamReader(IOUtils.toInputStream(input));
                     items = parser.parse(new BufferedReader(isr), abvs);
                 } catch (IOException e) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/KeysOrMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/KeysOrMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index d664318..7e1a2ec 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/KeysOrMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/KeysOrMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class KeysOrMembersScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new KeysOrMembersScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnAccumulateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnAccumulateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index fbbb997..7559509 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnAccumulateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnAccumulateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnAccumulateScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnAccumulateScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantArraysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantArraysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 5692664..f90c0f1 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantArraysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantArraysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnDescendantArraysScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnDescendantArraysScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantObjectsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantObjectsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index f905493..a65bb79 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantObjectsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantObjectsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnDescendantObjectsScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnDescendantObjectsScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantPairsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantPairsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index b2bfa9d..23ac32c 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantPairsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnDescendantPairsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnDescendantPairsScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnDescendantPairsScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnFlattenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnFlattenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 2e3e901..0633d49 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnFlattenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnFlattenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable sp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnIntersectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnIntersectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a7d7b91..7899bc7 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnIntersectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnIntersectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnIntersectScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnIntersectScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnProjectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnProjectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 54f5fd0..b5d11c6 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnProjectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnProjectScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnProjectScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnProjectScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnRemoveKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnRemoveKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 4563014..5918052 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnRemoveKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnRemoveKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnRemoveKeysScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnRemoveKeysScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 18bff0a..dba8801 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/LibjnValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class LibjnValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new LibjnValuesScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/ValueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/ValueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 7e754c2..405465c 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/ValueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/json/ValueScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.json;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class ValueScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new ValueScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ArrayConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ArrayConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 7b0b379..56efb53 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ArrayConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ArrayConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.jsonitem;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class ArrayConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new ArrayConstructorScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluator.java
index 6cde2c7..8fa750c 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluator.java
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.jsonitem;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
+
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
@@ -31,8 +33,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 
-import java.io.IOException;
-
 public class ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluator extends AbstractObjectConstructorScalarEvaluator {
     private IPointable vp;
     private UTF8StringPointable sp;
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
-        TaggedValuePointable key, value, qmc, tvp;
+        TaggedValuePointable key, value, qmc;
         ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsResult = abvsPool.takeOne();
         ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsItem = abvsPool.takeOne();
         try {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a030736..dab663d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,13 +16,14 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.jsonitem;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
     public ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory(IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args) {
         super(args);
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new ObjectConstructorScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/SimpleObjectUnionScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/SimpleObjectUnionScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 9ba4798..27e5808 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/SimpleObjectUnionScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/jsonitem/SimpleObjectUnionScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,13 +16,14 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.jsonitem;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class SimpleObjectUnionScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
     public SimpleObjectUnionScalarEvaluatorFactory(IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args) {
         super(args);
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new SimpleObjectUnionScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/FnDataScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/FnDataScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 8ce5543..875580e 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/FnDataScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/FnDataScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.AtomizeHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnDataScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new FnDataScalarEvaluator(args);
     }
 
@@ -80,6 +79,8 @@
                 }
                 sb.finish();
                 result.set(abvs);
+            } catch (SystemException e) {
+                throw e;
             } catch (IOException e) {
                 throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.SYSE0001);
             }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/JnSizeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/JnSizeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 9ad34fa..fee411b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/JnSizeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/misc/JnSizeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new JnSizeScalarEvaluator(args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/AttributeNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/AttributeNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 4b1a5a1..4b80cf0 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/AttributeNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/AttributeNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.node;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class AttributeNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AttributeNodeConstructorScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/CommentNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/CommentNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 8bc3d32..1a74938 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/CommentNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/CommentNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.node;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class CommentNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new CommentNodeConstructorScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/ElementNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/ElementNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index bf9c156..63de557 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/ElementNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/ElementNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.node;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class ElementNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new ElementNodeConstructorScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocAvailableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocAvailableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index d4d305d..db908f6 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocAvailableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocAvailableScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.DataInputStream;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.ByteBufferInputStream;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -32,15 +40,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.xmlparser.TreeNodeIdProvider;
 import org.apache.vxquery.xmlparser.XMLParser;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.ByteBufferInputStream;
-
 public class FnDocAvailableScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index ecc8421..5f08a8e 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.DataInputStream;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.ByteBufferInputStream;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -32,15 +40,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.xmlparser.TreeNodeIdProvider;
 import org.apache.vxquery.xmlparser.XMLParser;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.ByteBufferInputStream;
-
 public class FnDocScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnNumberScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnNumberScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 80f0c42..dcf1708 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnNumberScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/FnNumberScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToDoubleOperation;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnNumberScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         final CastToDoubleOperation castToDouble = new CastToDoubleOperation();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/IdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/IdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 64da253..43acc20 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/IdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/IdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.nodes.NodeTreePointable;
@@ -29,13 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class IdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         final NodeTreePointable ntp = (NodeTreePointable) NodeTreePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/LocalIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/LocalIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 4042326..0403186 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/LocalIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/LocalIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,13 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class LocalIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         final TypedPointables tp = new TypedPointables();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeAfterEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeAfterEvaluatorFactory.java
index 20ce65a..67a40f3 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeAfterEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeAfterEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@
 
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.node;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class OpNodeAfterEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
 
@@ -34,7 +33,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new OpNodeAfterEvaluator(args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java
index 0205a50..e2e793d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/OpNodeBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@
 
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.node;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class OpNodeBeforeEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
 
@@ -34,7 +33,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new OpNodeBeforeEvaluator(args);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/PINodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/PINodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index c8d9ddd..e14b103 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/PINodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/PINodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.node;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class PINodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new PINodeConstructorScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TextNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TextNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 1cbfb95..28e644a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TextNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TextNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.node;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class TextNodeConstructorScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new TextNodeConstructorScalarEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TreeIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TreeIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index e83c5d6..988f373 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TreeIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/node/TreeIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.nodes.NodeTreePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -27,13 +33,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class TreeIdFromNodeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         final NodeTreePointable ntp = (NodeTreePointable) NodeTreePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/nodeid/SortDistinctNodesAscOrAtomicsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/nodeid/SortDistinctNodesAscOrAtomicsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 09fa3b0..3c91d2d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/nodeid/SortDistinctNodesAscOrAtomicsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/nodeid/SortDistinctNodesAscOrAtomicsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,17 +16,16 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.nodeid;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class SortDistinctNodesAscOrAtomicsScalarEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
             protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/AbstractNumericScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/AbstractNumericScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 1a6ccc9..9599dee 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/AbstractNumericScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/AbstractNumericScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -29,14 +36,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractNumericScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
-            IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+            IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             final AbstractNumericOperation aOp = createNumericOperation();
             final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/FnRoundHalfToEvenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/FnRoundHalfToEvenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index b811a10..7466703 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/FnRoundHalfToEvenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/numeric/FnRoundHalfToEvenScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,18 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
@@ -30,19 +42,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToDecimalOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnRoundHalfToEvenScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
-            IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+            IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
             final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnLocalNameFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnLocalNameFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 560bc09..725826b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnLocalNameFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnLocalNameFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSQNamePointable;
@@ -28,14 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnLocalNameFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final XSQNamePointable qnamep = (XSQNamePointable) XSQNamePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnNamespaceUriFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnNamespaceUriFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 7a8851b..b52e44d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnNamespaceUriFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnNamespaceUriFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSQNamePointable;
@@ -28,14 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnNamespaceUriFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final XSQNamePointable qnamep = (XSQNamePointable) XSQNamePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnPrefixFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnPrefixFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 1a2820b..6304272 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnPrefixFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnPrefixFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSQNamePointable;
@@ -28,14 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnPrefixFromQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final XSQNamePointable qnamep = (XSQNamePointable) XSQNamePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index f35a125..ebc85c9 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/qname/FnQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,15 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -30,16 +39,9 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings.UTF8StringCharacterIterator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
 
     public FnQNameScalarEvaluatorFactory(IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args) {
         super(args);
@@ -47,15 +49,15 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable paramURI = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable paramQName = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
-        final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsParamQName = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
-        final DataOutput dOutParamQName = abvsParamQName.getDataOutput();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final TaggedValuePointable tvp = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+        final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
+        final UTF8StringBuilder sb = new UTF8StringBuilder();
 
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
@@ -99,31 +101,41 @@
                     dOut.write(ValueTag.XS_QNAME_TAG);
                     dOut.write(paramURI.getByteArray(), paramURI.getStartOffset(), paramURI.getLength());
 
-                    // Separate the local name and prefix.
-                    abvsParamQName.reset();
+                    // Prefix and Local Name
                     ICharacterIterator charIterator = new UTF8StringCharacterIterator(paramQName);
                     charIterator.reset();
-                    int c = 0;
-                    int prefixLength = 0;
+                    int c;
+                    boolean prefixFound = false;
+                    ga.reset();
+                    sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
                     while ((c = charIterator.next()) != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR) {
                         if (c == Character.valueOf(':')) {
-                            prefixLength = abvsParamQName.getLength();
+                            prefixFound = true;
+                            break;
                         } else {
-                            FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, dOutParamQName);
+                            FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, sb);
                         }
                     }
+                    if (prefixFound) {
+                        // Finish Prefix
+                        sb.finish();
+                        dOut.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
 
-                    dOut.write((byte) ((prefixLength >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-                    dOut.write((byte) ((prefixLength >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-                    dOut.write(abvsParamQName.getByteArray(), abvsParamQName.getStartOffset(), prefixLength);
+                        // Local Name
+                        ga.reset();
+                        sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
+                        while ((c = charIterator.next()) != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR) {
+                            FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, sb);
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        // No Prefix
+                        dOut.write((byte) 0);
+                        // Local Name is in ga variable
+                    }
+                    sb.finish();
+                    dOut.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
 
-                    int localNameLength = abvsParamQName.getLength() - prefixLength;
-                    dOut.write((byte) ((localNameLength >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-                    dOut.write((byte) ((localNameLength >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-                    dOut.write(abvsParamQName.getByteArray(), abvsParamQName.getStartOffset() + prefixLength,
-                            localNameLength);
-
-                    result.set(abvs);
+                    result.set(abvs.getByteArray(), abvs.getStartOffset(), abvs.getLength());
                 } catch (Exception e) {
                     throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.SYSE0001, e);
                 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/ConcatenateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/ConcatenateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index b74a2b7..fc29c2d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/ConcatenateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/ConcatenateScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
@@ -27,14 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class ConcatenateScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final SequencePointable seq = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnDistinctValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnDistinctValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index cbc1d03..72b3d78 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnDistinctValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnDistinctValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -32,15 +40,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.comparison.ValueEqComparisonOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnDistinctValuesScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final SequencePointable seq = new SequencePointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnEmptyScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnEmptyScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 9fbdd4f..af09c86 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnEmptyScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnEmptyScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.sequence;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnEmptyScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExactlyOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExactlyOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index fb691c1..3cf07a8 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExactlyOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExactlyOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.sequence;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnExactlyOneScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExistsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExistsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 7392773..348bf0d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExistsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnExistsScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.sequence;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnExistsScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnIndexOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnIndexOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a99406b..d641851 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnIndexOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnIndexOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -33,14 +40,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.comparison.ValueEqComparisonOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnIndexOfScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutInner = abvsInner.getDataOutput();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnInsertBeforeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnInsertBeforeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 9f78c9b..5761e71 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnInsertBeforeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnInsertBeforeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
@@ -27,15 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnInsertBeforeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final SequencePointable seq = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnOneOrMoreScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnOneOrMoreScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 24936c7..346f9c9 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnOneOrMoreScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnOneOrMoreScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.sequence;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnOneOrMoreScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnRemoveScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnRemoveScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 72db5c4..8f36616 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnRemoveScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnRemoveScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
@@ -27,15 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnRemoveScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final SequencePointable seq = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnReverseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnReverseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index cfd8cf3..6e04ba6 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnReverseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnReverseScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
@@ -27,14 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnReverseScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final SequencePointable seq = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnSubsequenceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnSubsequenceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 6c21169..5e690ab 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnSubsequenceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnSubsequenceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,15 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.XSDecimalPointable;
@@ -29,16 +38,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.numeric.FnRoundOperation;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnSubsequenceScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequenceBuilder sb = new SequenceBuilder();
         final SequencePointable seq = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnUnorderedScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnUnorderedScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 19506ab..35ba052 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnUnorderedScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnUnorderedScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,17 +16,16 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.sequence;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnUnorderedScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
             protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnZeroOrOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnZeroOrOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 0eb4a6a..791f956 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnZeroOrOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/FnZeroOrOneScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.sequence;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class FnZeroOrOneScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/IterateUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/IterateUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
index 0869179..1fbab4a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/IterateUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/IterateUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,19 +16,18 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.sequence;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class IterateUnnestingEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -38,14 +37,14 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IUnnestingEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator(args) {
             private int index;
             private int seqLength;
 
             @Override
-            public boolean step(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public boolean step(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = tvps[0];
                 if (tvp.getTag() != ValueTag.SEQUENCE_TAG) {
                     if (index == 0) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/OpToScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/OpToScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 5ae76e8..6360d3d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/OpToScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/OpToScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,14 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class OpToScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutInner = abvsInner.getDataOutput();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/SequenceAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/SequenceAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
index f3c04de..a8d9ab9 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/SequenceAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/sequence/SequenceAggregateEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,14 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.util.GrowableIntArray;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IAggregateEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class SequenceAggregateEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+    protected IAggregateEvaluator createEvaluator(IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final GrowableIntArray slots = new GrowableIntArray();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage dataArea = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
@@ -52,25 +51,21 @@
         final VoidPointable p = (VoidPointable) VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentAggregateEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
-            public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void init() throws HyracksDataException {
                 abvs.reset();
                 slots.clear();
                 dataArea.reset();
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finishPartial(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 finish(result);
             }
 
             @Override
-            public void finish(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public void finish(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
                 if (slots.getSize() != 1) {
-                    try {
-                        assembleResult(abvs, slots, dataArea);
-                    } catch (SystemException e) {
-                        throw new AlgebricksException(e);
-                    }
+                    assembleResult(abvs, slots, dataArea);
                     result.set(abvs);
                 } else {
                     result.set(dataArea);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/serialize/FnSerializeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/serialize/FnSerializeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a8025a9..194f1b1 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/serialize/FnSerializeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/serialize/FnSerializeScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,14 +18,16 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.PrintStream;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
@@ -34,7 +36,7 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.serializer.XMLSerializer;
 
 public class FnSerializeScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
-
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
     public FnSerializeScalarEvaluatorFactory(IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args) {
@@ -43,25 +45,30 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream baaos = new ByteArrayAccessibleOutputStream();
         final PrintStream ps = new PrintStream(baaos);
         final XMLSerializer printer = new XMLSerializer();
+        final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
         final DataOutput out = abvs.getDataOutput();
+
+        final VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder sb = new VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder();
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
 
             @Override
             protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
                 baaos.reset();
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[0];
-                printer.printTaggedValuePointable(ps, tvp);
                 abvs.reset();
                 try {
                     out.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
-                    out.write((byte) ((baaos.size() >>> 8) & 0xFF));
-                    out.write((byte) ((baaos.size() >>> 0) & 0xFF));
-                    out.write(baaos.getByteArray(), 0, baaos.size());
+                    ga.reset();
+                    sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
+                    printer.printTaggedValuePointable(ps, tvp);
+                    sb.appendUtf8Bytes(baaos.getByteArray(), 0, baaos.size());
+                    sb.finish();
+                    out.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
                 } catch (IOException e) {
                     throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.XPTY0004);
                 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/AttributePathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/AttributePathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 8ce8c0b..10f3896 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/AttributePathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/AttributePathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class AttributePathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AttributePathStepScalarEvaluator(args, ctx);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
index 4162bee..ae7dd72 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
@@ -18,18 +18,16 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class ChildPathStepScalarEvaluator extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator {
     private final SequenceBuilder seqb = new SequenceBuilder();
 
@@ -50,12 +48,8 @@
             childPathStep.init(args);
             seqAbvs.reset();
             seqb.reset(seqAbvs);
-            try {
-                while (childPathStep.step(itemTvp)) {
-                    seqb.addItem(itemTvp);
-                }
-            } catch (AlgebricksException e) {
-                throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.SYSE0001, e);
+            while (childPathStep.step(itemTvp)) {
+                seqb.addItem(itemTvp);
             }
             seqb.finish();
             result.set(seqAbvs);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index f10cdf3..51a5653 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class ChildPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new ChildPathStepScalarEvaluator(args, ctx);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnesting.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnesting.java
index 74ec91b..9026de3 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnesting.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnesting.java
@@ -18,6 +18,11 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -27,11 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step.NodeTestFilter.INodeFilter;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
-
 public class ChildPathStepUnnesting extends AbstractForwardAxisPathStep {
     private int indexSeqArgs;
     private int seqArgsLength;
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
         super(ctx, pp);
     }
 
-    protected void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+    protected void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         indexSeqArgs = 0;
         indexSequence = 0;
 
@@ -74,13 +74,13 @@
         }
     }
 
-    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
         if (seqArgsLength > 0) {
             while (indexSeqArgs < seqArgsLength) {
                 seqNtp.getEntry(indexSeqArgs, tvpNtp);
                 if (tvpNtp.getTag() != ValueTag.NODE_TREE_TAG) {
                     String description = ErrorCode.SYSE0001 + ": " + ErrorCode.SYSE0001.getDescription();
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(description);
+                    throw new HyracksDataException(description);
                 }
                 tvpNtp.getValue(ntp);
                 ntp.getRootNode(tvpStep);
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@
      *             Could not save result.
      */
     protected boolean stepNodeTree(TaggedValuePointable tvpInput, int level, IPointable result)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         getSequence(tvpInput, seqItem);
         int seqLength = seqItem.getEntryCount();
         while (indexSequence < seqLength) {
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
                     return true;
                 } catch (IOException e) {
                     String description = ErrorCode.SYSE0001 + ": " + ErrorCode.SYSE0001.getDescription();
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(description);
+                    throw new HyracksDataException(description);
                 }
             }
             ++indexSequence;
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
index b5d0aec..8bd7f2d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
@@ -16,14 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator;
 
 public class ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluator extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator {
     final ChildPathStepUnnesting childPathStep;
@@ -33,12 +31,12 @@
         childPathStep = new ChildPathStepUnnesting(ctx, ppool);
     }
 
-    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
         return childPathStep.step(result);
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+    protected void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         childPathStep.init(args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
index db7efc5..54de2eb 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,13 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IUnnestingEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new ChildPathStepUnnestingEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
index 1e48168..77af2da 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
@@ -18,16 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 
 public class DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluator extends AbstractDescendantPathStepScalarEvaluator {
     private final SequenceBuilder seqb = new SequenceBuilder();
@@ -49,12 +47,8 @@
             descendentOrSelfPathStep.init(args);
             seqAbvs.reset();
             seqb.reset(seqAbvs);
-            try {
-                while (descendentOrSelfPathStep.step(itemTvp)) {
-                    seqb.addItem(itemTvp);
-                }
-            } catch (AlgebricksException e) {
-                throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.SYSE0001, e);
+            while (descendentOrSelfPathStep.step(itemTvp)) {
+                seqb.addItem(itemTvp);
             }
             seqb.finish();
             result.set(seqAbvs);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index d7df395..a909fca 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluator(args, ctx);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting.java
index 37cd400..305e26d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting.java
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -29,11 +34,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step.NodeTestFilter.INodeFilter;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
-
 public class DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting extends AbstractForwardAxisPathStep {
     private boolean testSelf;
     private boolean returnSelf;
@@ -86,13 +86,13 @@
         }
     }
 
-    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
         if (seqArgsLength > 0) {
             while (indexSeqArgs < seqArgsLength) {
                 seqNtp.getEntry(indexSeqArgs, tvpNtp);
                 if (tvpNtp.getTag() != ValueTag.NODE_TREE_TAG) {
                     String description = ErrorCode.SYSE0001 + ": " + ErrorCode.SYSE0001.getDescription();
-                    throw new AlgebricksException(description);
+                    throw new HyracksDataException(description);
                 }
                 tvpNtp.getValue(ntp);
                 ntp.getRootNode(tvpStep);
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@
         return false;
     }
 
-    private boolean processNodeTree(TaggedValuePointable rootTVP, IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+    private boolean processNodeTree(TaggedValuePointable rootTVP, IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
         if (testSelf && returnSelf) {
             returnSelf = false;
             tvpItem.set(rootTVP);
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@
                 }
             } catch (IOException e) {
                 String description = ErrorCode.SYSE0001 + ": " + ErrorCode.SYSE0001.getDescription();
-                throw new AlgebricksException(description);
+                throw new HyracksDataException(description);
             }
         }
         // Solve for descendants.
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@
      *             Could not save result.
      */
     protected boolean stepNodeTree(TaggedValuePointable tvpInput, int level, IPointable result)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         // Set up next level tracking.
         if (level + 1 > indexSequence.size()) {
             indexSequence.add(0);
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@
             return false;
         } catch (IOException e) {
             String description = ErrorCode.SYSE0001 + ": " + ErrorCode.SYSE0001.getDescription();
-            throw new AlgebricksException(description);
+            throw new HyracksDataException(description);
         } finally {
             pp.giveBack(seqItem);
         }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
index ecba5db..da55a82 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
@@ -16,14 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator;
 
 public class DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluator extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator {
     final DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting descendantOrSelfPathStep;
@@ -33,12 +31,12 @@
         descendantOrSelfPathStep = new DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting(ctx, ppool, true);
     }
 
-    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
         return descendantOrSelfPathStep.step(result);
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws SystemException {
+    protected void init(TaggedValuePointable[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         descendantOrSelfPathStep.init(args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
index 947745f..9e11a02 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,13 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory {
@@ -34,7 +33,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IUnnestingEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnestingEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
index cfa9cc6..2712d46 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluator.java
@@ -18,16 +18,14 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
-import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 
 public class DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluator extends AbstractDescendantPathStepScalarEvaluator {
     private final SequenceBuilder seqb = new SequenceBuilder();
@@ -49,12 +47,8 @@
             descendentOrSelfPathStep.init(args);
             seqAbvs.reset();
             seqb.reset(seqAbvs);
-            try {
-                while (descendentOrSelfPathStep.step(itemTvp)) {
-                    seqb.addItem(itemTvp);
-                }
-            } catch (AlgebricksException e) {
-                throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.SYSE0001, e);
+            while (descendentOrSelfPathStep.step(itemTvp)) {
+                seqb.addItem(itemTvp);
             }
             seqb.finish();
             result.set(seqAbvs);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index f0b38d6..82f46bd 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class DescendantPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new DescendantOrSelfPathStepScalarEvaluator(args, ctx);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
index 189e4ad..320a79b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluator.java
@@ -16,15 +16,14 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluator extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluator {
     final DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting descendantPathStep;
 
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@
         descendantPathStep = new DescendantOrSelfPathStepUnnesting(ctx, ppool, false);
     }
 
-    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws AlgebricksException {
+    public boolean step(IPointable result) throws HyracksDataException {
         return descendantPathStep.step(result);
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
index f6d0c49..c57a05d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,13 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IUnnestingEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentUnnestingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IUnnestingEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new DescendantPathStepUnnestingEvaluator(ctx, args);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/NodeTestFilter.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/NodeTestFilter.java
index 7b35e29..d74c668 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/NodeTestFilter.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/NodeTestFilter.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.atomic.CodedQNamePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.nodes.AttributeNodePointable;
@@ -28,10 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.NodeType;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-
 public class NodeTestFilter {
 
     public static INodeFilter getNodeTestFilter(SequenceType sType) {
@@ -53,7 +50,7 @@
                 if (localName != null) {
                     localp.set(localName, 0, localName.length);
                 }
-                final IPointable temp = VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+                final UTF8StringPointable temp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
                 final AttributeNodePointable anp = (AttributeNodePointable) AttributeNodePointable.FACTORY
                         .createPointable();
                 final CodedQNamePointable cqp = (CodedQNamePointable) CodedQNamePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -116,7 +113,7 @@
                 if (localName != null) {
                     localp.set(localName, 0, localName.length);
                 }
-                final IPointable temp = VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+                final UTF8StringPointable temp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
                 final ElementNodePointable enp = (ElementNodePointable) ElementNodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
                 final CodedQNamePointable cqp = (CodedQNamePointable) CodedQNamePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
                 filter = new INodeFilter() {
@@ -162,7 +159,7 @@
                     }
                 };
                 break;
-                
+
             case ANY:
             default:
                 filter = new INodeFilter() {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/SelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/SelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index ab6acad..af7e627 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/SelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/step/SelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.step;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 
 public class SelfPathStepScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -32,7 +31,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new SelfPathStepScalarEvaluator(args, ctx);
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluator.java
index ef5511b..19b6e00 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluator.java
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
@@ -26,11 +31,10 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluator extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator {
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
+    private final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
+    private final UTF8StringBuilder sb = new UTF8StringBuilder();
     private final ICharacterIterator charIterator;
     private final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs;
 
@@ -46,22 +50,20 @@
         abvs.reset();
         charIterator.reset();
         try {
-            // Byte Format: Type (1 byte) + String Length (2 bytes) + String.
+            // Byte Format: Type (1 byte) + String Length (X bytes) + String.
             DataOutput out = abvs.getDataOutput();
             out.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
 
-            // Default values for the length and update later
-            out.write(0);
-            out.write(0);
+            ga.reset();
+            sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
 
             int c;
             while (ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR != (c = charIterator.next())) {
-                FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, out);
+                FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) c, sb);
             }
 
-            // Update the full length string in the byte array.
-            abvs.getByteArray()[1] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 8) & 0xFF);
-            abvs.getByteArray()[2] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 0) & 0xFF);
+            sb.finish();
+            out.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
 
             result.set(abvs.getByteArray(), abvs.getStartOffset(), abvs.getLength());
         } catch (IOException e) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractTranscodingCharacterIterator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractTranscodingCharacterIterator.java
index 35fc4fa..c362875 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractTranscodingCharacterIterator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/AbstractTranscodingCharacterIterator.java
@@ -23,12 +23,14 @@
         this.in = in;
     }
 
-    final public char next() {
+    @Override
+    public final char next() {
         int c = in.next();
-        return c != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR ? transcodeCharacter((char) c) : (char) ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR;
+        return c != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR ? transcodeCharacter((char) c) : ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR;
     }
 
-    final public void reset() {
+    @Override
+    public final void reset() {
         in.reset();
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointEqualEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointEqualEvaluatorFactory.java
index 3782942..ec53f5d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointEqualEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointEqualEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -26,13 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnCodepointEqualEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointsToStringEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointsToStringEvaluatorFactory.java
index be74646..fae84a1 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointsToStringEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCodepointsToStringEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,16 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,17 +38,9 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnCodepointsToStringEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
 
     public FnCodepointsToStringEvaluatorFactory(IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args) {
         super(args);
@@ -46,25 +48,26 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final TaggedValuePointable tvp = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final LongPointable longp = (LongPointable) LongPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final VoidPointable p = (VoidPointable) VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+        final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
+        final UTF8StringBuilder sb = new UTF8StringBuilder();
 
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
             protected void evaluate(TaggedValuePointable[] args, IPointable result) throws SystemException {
                 TaggedValuePointable tvp1 = args[0];
                 try {
-                    // Byte Format: Type (1 byte) + String Length (2 bytes) + String.
+                    // Byte Format: Type (1 byte) + String Length (X bytes) + String.
                     DataOutput out = abvs.getDataOutput();
                     out.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
 
-                    // Default values for the length and update later
-                    out.write(0);
-                    out.write(0);
+                    ga.reset();
+                    sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
 
                     // Only accept sequences of integers or an integer as input.
                     if (tvp1.getTag() == ValueTag.SEQUENCE_TAG) {
@@ -76,21 +79,20 @@
                             if (!Character.isDefined(longp.intValue())) {
                                 throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FOCH0001);
                             }
-                            FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) longp.intValue(), out);
+                            FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) longp.intValue(), sb);
                         }
                     } else if (tvp1.getTag() == ValueTag.XS_INTEGER_TAG) {
                         tvp1.getValue(longp);
                         if (!Character.isDefined(longp.intValue())) {
                             throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FOCH0001);
                         }
-                        FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) longp.intValue(), out);
+                        FunctionHelper.writeChar((char) longp.intValue(), sb);
                     } else {
                         throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0006);
                     }
 
-                    // Update the full length string in the byte array.
-                    abvs.getByteArray()[1] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 8) & 0xFF);
-                    abvs.getByteArray()[2] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 0) & 0xFF);
+                    sb.finish();
+                    out.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
 
                     result.set(abvs.getByteArray(), abvs.getStartOffset(), abvs.getLength());
                 } catch (IOException e) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCompareEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCompareEvaluatorFactory.java
index 76e80b0..067e9e0 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCompareEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnCompareEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,13 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -26,14 +33,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnCompareEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp3 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnConcatEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnConcatEvaluatorFactory.java
index 7eef348..c77e0f4 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnConcatEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnConcatEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,15 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -29,14 +38,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToStringOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnConcatEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -46,13 +47,15 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvsInner = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOutInner = abvsInner.getDataOutput();
         final CastToStringOperation castToString = new CastToStringOperation();
         final TypedPointables tp = new TypedPointables();
+        final UTF8StringBuilder builder = new UTF8StringBuilder();
+        final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
 
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
@@ -60,13 +63,9 @@
                 abvs.reset();
 
                 try {
-                    // Byte Format: Type (1 byte) + String Byte Length (2 bytes) + String.
-                    DataOutput out = abvs.getDataOutput();
-                    out.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
-
-                    // Default values for the length and update later
-                    out.write(0xFF);
-                    out.write(0xFF);
+                    // append each string to abvsBuilder
+                    ga.reset();
+                    builder.reset(ga, 300);
 
                     for (int i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
                         TaggedValuePointable tvp = args[i];
@@ -196,6 +195,7 @@
                                         throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.XPTY0004);
                                 }
 
+                                // Remove tag.
                                 stringp.set(abvsInner.getByteArray(), abvsInner.getStartOffset() + 1,
                                         abvsInner.getLength() - 1);
                             } catch (IOException e) {
@@ -206,15 +206,16 @@
                         }
 
                         // If its an empty string do nothing.
-                        if (stringp.getUTFLength() > 0) {
-                            out.write(stringp.getByteArray(), stringp.getStartOffset() + 2, stringp.getUTFLength());
+                        if (stringp.getStringLength() > 0) {
+                            builder.appendUtf8StringPointable(stringp);
                         }
                     }
+                    builder.finish();
 
-                    // Update the full length string in the byte array.
-                    abvs.getByteArray()[1] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 8) & 0xFF);
-                    abvs.getByteArray()[2] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 0) & 0xFF);
-
+                    // Add tag to string and write out.
+                    DataOutput out = abvs.getDataOutput();
+                    out.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
+                    out.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
                     result.set(abvs.getByteArray(), abvs.getStartOffset(), abvs.getLength());
                 } catch (IOException e) {
                     throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.SYSE0001, e);
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnContainsEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnContainsEvaluatorFactory.java
index 977ed19..018362a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnContainsEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnContainsEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -26,13 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnContainsEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp3 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -102,7 +101,7 @@
                 // TODO use the third value as collation
 
                 // Only need to run comparisons if they both have a non empty string.
-                if (stringp1.getLength() > 2 && stringp2.getLength() > 2) {
+                if (stringp1.getUTF8Length() > 0 && stringp2.getUTF8Length() > 0) {
                     int c2 = charIterator2.next();
                     while (true) {
                         int c1 = charIterator1.next();
@@ -125,7 +124,7 @@
                             break;
                         }
                     }
-                } else if (stringp2.getLength() == 2) {
+                } else if (stringp2.getUTF8Length() == 0) {
                     booleanResult[1] = 1;
                 }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnEndsWithEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnEndsWithEvaluatorFactory.java
index 81062ed..5f50f8b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnEndsWithEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnEndsWithEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -26,13 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnEndsWithEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp3 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnLowerCaseEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnLowerCaseEvaluatorFactory.java
index cf431cd..7a0914f 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnLowerCaseEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnLowerCaseEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnLowerCaseEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ICharacterIterator charIterator = new LowerCaseCharacterIterator(new UTF8StringCharacterIterator(stringp));
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStartsWithEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStartsWithEvaluatorFactory.java
index 7d0cb7a..db9404a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStartsWithEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStartsWithEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -26,13 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnStartsWithEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp3 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -105,7 +104,7 @@
                 // TODO use the third value as collation
 
                 // Only need to run comparisons if they both have a non empty string.
-                if (stringp1.getLength() > 2 && stringp2.getLength() > 2) {
+                if (stringp1.getUTF8Length() > 0 && stringp2.getUTF8Length() > 0) {
                     int c1;
                     int c2;
                     while (true) {
@@ -121,7 +120,7 @@
                             break;
                         }
                     }
-                } else if (stringp2.getLength() == 2) {
+                } else if (stringp2.getUTF8Length() == 0) {
                     booleanResult[1] = 1;
                 }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringJoinEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringJoinEvaluatorFactory.java
index 576b409..e2dbbee 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringJoinEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringJoinEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,8 +19,17 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
+import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
@@ -28,16 +37,9 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnStringJoinEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
 
     public FnStringJoinEvaluatorFactory(IScalarEvaluatorFactory[] args) {
         super(args);
@@ -45,12 +47,14 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final TaggedValuePointable tvp = new TaggedValuePointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final SequencePointable seq = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+        final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
+        final VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder sb = new VXQueryUTF8StringBuilder();
 
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             @Override
@@ -90,16 +94,15 @@
                     out.write(ValueTag.XS_STRING_TAG);
 
                     // Default values for the length and update later
-                    out.write(0);
-                    out.write(0);
+                    ga.reset();
+                    sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
 
                     int seqLen = seq.getEntryCount();
                     if (seqLen != 0) {
                         for (int j = 0; j < seqLen; ++j) {
                             // Add separator if more than one value.
                             if (j > 0) {
-                                out.write(stringp2.getByteArray(), stringp2.getStartOffset() + 2,
-                                        stringp2.getUTFLength());
+                                sb.appendUtf8StringPointable(stringp2);
                             }
                             // Get string from sequence.
                             seq.getEntry(j, tvp);
@@ -107,13 +110,11 @@
                                 throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0006);
                             }
                             tvp.getValue(stringp1);
-                            out.write(stringp1.getByteArray(), stringp1.getStartOffset() + 2, stringp1.getUTFLength());
+                            sb.appendUtf8StringPointable(stringp1);
                         }
-
-                        // Update the full length string in the byte array.
-                        abvs.getByteArray()[1] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 8) & 0xFF);
-                        abvs.getByteArray()[2] = (byte) (((abvs.getLength() - 3) >>> 0) & 0xFF);
                     }
+                    sb.finish();
+                    out.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
 
                     result.set(abvs.getByteArray(), abvs.getStartOffset(), abvs.getLength());
                 } catch (IOException e) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringLengthEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringLengthEvaluatorFactory.java
index 298b45c..363a73d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringLengthEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringLengthEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,14 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnStringLengthEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -45,7 +44,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 27b5463..2eb927b 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -30,14 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToStringOperation;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.AtomizeHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnStringScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
         final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
         final CastToStringOperation castToString = new CastToStringOperation();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringToCodepointsEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringToCodepointsEvaluatorFactory.java
index f77d869..c95a7ec 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringToCodepointsEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnStringToCodepointsEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -19,6 +19,13 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.sequence.SequenceBuilder;
@@ -30,14 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.base.AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnStringToCodepointsEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringCharacterIterator charIterator = new UTF8StringCharacterIterator(stringp);
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
@@ -75,7 +74,7 @@
                         throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.FORG0006);
                     }
                     tvp1.getValue(stringp);
-                    if (stringp.getLength() == 2) {
+                    if (stringp.getUTF8Length() == 0) {
                         XDMConstants.setEmptySequence(result);
                         return;
                     }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringAfterEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringAfterEvaluatorFactory.java
index f069152..ca4143d 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringAfterEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringAfterEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnSubstringAfterEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp3 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java
index fb8e937..acc931e 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringBeforeEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnSubstringBeforeEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp1 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp2 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp3 = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringEvaluatorFactory.java
index 0691a80..d04bcfe 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnSubstringEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,15 +32,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class FnSubstringEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final DoublePointable doublep = (DoublePointable) DoublePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final LongPointable longp = (LongPointable) LongPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnUpperCaseEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnUpperCaseEvaluatorFactory.java
index 08492ff..c80fb48 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnUpperCaseEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/FnUpperCaseEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.strings;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -24,12 +29,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-
 public class FnUpperCaseEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractCharacterIteratorCopyingEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         final UTF8StringPointable stringp = (UTF8StringPointable) UTF8StringPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         final ICharacterIterator charIterator = new UpperCaseCharacterIterator(new UTF8StringCharacterIterator(stringp));
         final SequencePointable seqp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/UTF8StringCharacterIterator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/UTF8StringCharacterIterator.java
index c170384..5b66bbf 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/UTF8StringCharacterIterator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/strings/UTF8StringCharacterIterator.java
@@ -45,13 +45,7 @@
                 LOGGER.finer("  UTF8StringCharacterIterator char[" + byteOffset + "] = " + c);
             }
             // Increment cursor
-            if ((c >= 0x0001) && (c <= 0x007F)) {
-                ++byteOffset;
-            } else if (c > 0x07FF) {
-                byteOffset += 3;
-            } else {
-                byteOffset += 2;
-            }
+            byteOffset += stringp.charSize(byteOffset);
         }
         if (LOGGER.isLoggable(Level.FINE)) {
             LOGGER.finer("  END UTF8StringCharacterIterator char[" + byteOffset + "] = " + c);
@@ -61,7 +55,7 @@
 
     @Override
     public void reset() {
-        byteOffset = 2;
+        byteOffset = stringp.getMetaDataLength();
     }
 
     public void setByteOffset(int byteOffset) {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/trace/FnTraceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/trace/FnTraceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index a202dc5..9159010 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/trace/FnTraceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/trace/FnTraceScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@
 */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.trace;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
 
             @Override
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/InstanceOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/InstanceOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index d9c5796..fc8b478 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/InstanceOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/InstanceOfScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,17 +16,16 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.type;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.XDMConstants;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class InstanceOfScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTypeScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTypeScalarEvaluator(args, ctx) {
             private final SequenceTypeMatcher matcher = new SequenceTypeMatcher();
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/PromoteScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/PromoteScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index c1bb24e..f2088d7 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/PromoteScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/PromoteScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -30,13 +36,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class PromoteScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTypeScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTypeScalarEvaluator(args, ctx) {
             final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
             final DataOutput dOut = abvs.getDataOutput();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/TreatScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/TreatScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index 4913c71..0863de2 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/TreatScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/type/TreatScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -16,17 +16,16 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.type;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.SequenceType;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-
 public class TreatScalarEvaluatorFactory extends AbstractTypeScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected IScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx, IScalarEvaluator[] args)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTypeScalarEvaluator(args, ctx) {
             private final SequenceTypeMatcher matcher = new SequenceTypeMatcher();
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/unary/AbstractNumericUnaryScalarEvaluatorFactory.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/unary/AbstractNumericUnaryScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
index bd8c360..35b2d24 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/unary/AbstractNumericUnaryScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/unary/AbstractNumericUnaryScalarEvaluatorFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@
 
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TypedPointables;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
@@ -28,14 +35,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeRegistry;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluator;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.runtime.base.IScalarEvaluatorFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.context.IHyracksTaskContext;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public abstract class AbstractNumericUnaryScalarEvaluatorFactory extends
         AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluatorFactory {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@
 
     @Override
     protected AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator createEvaluator(IHyracksTaskContext ctx,
-            IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws AlgebricksException {
+            IScalarEvaluator[] args) throws HyracksDataException {
         return new AbstractTaggedValueArgumentScalarEvaluator(args) {
             final AbstractNumericUnaryOperation aOp = createNumericUnaryOperation();
             final ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/AtomizeHelper.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/AtomizeHelper.java
index c31a5cf..a8e5652 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/AtomizeHelper.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/AtomizeHelper.java
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -29,27 +35,27 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.nodes.PINodePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.nodes.TextOrCommentNodePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
-
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 
 public class AtomizeHelper {
-    AttributeNodePointable anp = (AttributeNodePointable) AttributeNodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    DocumentNodePointable dnp = (DocumentNodePointable) DocumentNodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    ElementNodePointable enp = (ElementNodePointable) ElementNodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    NodeTreePointable ntp = (NodeTreePointable) NodeTreePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    PINodePointable pnp = (PINodePointable) PINodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    SequencePointable sp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    TextOrCommentNodePointable tcnp = (TextOrCommentNodePointable) TextOrCommentNodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    ArrayBackedValueStorage tempABVS = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
-    TaggedValuePointable tempTVP = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
-    VoidPointable vp = (VoidPointable) VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
+    private final GrowableArray ga = new GrowableArray();
+    private final UTF8StringBuilder sb = new UTF8StringBuilder();
+    private final AttributeNodePointable anp = (AttributeNodePointable) AttributeNodePointable.FACTORY
+            .createPointable();
+    private final DocumentNodePointable dnp = (DocumentNodePointable) DocumentNodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private final ElementNodePointable enp = (ElementNodePointable) ElementNodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private final NodeTreePointable ntp = (NodeTreePointable) NodeTreePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private final PINodePointable pnp = (PINodePointable) PINodePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private final SequencePointable sp = (SequencePointable) SequencePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private final TextOrCommentNodePointable tcnp = (TextOrCommentNodePointable) TextOrCommentNodePointable.FACTORY
+            .createPointable();
+    private final ArrayBackedValueStorage tempABVS = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
+    private final TaggedValuePointable tempTVP = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
+    private final VoidPointable vp = (VoidPointable) VoidPointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
-    public void atomize(TaggedValuePointable tvp, PointablePool pp, IPointable result)
-            throws SystemException, IOException {
+    public void atomize(TaggedValuePointable tvp, PointablePool pp, IPointable result) throws SystemException, IOException {
         switch (tvp.getTag()) {
             case ValueTag.NODE_TREE_TAG:
                 tvp.getValue(ntp);
@@ -114,7 +120,7 @@
         }
     }
 
-    public static void buildConcatenationRec(SequencePointable sp, PointablePool pp, DataOutput out,
+    public static void buildConcatenationRec(SequencePointable sp, PointablePool pp, UTF8StringBuilder sb,
             NodeTreePointable ntp) throws IOException {
         TaggedValuePointable tempTVP2 = pp.takeOne(TaggedValuePointable.class);
         int nItems = sp.getEntryCount();
@@ -123,13 +129,13 @@
             switch (tempTVP2.getTag()) {
                 case ValueTag.TEXT_NODE_TAG: {
                     TextOrCommentNodePointable tcnp = pp.takeOne(TextOrCommentNodePointable.class);
-                    VoidPointable vp = pp.takeOne(VoidPointable.class);
+                    UTF8StringPointable utf8sp = pp.takeOne(UTF8StringPointable.class);
                     try {
                         tempTVP2.getValue(tcnp);
-                        tcnp.getValue(ntp, vp);
-                        out.write(vp.getByteArray(), vp.getStartOffset() + 2, vp.getLength() - 2);
+                        tcnp.getValue(ntp, utf8sp);
+                        sb.appendUtf8StringPointable(utf8sp);
                     } finally {
-                        pp.giveBack(vp);
+                        pp.giveBack(utf8sp);
                         pp.giveBack(tcnp);
                     }
                     break;
@@ -141,7 +147,7 @@
                         tempTVP2.getValue(enp);
                         if (enp.childrenChunkExists()) {
                             enp.getChildrenSequence(ntp, sp2);
-                            buildConcatenationRec(sp2, pp, out, ntp);
+                            buildConcatenationRec(sp2, pp, sb, ntp);
                         }
                     } finally {
                         pp.giveBack(sp2);
@@ -153,20 +159,17 @@
         pp.giveBack(tempTVP2);
     }
 
-    public static void buildStringConcatenation(SequencePointable sp, PointablePool pp,
-            ArrayBackedValueStorage tempABVS, NodeTreePointable ntp) throws IOException {
+    public void buildStringConcatenation(SequencePointable sp, PointablePool pp, ArrayBackedValueStorage tempABVS,
+            NodeTreePointable ntp) throws IOException {
         tempABVS.reset();
         DataOutput out = tempABVS.getDataOutput();
         out.write(ValueTag.XS_UNTYPED_ATOMIC_TAG);
+        ga.reset();
+        sb.reset(ga, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
         // Leave room for the utf-8 length
-        out.write(0);
-        out.write(0);
-        buildConcatenationRec(sp, pp, out, ntp);
-        int utflen = tempABVS.getLength() - 3;
-        byte[] bytes = tempABVS.getByteArray();
-        // Patch utf-8 length at bytes 1 and 2
-        bytes[1] = (byte) ((utflen >>> 8) & 0xFF);
-        bytes[2] = (byte) ((utflen >>> 0) & 0xFF);
+        buildConcatenationRec(sp, pp, sb, ntp);
+        sb.finish();
+        out.write(ga.getByteArray(), 0, ga.getLength());
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/FunctionHelper.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/FunctionHelper.java
index 49e1271..7c3197a 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/FunctionHelper.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/runtime/functions/util/FunctionHelper.java
@@ -25,17 +25,18 @@
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.io.InputStreamReader;
 import java.io.Reader;
-import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
-import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FileSystem;
 import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.api.IPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.ByteBufferInputStream;
 import org.apache.vxquery.context.DynamicContext;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
@@ -486,7 +487,7 @@
 
     public static boolean compareTaggedValues(AbstractValueComparisonOperation aOp, TaggedValuePointable tvp1,
             TaggedValuePointable tvp2, DynamicContext dCtx, TypedPointables tp1, TypedPointables tp2)
-                    throws SystemException {
+            throws SystemException {
         int tid1 = getBaseTypeForComparisons(tvp1.getTag());
         int tid2 = getBaseTypeForComparisons(tvp2.getTag());
 
@@ -1137,13 +1138,6 @@
         return max;
     }
 
-    public static String getStringFromPointable(UTF8StringPointable stringp, ByteBufferInputStream bbis,
-            DataInputStream di) throws IOException {
-        bbis.setByteBuffer(ByteBuffer.wrap(Arrays.copyOfRange(stringp.getByteArray(), stringp.getStartOffset(),
-                stringp.getLength() + stringp.getStartOffset())), 0);
-        return di.readUTF();
-    }
-
     public static long getTimezone(ITimezone timezonep) {
         return timezonep.getTimezoneHour() * DateTime.CHRONON_OF_HOUR
                 + timezonep.getTimezoneMinute() * DateTime.CHRONON_OF_MINUTE;
@@ -1212,7 +1206,7 @@
     }
 
     public static void printUTF8String(UTF8StringPointable stringp) {
-        System.err.println(" printUTF8String START length = " + stringp.getUTFLength());
+        System.err.println(" printUTF8String START length = " + stringp.getUTF8Length());
         ICharacterIterator charIterator = new UTF8StringCharacterIterator(stringp);
         charIterator.reset();
         for (int c = charIterator.next(); c != ICharacterIterator.EOS_CHAR; c = charIterator.next()) {
@@ -1223,8 +1217,7 @@
 
     public static void readInDocFromPointable(UTF8StringPointable stringp, ByteBufferInputStream bbis,
             DataInputStream di, ArrayBackedValueStorage abvs, IParser parser) throws IOException {
-        String fName = getStringFromPointable(stringp, bbis, di);
-        readInDocFromString(fName, bbis, di, abvs, parser);
+        readInDocFromString(stringp.toString(), bbis, di, abvs, parser);
     }
 
     public static void readInDocFromString(String fName, ByteBufferInputStream bbis, DataInputStream di,
@@ -1262,7 +1255,7 @@
 
     public static boolean transformThenCompareMinMaxTaggedValues(AbstractValueComparisonOperation aOp,
             TaggedValuePointable tvp1, TaggedValuePointable tvp2, DynamicContext dCtx, TypedPointables tp1,
-            TypedPointables tp2) throws SystemException {
+            TypedPointables tp2) throws HyracksDataException {
         TaggedValuePointable tvp1new = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
         TaggedValuePointable tvp2new = (TaggedValuePointable) TaggedValuePointable.FACTORY.createPointable();
 
@@ -1308,46 +1301,61 @@
         }
     }
 
-    public static void writeChar(char c, DataOutput dOut) {
-        try {
-            if ((c >= 0x0001) && (c <= 0x007F)) {
-                dOut.write((byte) c);
-            } else if (c > 0x07FF) {
-                dOut.write((byte) (0xE0 | ((c >> 12) & 0x0F)));
-                dOut.write((byte) (0x80 | ((c >> 6) & 0x3F)));
-                dOut.write((byte) (0x80 | ((c >> 0) & 0x3F)));
-            } else {
-                dOut.write((byte) (0xC0 | ((c >> 6) & 0x1F)));
-                dOut.write((byte) (0x80 | ((c >> 0) & 0x3F)));
-            }
-        } catch (IOException e) {
-            e.printStackTrace();
-        }
+    public static void writeChar(char c, UTF8StringBuilder sb) throws IOException {
+        sb.appendChar(c);
     }
 
-    public static void writeCharSequence(CharSequence charSequence, DataOutput dOut) {
+    public static void stringToGrowableArray(String value, GrowableArray ga, UTF8StringBuilder sb, int expectedLength)
+            throws IOException {
+        ga.reset();
+        sb.reset(ga, expectedLength);
+        sb.appendString(value);
+        sb.finish();
+    }
+
+    public static void charSequenceToGrowableArray(CharSequence charSequence, GrowableArray ga, UTF8StringBuilder sb,
+            int expectedLength) throws IOException {
+        ga.reset();
+        sb.reset(ga, expectedLength);
         for (int i = 0; i < charSequence.length(); ++i) {
-            writeChar(charSequence.charAt(i), dOut);
+            sb.appendChar(charSequence.charAt(i));
         }
+        sb.finish();
     }
 
-    public static void writeCharArray(char[] ch, int start, int length, DataOutput dOut) {
+    public static void charArrayToGrowableArray(char[] ch, int start, int length, GrowableArray ga,
+            UTF8StringBuilder sb, int expectedLength) throws IOException {
+        ga.reset();
+        sb.reset(ga, expectedLength);
         for (int i = start; i < start + length; ++i) {
-            writeChar(ch[i], dOut);
+            sb.appendChar(ch[i]);
+        }
+        sb.finish();
+    }
+
+    public static void writeCharSequence(CharSequence charSequence, UTF8StringBuilder sb) throws IOException {
+        for (int i = 0; i < charSequence.length(); ++i) {
+            sb.appendChar(charSequence.charAt(i));
         }
     }
 
-    public static void writeDateAsString(IDate date, DataOutput dOut) {
+    public static void writeCharArray(char[] ch, int start, int length, UTF8StringBuilder sb) throws IOException {
+        for (int i = start; i < start + length; ++i) {
+            sb.appendChar(ch[i]);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void writeDateAsString(IDate date, UTF8StringBuilder sb) throws IOException {
         // Year
-        writeNumberWithPadding(date.getYear(), 4, dOut);
-        writeChar('-', dOut);
+        writeNumberWithPadding(date.getYear(), 4, sb);
+        sb.appendChar('-');
 
         // Month
-        writeNumberWithPadding(date.getMonth(), 2, dOut);
-        writeChar('-', dOut);
+        writeNumberWithPadding(date.getMonth(), 2, sb);
+        sb.appendChar('-');
 
         // Day
-        writeNumberWithPadding(date.getDay(), 2, dOut);
+        writeNumberWithPadding(date.getDay(), 2, sb);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1359,66 +1367,66 @@
      *            padding
      * @param dOut
      *            data output
+     * @throws IOException
      */
-
-    public static void writeNumberWithPadding(long valueArg, int paddingArg, DataOutput dOut) {
+    public static void writeNumberWithPadding(long valueArg, int paddingArg, UTF8StringBuilder sb) throws IOException {
         long value = valueArg;
         int padding = paddingArg;
         if (value < 0) {
-            writeChar('-', dOut);
+            sb.appendChar('-');
             value = Math.abs(value);
         }
         int nDigits = getNumberOfDigits(value);
 
         // Add zero padding for set length numbers.
         while (padding > nDigits) {
-            writeChar('0', dOut);
+            sb.appendChar('0');
             --padding;
         }
 
         // Write the actual number.
         long pow10 = (long) Math.pow(10, nDigits - 1.0);
         for (int i = nDigits - 1; i >= 0; --i) {
-            writeChar((char) ('0' + (value / pow10)), dOut);
+            sb.appendChar((char) ('0' + (value / pow10)));
             value %= pow10;
             pow10 /= 10;
         }
     }
 
-    public static void writeTimeAsString(ITime time, DataOutput dOut) {
+    public static void writeTimeAsString(ITime time, UTF8StringBuilder sb) throws IOException {
         // Hours
-        writeNumberWithPadding(time.getHour(), 2, dOut);
-        writeChar(':', dOut);
+        writeNumberWithPadding(time.getHour(), 2, sb);
+        sb.appendChar(':');
 
         // Minute
-        writeNumberWithPadding(time.getMinute(), 2, dOut);
-        writeChar(':', dOut);
+        writeNumberWithPadding(time.getMinute(), 2, sb);
+        sb.appendChar(':');
 
         // Milliseconds
-        writeNumberWithPadding(time.getMilliSecond() / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 2, dOut);
+        writeNumberWithPadding(time.getMilliSecond() / DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 2, sb);
         if (time.getMilliSecond() % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND != 0) {
-            writeChar('.', dOut);
-            writeNumberWithPadding(time.getMilliSecond() % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 3, dOut);
+            sb.appendChar('.');
+            writeNumberWithPadding(time.getMilliSecond() % DateTime.CHRONON_OF_SECOND, 3, sb);
         }
     }
 
-    public static void writeTimezoneAsString(ITimezone timezone, DataOutput dOut) {
+    public static void writeTimezoneAsString(ITimezone timezone, UTF8StringBuilder sb) throws IOException {
         long timezoneHour = timezone.getTimezoneHour();
         long timezoneMinute = timezone.getTimezoneMinute();
         if (timezoneHour != DateTime.TIMEZONE_HOUR_NULL && timezoneMinute != DateTime.TIMEZONE_MINUTE_NULL) {
             if (timezoneHour == 0 && timezoneMinute == 0) {
-                writeChar('Z', dOut);
+                sb.appendChar('Z');
             } else {
                 if (timezoneHour >= 0 && timezoneMinute >= 0) {
-                    writeChar('+', dOut);
+                    sb.appendChar('+');
                 } else {
-                    writeChar('-', dOut);
+                    sb.appendChar('-');
                     timezoneHour = Math.abs(timezoneHour);
                     timezoneMinute = Math.abs(timezoneMinute);
                 }
-                writeNumberWithPadding(timezoneHour, 2, dOut);
-                writeChar(':', dOut);
-                writeNumberWithPadding(timezoneMinute, 2, dOut);
+                writeNumberWithPadding(timezoneHour, 2, sb);
+                sb.appendChar(':');
+                writeNumberWithPadding(timezoneMinute, 2, sb);
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/serializer/XMLSerializer.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/serializer/XMLSerializer.java
index 984ab81..6e20ba1 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/serializer/XMLSerializer.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/serializer/XMLSerializer.java
@@ -20,6 +20,18 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.PrintStream;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.data.IPrinter;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePool;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.PointablePoolFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.SequencePointable;
@@ -44,19 +56,6 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.cast.CastToStringOperation;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.data.IPrinter;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BooleanPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.BytePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.DoublePointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.FloatPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.IntegerPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.LongPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.ShortPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.VoidPointable;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
-
 public class XMLSerializer implements IPrinter {
     private final PointablePool pp;
 
@@ -873,8 +872,8 @@
     }
 
     private void printString(PrintStream ps, UTF8StringPointable utf8sp) {
-        int utfLen = utf8sp.getUTFLength();
-        int offset = 2;
+        int utfLen = utf8sp.getUTF8Length();
+        int offset = utf8sp.getMetaDataLength();
         while (utfLen > 0) {
             char c = utf8sp.charAt(offset);
             switch (c) {
@@ -902,7 +901,7 @@
                     ps.append(c);
                     break;
             }
-            int cLen = UTF8StringPointable.getModifiedUTF8Len(c);
+            int cLen = utf8sp.charSize(offset);
             offset += cLen;
             utfLen -= cLen;
         }
@@ -941,7 +940,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void init() throws AlgebricksException {
+    public void init() throws HyracksDataException {
 
     }
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/NameTest.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/NameTest.java
index fde6e07..a4b31bd 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/NameTest.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/NameTest.java
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
 
 public final class NameTest implements Serializable {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -49,13 +49,13 @@
         StringBuilder buffer = new StringBuilder();
         buffer.append("NameTest({");
         if (uri != null) {
-            UTF8StringPointable.toString(buffer, uri, 0);
+            UTF8StringUtil.toString(buffer, uri, 0);
         } else {
             buffer.append('*');
         }
         buffer.append('}');
         if (localName != null) {
-            UTF8StringPointable.toString(buffer, localName, 0);
+            UTF8StringUtil.toString(buffer, localName, 0);
         } else {
             buffer.append('*');
         }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/ProcessingInstructionType.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/ProcessingInstructionType.java
index c445ba7..d29242e 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/ProcessingInstructionType.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/types/ProcessingInstructionType.java
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
 
 public final class ProcessingInstructionType extends AbstractNodeType {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
     public String toString() {
         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder("processing-instruction(");
         if (target != null) {
-            UTF8StringPointable.toString(sb, target, 0);
+            UTF8StringUtil.toString(sb, target, 0);
         }
         return sb.append(")").toString();
     }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/SAXContentHandler.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/SAXContentHandler.java
index 846c27b..84c8ddf 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/SAXContentHandler.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/SAXContentHandler.java
@@ -22,12 +22,13 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.comm.IFrameFieldAppender;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.comm.IFrameWriter;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
-import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.primitive.UTF8StringPointable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.ArrayBackedValueStorage;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.GrowableArray;
+import org.apache.hyracks.data.std.util.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.util.FrameUtils;
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.string.UTF8StringUtil;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.TaggedValuePointable;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.accessors.nodes.NodeTreePointable;
-import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.atomic.UTF8StringBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.nodes.AbstractNodeBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.nodes.AttributeNodeBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.nodes.CommentNodeBuilder;
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.nodes.PINodeBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.builders.nodes.TextNodeBuilder;
 import org.apache.vxquery.datamodel.values.ValueTag;
+import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.functions.util.FunctionHelper;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.BuiltinTypeQNames;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.ElementType;
 import org.apache.vxquery.types.NameTest;
@@ -50,6 +52,8 @@
 import org.xml.sax.ext.LexicalHandler;
 
 public class SAXContentHandler implements ContentHandler, LexicalHandler {
+    private static final int STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH = 300;
+
     // XML node builders
     protected final AttributeNodeBuilder anb;
     protected final CommentNodeBuilder cnb;
@@ -58,6 +62,7 @@
     protected final PINodeBuilder pinb;
     protected final TextNodeBuilder tnb;
     protected final UTF8StringBuilder utf8b;
+    private final UTF8StringBuilder utf8bInternal;
     protected final List<ElementNodeBuilder> enbStack;
     protected final List<ElementNodeBuilder> freeENBList;
     protected boolean isIndexHandler;
@@ -83,7 +88,8 @@
     protected int nodeIdCounter;
     protected final ITreeNodeIdProvider nodeIdProvider;
     protected final ArrayBackedValueStorage tempABVS;
-    private final ArrayBackedValueStorage textABVS;
+    private final GrowableArray textGA;
+    private final GrowableArray textGAInternal;
 
     public SAXContentHandler(boolean attachTypes, ITreeNodeIdProvider nodeIdProvider, boolean isIndexHandler) {
         // XML node builders
@@ -94,8 +100,9 @@
         pinb = new PINodeBuilder();
         tnb = new TextNodeBuilder();
         utf8b = new UTF8StringBuilder();
-        enbStack = new ArrayList<ElementNodeBuilder>();
-        freeENBList = new ArrayList<ElementNodeBuilder>();
+        utf8bInternal = new UTF8StringBuilder();
+        enbStack = new ArrayList<>();
+        freeENBList = new ArrayList<>();
 
         // Element writing and path step variables
         skipping = true;
@@ -110,7 +117,8 @@
         nodeIdCounter = 0;
         this.nodeIdProvider = nodeIdProvider;
         tempABVS = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
-        textABVS = new ArrayBackedValueStorage();
+        textGA = new GrowableArray();
+        textGAInternal = new GrowableArray();
         this.isIndexHandler = isIndexHandler;
         if (isIndexHandler) {
             this.appender = null;
@@ -156,7 +164,7 @@
             return;
         }
         try {
-            utf8b.appendCharArray(ch, start, length);
+            appendCharArray(ch, start, length);
         } catch (IOException e) {
             e.printStackTrace();
             throw new SAXException(e);
@@ -233,15 +241,11 @@
         try {
             flushText();
             startChildInParent(pinb);
-            tempABVS.reset();
-            tempABVS.getDataOutput().writeUTF(target);
             if (createNodeIds) {
                 pinb.setLocalNodeId(nodeIdCounter++);
             }
-            pinb.setTarget(tempABVS);
-            tempABVS.reset();
-            tempABVS.getDataOutput().writeUTF(data);
-            pinb.setContent(tempABVS);
+            pinb.setTarget(stringToGrowableArray(target));
+            pinb.setContent(stringToGrowableArray(data));
             endChildInParent(pinb);
         } catch (IOException e) {
             e.printStackTrace();
@@ -249,6 +253,11 @@
         }
     }
 
+    private GrowableArray stringToGrowableArray(String value) throws IOException {
+        FunctionHelper.stringToGrowableArray(value, textGAInternal, utf8bInternal, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
+        return textGAInternal;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void setDocumentLocator(Locator locator) {
     }
@@ -264,8 +273,8 @@
         }
         db.reset();
         try {
-            textABVS.reset();
-            utf8b.reset(textABVS);
+            textGA.reset();
+            utf8b.reset(textGA, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
         } catch (IOException e) {
             throw new SAXException(e);
         }
@@ -355,7 +364,8 @@
                 tempABVS.reset();
                 DataOutput tempOut = tempABVS.getDataOutput();
                 tempOut.write(ValueTag.XS_UNTYPED_ATOMIC_TAG);
-                tempOut.writeUTF(aValue);
+                stringToGrowableArray(aValue);
+                tempOut.write(textGAInternal.getByteArray(), 0, textGAInternal.getLength());
                 enb.startAttribute(anb);
                 anb.setName(aUriCode, aLocalNameCode, aPrefixCode);
                 if (attachTypes) {
@@ -394,18 +404,24 @@
             if (createNodeIds) {
                 cnb.setLocalNodeId(nodeIdCounter++);
             }
-            utf8b.appendCharArray(ch, start, length);
+            appendCharArray(ch, start, length);
             utf8b.finish();
-            cnb.setValue(textABVS);
+            cnb.setValue(textGA);
             endChildInParent(cnb);
-            textABVS.reset();
-            utf8b.reset(textABVS);
+            textGA.reset();
+            utf8b.reset(textGA, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
         } catch (IOException e) {
             e.printStackTrace();
             throw new SAXException(e);
         }
     }
 
+    private void appendCharArray(char[] ch, int start, int length) throws IOException {
+        for (int i = 0; i < length; ++i) {
+            utf8b.appendChar(ch[i + start]);
+        }
+    }
+
     protected void flushText() throws IOException {
         if (pendingText) {
             peekENBStackTop().startChild(tnb);
@@ -413,10 +429,10 @@
                 tnb.setLocalNodeId(nodeIdCounter++);
             }
             utf8b.finish();
-            tnb.setValue(textABVS);
+            tnb.setValue(textGA);
             peekENBStackTop().endChild(tnb);
-            textABVS.reset();
-            utf8b.reset(textABVS);
+            textGA.reset();
+            utf8b.reset(textGA, STRING_EXPECTED_LENGTH);
             pendingText = false;
         }
     }
@@ -559,7 +575,7 @@
             return null;
         }
         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
-        UTF8StringPointable.toString(sb, bytes, 0);
+        UTF8StringUtil.toString(sb, bytes, 0);
         return sb.toString();
     }
 
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/XMLParser.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/XMLParser.java
index 2f9f8c5..a830b47 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/XMLParser.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlparser/XMLParser.java
@@ -80,8 +80,7 @@
             handler.writeDocument(abvs);
             input.close();
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            HyracksDataException hde = new HyracksDataException(e);
-            hde.setNodeId(nodeId);
+            HyracksDataException hde = new HyracksDataException(e, nodeId);
             throw hde;
         }
         return 0;
@@ -100,16 +99,13 @@
             parser.parse(in);
             input.close();
         } catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
-            HyracksDataException hde = new VXQueryFileNotFoundException(e, file);
-            hde.setNodeId(nodeId);
+            HyracksDataException hde = new VXQueryFileNotFoundException(e, file, nodeId);
             throw hde;
         } catch (SAXException e) {
-            HyracksDataException hde = new VXQueryParseException(e, file);
-            hde.setNodeId(nodeId);
+            HyracksDataException hde = new VXQueryParseException(e, file, nodeId);
             throw hde;
         } catch (IOException e) {
-            HyracksDataException hde = new HyracksDataException(e);
-            hde.setNodeId(nodeId);
+            HyracksDataException hde = new HyracksDataException(e, nodeId);
             throw hde;
         }
     }
@@ -128,8 +124,7 @@
             parser.parse(in);
             input.close();
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            HyracksDataException hde = new HyracksDataException(e);
-            hde.setNodeId(nodeId);
+            HyracksDataException hde = new HyracksDataException(e, nodeId);
             throw hde;
         }
     }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/VXQueryCompilationListener.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/VXQueryCompilationListener.java
index b3692b1..8690c94 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/VXQueryCompilationListener.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/VXQueryCompilationListener.java
@@ -14,18 +14,19 @@
  */
 package org.apache.vxquery.xmlquery.query;
 
-import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.prettyprint.VXQueryLogicalExpressionPrettyPrintVisitor;
-import org.apache.vxquery.xmlquery.ast.ModuleNode;
-import org.json.JSONException;
-
-import com.thoughtworks.xstream.XStream;
-import com.thoughtworks.xstream.io.xml.DomDriver;
+import java.io.IOException;
 
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.prettyprint.AlgebricksAppendable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.prettyprint.LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.prettyprint.PlanPrettyPrinter;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.visitors.ILogicalExpressionVisitor;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.job.JobSpecification;
+import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.prettyprint.VXQueryLogicalExpressionPrettyPrintVisitor;
+import org.apache.vxquery.xmlquery.ast.ModuleNode;
+
+import com.thoughtworks.xstream.XStream;
+import com.thoughtworks.xstream.io.xml.DomDriver;
 
 public class VXQueryCompilationListener implements XQueryCompilationListener {
     boolean showTET, showRP, showOET, showAST;
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@
 
     /**
      * Outputs the query inputs, outputs and user constraints for each module as result of code generation.
-     * 
+     *
      * @param module
      */
     public void notifyCodegenResult(Module module) {
@@ -47,8 +48,8 @@
             JobSpecification jobSpec = module.getHyracksJobSpecification();
             try {
                 System.err.println("***Runtime Plan: ");
-                System.err.println(jobSpec.toJSON().toString(2));
-            } catch (JSONException e) {
+                System.err.println(jobSpec.toJSON().toString());
+            } catch (IOException e) {
                 e.printStackTrace();
                 System.err.println(jobSpec.toString());
             }
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@
     /**
      * Outputs the syntax translation tree for the module in the format: "-- logical operator(if exists) | execution mode |"
      * where execution mode can be one of: UNPARTITIONED,PARTITIONED,LOCAL
-     * 
+     *
      * @param module
      */
     @Override
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@
     /**
      * Outputs the optimized expression tree for the module in the format:
      * "-- logical operator(if exists) | execution mode |" where execution mode can be one of: UNPARTITIONED,PARTITIONED,LOCAL
-     * 
+     *
      * @param module
      */
     @Override
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@
     /**
      * Outputs the abstract syntax tree obtained from parsing by serializing the DomDriver object to a pretty-printed XML
      * String.
-     * 
+     *
      * @param moduleNode
      */
     @Override
@@ -105,8 +106,10 @@
         try {
             ILogicalExpressionVisitor<String, Integer> ev = new VXQueryLogicalExpressionPrettyPrintVisitor(
                     module.getModuleContext());
-            LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor v = new LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor(ev);
-            PlanPrettyPrinter.printPlan(module.getBody(), sb, v, 0);
+            AlgebricksAppendable buffer = new AlgebricksAppendable();
+            LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor v = new LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor(buffer, ev);
+            PlanPrettyPrinter.printPlan(module.getBody(), v, 0);
+            sb.append(buffer.toString());
         } catch (AlgebricksException e) {
             e.printStackTrace();
         }
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/XMLQueryCompiler.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/XMLQueryCompiler.java
index fcc35ef..b7839d0 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/XMLQueryCompiler.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/XMLQueryCompiler.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.constraints.AlgebricksPartitionConstraint;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.NotImplementedException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.utils.Pair;
@@ -33,12 +34,14 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.base.LogicalExpressionTag;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.ConstantExpression;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IAlgebricksConstantValue;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IConflictingTypeResolver;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IExpressionEvalSizeComputer;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IExpressionTypeComputer;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IMergeAggregationExpressionFactory;
-import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.INullableTypeComputer;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IMissableTypeComputer;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.expressions.IVariableTypeEnvironment;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.metadata.IMetadataProvider;
+import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.prettyprint.AlgebricksAppendable;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.algebra.prettyprint.LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.AbstractRuleController;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.core.rewriter.base.IAlgebraicRewriteRule;
@@ -57,11 +60,12 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryComparatorFactoryProvider;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryConstantValue;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryExpressionRuntimeProvider;
-import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryNullWriterFactory;
+import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryMissingWriterFactory;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.VXQueryPrinterFactoryProvider;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.algebricks.prettyprint.VXQueryLogicalExpressionPrettyPrintVisitor;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.RewriteRuleset;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.rewriter.VXQueryOptimizationContext;
+import org.apache.vxquery.exceptions.SystemException;
 import org.apache.vxquery.metadata.VXQueryMetadataProvider;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.provider.VXQueryBinaryHashFunctionFactoryProvider;
 import org.apache.vxquery.runtime.provider.VXQueryBinaryHashFunctionFamilyProvider;
@@ -115,25 +119,27 @@
                     public IOptimizationContext createOptimizationContext(int varCounter,
                             IExpressionEvalSizeComputer expressionEvalSizeComputer,
                             IMergeAggregationExpressionFactory mergeAggregationExpressionFactory,
-                            IExpressionTypeComputer expressionTypeComputer, INullableTypeComputer nullableTypeComputer,
-                            PhysicalOptimizationConfig physicalOptimizationConfig) {
+                            IExpressionTypeComputer expressionTypeComputer, IMissableTypeComputer missableTypeComputer,
+                            IConflictingTypeResolver conflictintTypeResolver,
+                            PhysicalOptimizationConfig physicalOptimizationConfig,
+                            AlgebricksPartitionConstraint clusterLocations) {
                         return new VXQueryOptimizationContext(varCounter, expressionEvalSizeComputer,
-                                mergeAggregationExpressionFactory, expressionTypeComputer, nullableTypeComputer,
-                                physicalOptimizationConfig, pprinter);
+                                mergeAggregationExpressionFactory, expressionTypeComputer, missableTypeComputer,
+                                conflictintTypeResolver, physicalOptimizationConfig, clusterLocations, pprinter);
                     }
                 });
         builder.getPhysicalOptimizationConfig().setFrameSize(this.frameSize);
         if (joinHashSize > 0) {
-            builder.getPhysicalOptimizationConfig().setMaxFramesHybridHash((int) (joinHashSize / this.frameSize));
+            builder.getPhysicalOptimizationConfig().setMaxFramesForJoin((int) (joinHashSize / this.frameSize));
         }
         if (maximumDataSize > 0) {
             builder.getPhysicalOptimizationConfig()
-                    .setMaxFramesLeftInputHybridHash((int) (maximumDataSize / this.frameSize));
+                    .setMaxFramesForJoinLeftInput((int) (maximumDataSize / this.frameSize));
+        } else {
+            builder.getPhysicalOptimizationConfig()
+                    .setMaxFramesForJoinLeftInput((int) (60L * 1024 * 1048576 / this.frameSize));
         }
 
-        builder.getPhysicalOptimizationConfig()
-                .setMaxFramesLeftInputHybridHash((int) (60L * 1024 * 1048576 / this.frameSize));
-
         builder.setLogicalRewrites(buildDefaultLogicalRewrites());
         builder.setPhysicalRewrites(buildDefaultPhysicalRewrites());
         builder.setSerializerDeserializerProvider(new ISerializerDeserializerProvider() {
@@ -172,9 +178,9 @@
                 return null;
             }
         });
-        builder.setNullableTypeComputer(new INullableTypeComputer() {
+        builder.setMissableTypeComputer(new IMissableTypeComputer() {
             @Override
-            public Object makeNullableType(Object type) throws AlgebricksException {
+            public Object makeMissableType(Object type) throws AlgebricksException {
                 SequenceType st = (SequenceType) type;
                 if (st.getQuantifier().allowsEmptySequence()) {
                     return type;
@@ -185,7 +191,7 @@
             }
 
             @Override
-            public boolean canBeNull(Object type) {
+            public boolean canBeMissing(Object type) {
                 return false;
             }
 
@@ -194,7 +200,7 @@
                 throw new NotImplementedException("NullableTypeComputer is not implented (getNonOptionalType)");
             }
         });
-        builder.setNullWriterFactory(new VXQueryNullWriterFactory());
+        builder.setMissingWriterFactory(new VXQueryMissingWriterFactory());
         if (availableProcessors < 1) {
             builder.setClusterLocations(VXQueryMetadataProvider.getClusterLocations(nodeList));
         } else {
@@ -215,11 +221,11 @@
     }
 
     public void compile(String name, Reader query, CompilerControlBlock ccb, int optimizationLevel)
-            throws AlgebricksException {
+            throws AlgebricksException, SystemException {
         moduleNode = XMLQueryParser.parse(name, query);
         listener.notifyParseResult(moduleNode);
         module = new XMLQueryTranslator(ccb).translateModule(moduleNode);
-        pprinter = new LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor(
+        pprinter = new LogicalOperatorPrettyPrintVisitor(new AlgebricksAppendable(),
                 new VXQueryLogicalExpressionPrettyPrintVisitor(module.getModuleContext()));
         VXQueryMetadataProvider mdProvider = new VXQueryMetadataProvider(nodeList, ccb.getSourceFileMap(),
                 module.getModuleContext(), this.hdfsConf, nodeControllerInfos);
@@ -278,7 +284,7 @@
     }
 
     private static List<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>> buildDefaultPhysicalRewrites() {
-        List<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>> defaultPhysicalRewrites = new ArrayList<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>>();
+        List<Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>> defaultPhysicalRewrites = new ArrayList<>();
         SequentialOnceRuleController seqOnceCtrlAllLevels = new SequentialOnceRuleController(true);
         SequentialOnceRuleController seqOnceCtrlTopLevel = new SequentialOnceRuleController(false);
         defaultPhysicalRewrites.add(new Pair<AbstractRuleController, List<IAlgebraicRewriteRule>>(seqOnceCtrlAllLevels,
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/translator/XMLQueryTranslator.java b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/translator/XMLQueryTranslator.java
index ff230d3..3d95cb1 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/translator/XMLQueryTranslator.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/translator/XMLQueryTranslator.java
@@ -2143,7 +2143,7 @@
 
     private List<LogicalVariable> translateExpressionList(List<ASTNode> expressions, TranslationContext tCtx)
             throws SystemException {
-        List<LogicalVariable> result = new ArrayList<LogicalVariable>();
+        List<LogicalVariable> result = new ArrayList<>();
         for (ASTNode e : expressions) {
             result.add(translateExpression(e, tCtx));
         }
@@ -2151,11 +2151,11 @@
     }
 
     private static Mutable<ILogicalExpression> mutable(ILogicalExpression expr) {
-        return new MutableObject<ILogicalExpression>(expr);
+        return new MutableObject<>(expr);
     }
 
     private static Mutable<ILogicalOperator> mutable(ILogicalOperator op) {
-        return new MutableObject<ILogicalOperator>(op);
+        return new MutableObject<>(op);
     }
 
     private LogicalVariable newLogicalVariable() {
diff --git a/vxquery-core/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/SimpleXQueryTest.java b/vxquery-core/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/SimpleXQueryTest.java
index 51e6091..7646f97 100644
--- a/vxquery-core/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/SimpleXQueryTest.java
+++ b/vxquery-core/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xmlquery/query/SimpleXQueryTest.java
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@
     private static void runTestInternal(String testName, String query) throws Exception {
 
         Map<String, NodeControllerInfo> nodeControllerInfos = new HashMap<String, NodeControllerInfo>();
-        nodeControllerInfos.put("nc1", new NodeControllerInfo("nc1", null, new NetworkAddress("127.0.0.1", 0), null));
+        nodeControllerInfos.put("nc1", new NodeControllerInfo("nc1", null, new NetworkAddress("127.0.0.1", 0), null, null, 1));
 
         XMLQueryCompiler compiler = new XMLQueryCompiler(null, nodeControllerInfos, 65536);
         CompilerControlBlock ccb = new CompilerControlBlock(new StaticContextImpl(RootStaticContextImpl.INSTANCE),
diff --git a/vxquery-server/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/cli/VXQueryClusterShutdown.java b/vxquery-server/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/cli/VXQueryClusterShutdown.java
index ced608a..c93996d 100644
--- a/vxquery-server/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/cli/VXQueryClusterShutdown.java
+++ b/vxquery-server/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/cli/VXQueryClusterShutdown.java
@@ -17,17 +17,16 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.client.HyracksConnection;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.client.IHyracksClientConnection;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.Argument;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineParser;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.Option;
 
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.client.HyracksConnection;
-import org.apache.hyracks.api.client.IHyracksClientConnection;
-
 public class VXQueryClusterShutdown {
     /**
      * Main method to get command line options and execute query process.
-     * 
+     *
      * @param args
      * @throws Exception
      */
@@ -42,16 +41,16 @@
             parser.printUsage(System.err);
             return;
         }
-        
+
         // give error message if missing arguments
         if (opts.clientNetIpAddress == null) {
             parser.printUsage(System.err);
             return;
         }
-        
+
         try {
             IHyracksClientConnection hcc = new HyracksConnection(opts.clientNetIpAddress, opts.clientNetPort);
-            hcc.stopCluster();
+            hcc.stopCluster(true);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             System.err.println("Unable to connect and shutdown the Hyracks cluster.");
             System.err.println(e);
diff --git a/vxquery-xtest/pom.xml b/vxquery-xtest/pom.xml
index 27c2bf8..a00bec2 100644
--- a/vxquery-xtest/pom.xml
+++ b/vxquery-xtest/pom.xml
@@ -188,6 +188,27 @@
             <artifactId>jetty</artifactId>
             <scope>compile</scope>
         </dependency>
+
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>org.apache.hadoop</groupId>
+            <artifactId>hadoop-common</artifactId>
+            <version>2.7.0</version>
+            <classifier>tests</classifier>
+        </dependency>
+
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>org.apache.hadoop</groupId>
+            <artifactId>hadoop-hdfs</artifactId>
+            <version>2.7.0</version>
+            <classifier>tests</classifier>
+        </dependency>
+
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>junit</groupId>
+            <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
+            <scope>test</scope>
+        </dependency>
+
     </dependencies>
 
     <reporting>
diff --git a/vxquery-xtest/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/TestRunner.java b/vxquery-xtest/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/TestRunner.java
index 1cd2696..e4ba6eb 100644
--- a/vxquery-xtest/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/TestRunner.java
+++ b/vxquery-xtest/src/main/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/TestRunner.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.comm.IFrame;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.comm.IFrameTupleAccessor;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.comm.VSizeFrame;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataset.DatasetJobRecord;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataset.IHyracksDataset;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataset.IHyracksDatasetReader;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.dataset.ResultSetId;
@@ -36,7 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.job.JobFlag;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.job.JobId;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.job.JobSpecification;
-import org.apache.hyracks.client.dataset.HyracksDataset;
 import org.apache.hyracks.control.nc.resources.memory.FrameManager;
 import org.apache.hyracks.dataflow.common.comm.io.ResultFrameTupleAccessor;
 import org.apache.vxquery.compiler.CompilerControlBlock;
@@ -52,8 +52,7 @@
 import org.apache.vxquery.xmlquery.query.XMLQueryCompiler;
 
 public class TestRunner {
-    private static final Pattern EMBEDDED_SYSERROR_PATTERN = Pattern
-            .compile("org\\.apache\\.vxquery\\.exceptions\\.SystemException: (\\p{javaUpperCase}{4}\\d{4})");
+    private static final Pattern EMBEDDED_SYSERROR_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("(\\p{javaUpperCase}{4}\\d{4})");
 
     private XTestOptions opts;
     private IHyracksClientConnection hcc;
@@ -112,6 +111,10 @@
                 FrameManager resultDisplayFrameMgr = new FrameManager(spec.getFrameSize());
                 IFrame frame = new VSizeFrame(resultDisplayFrameMgr);
                 IHyracksDatasetReader reader = hds.createReader(jobId, ccb.getResultSetId());
+                // TODO(tillw) remove this loop once the IHyracksDatasetReader reliably returns the correct exception
+                while (reader.getResultStatus() == DatasetJobRecord.Status.RUNNING) {
+                    Thread.sleep(1);
+                }
                 IFrameTupleAccessor frameTupleAccessor = new ResultFrameTupleAccessor();
                 res.result = "";
                 while (reader.read(frame) > 0) {
@@ -125,10 +128,13 @@
                 while (t.getCause() != null) {
                     t = t.getCause();
                 }
-                Matcher m = EMBEDDED_SYSERROR_PATTERN.matcher(t.getMessage());
-                if (m.find()) {
-                    String eCode = m.group(1);
-                    throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.valueOf(eCode), e);
+                final String message = t.getMessage();
+                if (message != null) {
+                    Matcher m = EMBEDDED_SYSERROR_PATTERN.matcher(message);
+                    if (m.find()) {
+                        String eCode = m.group(1);
+                        throw new SystemException(ErrorCode.valueOf(eCode), e);
+                    }
                 }
                 throw e;
             }
diff --git a/vxquery-xtest/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/AbstractXQueryTest.java b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/AbstractXQueryTest.java
index 96cc7cb..1e2dcf6 100644
--- a/vxquery-xtest/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/AbstractXQueryTest.java
+++ b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/java/org/apache/vxquery/xtest/AbstractXQueryTest.java
@@ -117,15 +117,14 @@
     public static void shutdown() throws IOException {
         removeFS();
         TestClusterUtil.stopCluster(cc, nc);
-
     }
 
     public static void removeFS() throws IOException {
+        dfs.shutdownHDFS();
         File tmp = new File(TMP);
         if (tmp.exists()) {
             FileUtils.deleteDirectory(tmp);
         }
-        dfs.shutdownHDFS();
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/ExpectedTestResults/Simple/data_types.txt b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/ExpectedTestResults/Simple/data_types.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7976dbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/ExpectedTestResults/Simple/data_types.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+10.99
+http://www.example.com/catalog.xml
+true
+8
+1999-12-31
+1999-12-31T00:00:00
+2.3
+1.5
+0.4
+---30+10:30
+64
+32
+16
+string
+01:02:03
diff --git a/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/Queries/XQuery/Simple/data_types.xq b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/Queries/XQuery/Simple/data_types.xq
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67a24dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/Queries/XQuery/Simple/data_types.xq
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+(: Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+   or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+   distributed with this work for additional information
+   regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+   to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+   "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+   with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+   software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+   "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+   KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+   specific language governing permissions and limitations
+   under the License. :)
+
+(xs:untypedAtomic("10.99"),
+xs:anyURI("http://www.example.com/catalog.xml"),
+xs:boolean("true"),
+xs:byte(8),
+xs:date("1999-12-31"),
+xs:dateTime("1999-12-31T24:00:00"),
+xs:decimal(2.3),
+xs:double(1.5),
+xs:float(0.4),
+xs:gDay("---30+10:30"),
+xs:int(64),
+xs:long(32),
+xs:short(16),
+xs:string("string"),
+xs:time("01:02:03"))
diff --git a/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/cat/SingleQuery.xml b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/cat/SingleQuery.xml
index c9bd305..8800339 100644
--- a/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/cat/SingleQuery.xml
+++ b/vxquery-xtest/src/test/resources/cat/SingleQuery.xml
@@ -23,9 +23,19 @@
       <query name="add" date="2014-08-18"/>
       <output-file compare="Text">add.txt</output-file>
    </test-case>
+   <test-case name="simple-data-types" FilePath="Simple/" Creator="Preston Carman">
+      <description>Adds two numbers.</description>
+      <query name="data_types" date="2017-04-17"/>
+      <output-file compare="Text">data_types.txt</output-file>
+   </test-case>
    <test-case name="simple-fn-doc" FilePath="Simple/" Creator="Preston Carman">
       <description>Adds two numbers.</description>
       <query name="fn_doc" date="2014-08-18"/>
       <output-file compare="Text">fn_doc.txt</output-file>
    </test-case>
+   <test-case name="simple-list" FilePath="Simple/" Creator="Preston Carman">
+      <description>Adds two numbers.</description>
+      <query name="list" date="2017-04-17"/>
+      <output-file compare="Text">list.txt</output-file>
+   </test-case>
 </test-group>