diff --git a/asterix-external-data/pom.xml b/asterix-external-data/pom.xml
index de106aa..55766e8 100644
--- a/asterix-external-data/pom.xml
+++ b/asterix-external-data/pom.xml
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 				<configuration>
                                     <includes>
                                         <include>**/*.class</include>
+                                        <include>**/*.txt</include>
                                     </includes>
 				</configuration>
 				<executions>
diff --git a/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/ExternalFunctionProvider.java b/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/ExternalFunctionProvider.java
index d895dde..db6c224 100755
--- a/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/ExternalFunctionProvider.java
+++ b/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/ExternalFunctionProvider.java
@@ -36,7 +36,11 @@
     public ExternalScalarFunction(IExternalFunctionInfo finfo, ICopyEvaluatorFactory args[],
             IDataOutputProvider outputProvider) throws AlgebricksException {
         super(finfo, args, outputProvider);
-        initialize(functionHelper);
+        try {
+            initialize(functionHelper);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            throw new AlgebricksException(e);
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -54,7 +58,7 @@
     }
 
     @Override
-    public void initialize(IFunctionHelper functionHelper) {
+    public void initialize(IFunctionHelper functionHelper) throws Exception {
         ((IExternalScalarFunction) externalFunction).initialize(functionHelper);
     }
 
diff --git a/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/IExternalScalarFunction.java b/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/IExternalScalarFunction.java
index ddab3d8..09451d8 100755
--- a/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/IExternalScalarFunction.java
+++ b/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/IExternalScalarFunction.java
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 package edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library;
 
-
 public interface IExternalScalarFunction extends IExternalFunction {
 
-    public void initialize(IFunctionHelper functionHelper);
-    
+    public void initialize(IFunctionHelper functionHelper) throws Exception;
+
     public void evaluate(IFunctionHelper functionHelper) throws Exception;
 
 }
diff --git a/asterix-external-data/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/CapitalFinderFactory.java b/asterix-external-data/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/CapitalFinderFactory.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..872b542
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asterix-external-data/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/CapitalFinderFactory.java
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2009-2013 by The Regents of the University of California
+ * 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.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library;
+
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library.IExternalScalarFunction;
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library.IFunctionFactory;
+
+public class CapitalFinderFactory implements IFunctionFactory {
+
+    @Override
+    public IExternalScalarFunction getExternalFunction() {
+        return new CapitalFinderFunction();
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/asterix-external-data/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/CapitalFinderFunction.java b/asterix-external-data/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/CapitalFinderFunction.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a12520
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asterix-external-data/src/test/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/external/library/CapitalFinderFunction.java
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2009-2013 by The Regents of the University of California
+ * 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.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library;
+
+import java.io.InputStream;
+import java.util.Properties;
+
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library.java.JObjects.JRecord;
+import edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library.java.JObjects.JString;
+
+public class CapitalFinderFunction implements IExternalScalarFunction {
+
+    private static Properties capitalList;
+    private static final String NOT_FOUND = "NOT_FOUND";
+
+    @Override
+    public void deinitialize() {
+        System.out.println(" De Initialized");
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void evaluate(IFunctionHelper functionHelper) throws Exception {
+        JString country = ((JString) functionHelper.getArgument(0));
+        JRecord record = (JRecord) functionHelper.getResultObject();
+        ((JString) record.getValueByName("country")).setValue(country.getValue());
+        String capitalCity = capitalList.getProperty(country.getValue(), NOT_FOUND);
+        ((JString) record.getValueByName("capital")).setValue(capitalCity);
+        functionHelper.setResult(record);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void initialize(IFunctionHelper functionHelper) throws Exception {
+        InputStream in = CapitalFinderFunction.class.getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("data/countriesCapitals.txt");
+        capitalList = new Properties();
+        capitalList.load(in);
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/asterix-external-data/src/test/resources/data/countriesCapitals.txt b/asterix-external-data/src/test/resources/data/countriesCapitals.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..def17ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asterix-external-data/src/test/resources/data/countriesCapitals.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+United\ Arab\ Emirates=Abu Dhabi
+Nigeria=Abuja
+Ghana=Accra
+Ethiopia=Addis Ababa
+Algeria=Algiers
+Niue=Alofi
+Jordan=Amman
+Netherlands=Amsterdam 
+Andorra=Andorra la Vella
+Turkey=Ankara
+Madagascar=Antananarivo
+Samoa=Apia
+Turkmenistan=Ashgabat
+Eritrea=Asmara
+Kazakhstan=Astana
+Paraguay=Asunción
+Greece=Athens
+Iraq=Baghdad
+Azerbaijan=Baku
+Mali=Bamako
+Brunei=Bandar Seri Begawan
+Thailand=Bangkok
+Gambia=Banjul
+China=Beijing
+Lebanon=Beirut
+Serbia=Belgrade
+Belize=Belmopan
+Germany=Berlin
+Switzerland=Bern
+Kyrgyzstan=Bishkek
+Guinea-Bissau=Bissau
+Colombia=Bogotá
+Brazil=Brasília
+Slovakia=Bratislava
+Barbados=Bridgetown
+Belgium=Brussels
+Romania=Bucharest
+Hungary=Budapest
+Argentina=Buenos Aires
+Burundi=Bujumbura
+Egypt=Cairo
+Australia=Canberra
+Venezuela=Caracas
+Wales=Cardiff
+Moldova=Chisinau
+Guinea=Conakry
+Denmark=Copenhagen
+Senegal=Dakar
+Syria=Damascus
+Bangladesh=Dhaka
+Djibouti=Djibouti
+Qatar=Doha
+Ireland=Dublin
+Tajikistan=Dushanbe
+Scotland=Edinburgh
+Botswana=Gaborone
+Guyana=Georgetown
+Gibraltar=Gibraltar
+Guatemala=Guatemala City
+Guam=Hagåtña
+Bermuda=Hamilton
+Vietnam=Hanoi
+Zimbabwe=Harare
+Cuba=Havana
+Finland=Helsinki
+Pakistan=Islamabad
+Indonesia=Jakarta
+Afghanistan=Kabul
+Uganda=Kampala
+Nepal=Kathmandu
+Sudan=Khartoum
+Ukraine=Kiev
+Rwanda=Kigali
+Jamaica=Kingston
+Malaysia=Kuala Lumpur
+Kuwait=Kuwait City
+Gabon=Libreville
+Malawi=Lilongwe
+Peru=Lima
+Portugal=Lisbon
+Slovenia=Ljubljana
+Togo=Lome
+England=London
+Angola=Luanda
+Zambia=Lusaka
+Luxembourg=Luxembourg
+Spain=Madrid
+Marshall Islands=Majuro
+Equatorial Guinea=Malabo
+Maldives=Malé
+Nicaragua=Managua
+Bahrain=Manama
+Philippines=Manila
+Mozambique=Maputo
+Saint Martin=Marigot
+Lesotho=Maseru
+Wallis and Futuna=Mata-Utu
+Palau=Melekeok
+Mexico=Mexico City
+Belarus=Minsk
+Somalia=Mogadishu
+Monaco=Monaco
+Liberia=Monrovia
+Uruguay=Montevideo
+Comoros=Moroni
+Russia=Moscow
+Oman=Muscat
+Kenya=Nairobi
+Bahamas=Nassau
+Myanmar=Naypyidaw
+Chad=NDjamena
+India=New Delhi
+Niger=Niamey
+Cyprus=Nicosia
+Mauritania=Nouakchott
+Greenland=Nuuk
+Aruba=Oranjestad
+Norway=Oslo
+Canada=Ottawa
+Panama=Panama City
+Suriname=Paramaribo
+France=Paris
+Cambodia=Phnom Penh
+Montserrat=Brades Estate (de facto)
+Montenegro=Podgorica
+Mauritius=Port Louis
+Vanuatu=Port Vila
+Haiti=Port-au-Prince
+Benin=Cotonou (de facto)
+Czech Republic=Prague
+Cape Verde=Praia
+South\ Africa=Cape Town
+North\ Korea=Pyongyang
+Ecuador=Quito
+Morocco=Rabat
+Iceland=Reykjavík
+Latvia=Riga
+Saudi\ Arabia=Riyadh
+Italy=Rome
+Dominica=Roseau
+Costa\ Rica=San José
+Puerto\ Rico=San Juan
+San\ Marino=San Marino
+El\ Salvador=San Salvador
+Yemen=Sanaa
+Chile=Santiago
+Dominican\ Republic=Santo Domingo
+Bosnia\ and\ Herzegovina=Sarajevo
+South\ Korea=Seoul
+Singapore=Singapore
+Macedonia=Skopje
+Bulgaria=Sofia
+Sri\ Lanka=Colombo
+Grenada=St. George's
+Jersey=St. Helier
+Guernsey=St. Peter Port
+Sweden=Stockholm
+Bolivia=La Paz
+Abkhazia=Sukhumi
+Fiji=Suva
+Taiwan=Taipei
+Estonia=Tallinn
+Kiribati=Tarawa
+Uzbekistan=Tashkent
+Georgia=Tbilisi
+Honduras=Tegucigalpa
+Iran=Tehran
+Bhutan=Thimphu
+Albania=Tirana
+Transnistria=Tiraspol
+Japan=Tokyo
+Libya=Tripoli
+Tunisia=Tunis
+Mongolia=Ulan Bator
+Liechtenstein=Vaduz
+Malta=Valletta
+Anguilla=The Valley
+Vatican\ City=Vatican City
+Seychelles=Victoria
+Austria=Vienna
+Laos=Vientiane
+Lithuania=Vilnius
+Poland=Warsaw
+United\ States=Washington D.C.
+New\ Zealand=Wellington
+Namibia=Windhoek
+Nauru=Yaren (de facto)
+Armenia=Yerevan
+Croatia=Zagreb
diff --git a/asterix-external-data/src/test/resources/text_functions.xml b/asterix-external-data/src/test/resources/text_functions.xml
index e70d4a0..bee6604 100644
--- a/asterix-external-data/src/test/resources/text_functions.xml
+++ b/asterix-external-data/src/test/resources/text_functions.xml
@@ -19,6 +19,14 @@
 		</function>
 		<function>
 			<function_type>SCALAR</function_type>
+			<name>getCapital</name>
+			<arguments>ASTRING</arguments>
+			<return_type>CountryCapitalType</return_type>
+			<definition>edu.uci.ics.asterix.external.library.CapitalFinderFactory
+			</definition>
+		</function>
+		<function>
+			<function_type>SCALAR</function_type>
 			<name>toUpper</name>
 			<arguments>TextType</arguments>
 			<return_type>TextType</return_type>