diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/dataflow/data/nontagged/serde/ARecordSerializerDeserializer.java b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/dataflow/data/nontagged/serde/ARecordSerializerDeserializer.java
index 75aa61d..0f762ec 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/dataflow/data/nontagged/serde/ARecordSerializerDeserializer.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/dataflow/data/nontagged/serde/ARecordSerializerDeserializer.java
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
 
 import org.apache.asterix.builders.IARecordBuilder;
 import org.apache.asterix.builders.RecordBuilder;
-import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.AsterixException;
 import org.apache.asterix.formats.nontagged.BinaryComparatorFactoryProvider;
 import org.apache.asterix.formats.nontagged.BinaryHashFunctionFactoryProvider;
 import org.apache.asterix.formats.nontagged.SerializerDeserializerProvider;
@@ -54,13 +53,15 @@
 
     public static final ARecordSerializerDeserializer SCHEMALESS_INSTANCE = new ARecordSerializerDeserializer();
 
+    private static final IAObject[] NO_FIELDS = new IAObject[0];
+
     private final ARecordType recordType;
     private final int numberOfSchemaFields;
 
     @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
-    private final ISerializerDeserializer serializers[];
+    private final ISerializerDeserializer[] serializers;
     @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
-    private final ISerializerDeserializer deserializers[];
+    private final ISerializerDeserializer[] deserializers;
 
     private ARecordSerializerDeserializer() {
         this(null);
@@ -74,12 +75,7 @@
             deserializers = new ISerializerDeserializer[numberOfSchemaFields];
             for (int i = 0; i < numberOfSchemaFields; i++) {
                 IAType t = recordType.getFieldTypes()[i];
-                IAType t2;
-                if (t.getTypeTag() == ATypeTag.UNION) {
-                    t2 = ((AUnionType) t).getActualType();
-                } else {
-                    t2 = t;
-                }
+                IAType t2 = (t.getTypeTag() == ATypeTag.UNION) ? ((AUnionType) t).getActualType() : t;
                 serializers[i] = SerializerDeserializerProvider.INSTANCE.getSerializerDeserializer(t2);
                 deserializers[i] = SerializerDeserializerProvider.INSTANCE.getNonTaggedSerializerDeserializer(t2);
             }
@@ -94,47 +90,8 @@
     @Override
     public ARecord deserialize(DataInput in) throws HyracksDataException {
         try {
-            boolean isExpanded = false;
-            in.readInt(); // recordSize
-            if (recordType == null) {
-                isExpanded = in.readBoolean();
-                in.readInt(); // openPartOffset
-            } else {
-                if (recordType.isOpen()) {
-                    isExpanded = in.readBoolean();
-                    if (isExpanded) {
-                        in.readInt(); // openPartOffset
-                    }
-                } else {
-                    isExpanded = false;
-                }
-            }
-            IAObject[] closedFields = null;
-            if (numberOfSchemaFields > 0) {
-                in.readInt(); // read number of closed fields.
-                boolean hasOptionalFields = NonTaggedFormatUtil.hasOptionalField(this.recordType);
-                byte[] nullBitMap = null;
-                if (hasOptionalFields) {
-                    int nullBitMapSize = (int) (Math.ceil(numberOfSchemaFields / 4.0));
-                    nullBitMap = new byte[nullBitMapSize];
-                    in.readFully(nullBitMap);
-                }
-                closedFields = new IAObject[numberOfSchemaFields];
-                for (int i = 0; i < numberOfSchemaFields; i++) {
-                    in.readInt();
-                }
-                for (int fieldId = 0; fieldId < numberOfSchemaFields; fieldId++) {
-                    if (hasOptionalFields && ((nullBitMap[fieldId / 4] & (1 << (7 - 2 * (fieldId % 4)))) == 0)) {
-                        closedFields[fieldId] = ANull.NULL;
-                        continue;
-                    }
-                    if (hasOptionalFields && ((nullBitMap[fieldId / 4] & (1 << (7 - 2 * (fieldId % 4) - 1))) == 0)) {
-                        closedFields[fieldId] = AMissing.MISSING;
-                        continue;
-                    }
-                    closedFields[fieldId] = (IAObject) deserializers[fieldId].deserialize(in);
-                }
-            }
+            boolean isExpanded = isExpandedRecord(in);
+            IAObject[] schemaFields = getValuesForSchemaFields(in);
 
             if (isExpanded) {
                 int numberOfOpenFields = in.readInt();
@@ -153,19 +110,65 @@
                 ARecordType openPartRecType = new ARecordType(null, fieldNames, fieldTypes, true);
                 if (numberOfSchemaFields > 0) {
                     ARecordType mergedRecordType = mergeRecordTypes(this.recordType, openPartRecType);
-                    IAObject[] mergedFields = mergeFields(closedFields, openFields);
+                    IAObject[] mergedFields = mergeFields(schemaFields, openFields);
                     return new ARecord(mergedRecordType, mergedFields);
                 } else {
                     return new ARecord(openPartRecType, openFields);
                 }
             } else {
-                return new ARecord(this.recordType, closedFields);
+                return new ARecord(this.recordType, schemaFields);
             }
-        } catch (IOException | AsterixException e) {
+        } catch (IOException e) {
             throw new HyracksDataException(e);
         }
     }
 
+    private boolean isExpandedRecord(DataInput in) throws IOException {
+        in.readInt(); // recordSize
+        if (recordType == null) {
+            boolean exp = in.readBoolean();
+            in.readInt(); // openPartOffset
+            return exp;
+        } else {
+            if (recordType.isOpen()) {
+                boolean exp = in.readBoolean();
+                if (exp) {
+                    in.readInt(); // openPartOffset
+                }
+                return exp;
+            }
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private IAObject[] getValuesForSchemaFields(DataInput in) throws IOException {
+        if (numberOfSchemaFields <= 0) {
+            return NO_FIELDS;
+        }
+        in.readInt(); // read number of schema fields.
+        boolean hasOptionalFields = NonTaggedFormatUtil.hasOptionalField(this.recordType);
+        byte[] nullBitMap = null;
+        if (hasOptionalFields) {
+            int nullBitMapSize = (int) (Math.ceil(numberOfSchemaFields / 4.0));
+            nullBitMap = new byte[nullBitMapSize];
+            in.readFully(nullBitMap);
+        }
+        for (int i = 0; i < numberOfSchemaFields; i++) {
+            in.readInt();
+        }
+        IAObject[] schemaFields = new IAObject[numberOfSchemaFields];
+        for (int fieldId = 0; fieldId < numberOfSchemaFields; fieldId++) {
+            if (hasOptionalFields && ((nullBitMap[fieldId / 4] & (1 << (7 - 2 * (fieldId % 4)))) == 0)) {
+                schemaFields[fieldId] = ANull.NULL;
+            } else if (hasOptionalFields && ((nullBitMap[fieldId / 4] & (1 << (7 - 2 * (fieldId % 4) - 1))) == 0)) {
+                schemaFields[fieldId] = AMissing.MISSING;
+            } else {
+                schemaFields[fieldId] = (IAObject) deserializers[fieldId].deserialize(in);
+            }
+        }
+        return schemaFields;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void serialize(ARecord instance, DataOutput out) throws HyracksDataException {
         this.serialize(instance, out, false);
@@ -244,8 +247,7 @@
         return fields;
     }
 
-    private ARecordType mergeRecordTypes(ARecordType recType1, ARecordType recType2) throws AsterixException {
-
+    private ARecordType mergeRecordTypes(ARecordType recType1, ARecordType recType2) {
         String[] fieldNames = new String[recType1.getFieldNames().length + recType2.getFieldNames().length];
         IAType[] fieldTypes = new IAType[recType1.getFieldTypes().length + recType2.getFieldTypes().length];
 
@@ -266,7 +268,7 @@
         return AInt32SerializerDeserializer.getInt(serRecord, offset);
     }
 
-    public static final int getFieldOffsetById(byte[] serRecord, int offset, int fieldId, int nullBitmapSize,
+    public static int getFieldOffsetById(byte[] serRecord, int offset, int fieldId, int nullBitmapSize,
             boolean isOpen) {
         final byte nullTestCode = (byte) (1 << (7 - 2 * (fieldId % 4)));
         final byte missingTestCode = (byte) (1 << (7 - 2 * (fieldId % 4) - 1));
@@ -303,26 +305,15 @@
         return offset + AInt32SerializerDeserializer.getInt(serRecord, pointer + nullBitmapSize + (4 * fieldId));
     }
 
-    public static final int getFieldOffsetByName(byte[] serRecord, int start, int len, byte[] fieldName, int nstart)
+    public static int getFieldOffsetByName(byte[] serRecord, int start, int len, byte[] fieldName, int nstart)
             throws HyracksDataException {
-        int openPartOffset;
-        if (serRecord[start] == ATypeTag.SERIALIZED_RECORD_TYPE_TAG) {
-            if (len <= 5) {
-                // Empty record
-                return -1;
-            }
-            // 5 is the index of the byte that determines whether the record is
-            // expanded or not, i.e. it has an open part.
-            if (serRecord[start + 5] == 1) { // true
-                // 6 is the index of the first byte of the openPartOffset value.
-                openPartOffset = start + AInt32SerializerDeserializer.getInt(serRecord, start + 6);
-            } else {
-                return -1; // this record does not have an open part
-            }
-        } else {
-            return -1; // this record does not have an open part
+        // 5 is the index of the byte that determines whether the record is expanded or not, i.e. it has an open part.
+        // a record with len < 5 is empty
+        if (serRecord[start] != ATypeTag.SERIALIZED_RECORD_TYPE_TAG || len <= 5 || serRecord[start + 5] != 1) {
+            return -1;
         }
-
+        // 6 is the index of the first byte of the openPartOffset value.
+        int openPartOffset = start + AInt32SerializerDeserializer.getInt(serRecord, start + 6);
         int numberOfOpenField = AInt32SerializerDeserializer.getInt(serRecord, openPartOffset);
         int fieldUtflength = UTF8StringUtil.getUTFLength(fieldName, nstart + 1);
         int fieldUtfMetaLen = UTF8StringUtil.getNumBytesToStoreLength(fieldUtflength);
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/pointables/ARecordVisitablePointable.java b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/pointables/ARecordVisitablePointable.java
index c5a0ee5..066d562 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/pointables/ARecordVisitablePointable.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/pointables/ARecordVisitablePointable.java
@@ -65,8 +65,6 @@
     private final PointableAllocator allocator = new PointableAllocator();
 
     private final ResettableByteArrayOutputStream typeBos = new ResettableByteArrayOutputStream();
-    private final DataOutputStream typeDos = new DataOutputStream(typeBos);
-    private final UTF8StringWriter utf8Writer = new UTF8StringWriter();
 
     private final ResettableByteArrayOutputStream dataBos = new ResettableByteArrayOutputStream();
     private final DataOutputStream dataDos = new DataOutputStream(dataBos);
@@ -95,8 +93,9 @@
 
         // initialize the buffer for closed parts(fieldName bytes+ type bytes) +
         // constant(null bytes)
-        typeBos.reset();
         try {
+            final DataOutputStream typeDos = new DataOutputStream(typeBos);
+            final UTF8StringWriter utf8Writer = new UTF8StringWriter();
             for (int i = 0; i < numberOfSchemaFields; i++) {
                 ATypeTag ftypeTag = fieldTypes[i].getTypeTag();
 
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/typecomputer/impl/RecordRemoveFieldsTypeComputer.java b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/typecomputer/impl/RecordRemoveFieldsTypeComputer.java
index 2758666..fc2ebff 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/typecomputer/impl/RecordRemoveFieldsTypeComputer.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-om/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/om/typecomputer/impl/RecordRemoveFieldsTypeComputer.java
@@ -331,8 +331,7 @@
             case ANY:
                 return DefaultOpenFieldType.NESTED_OPEN_RECORD_TYPE;
             case UNION:
-                AUnionType u = (AUnionType) type0;
-                IAType t1 = u.getActualType();
+                IAType t1 = ((AUnionType) type0).getActualType();
                 if (t1.getTypeTag() == ATypeTag.RECORD) {
                     return (ARecordType) t1;
                 } else if (t1.getTypeTag() == ATypeTag.ANY) {