diff --git a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/common/APIFramework.java b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/common/APIFramework.java
index 4062392..2fc61e8 100644
--- a/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/common/APIFramework.java
+++ b/asterix-app/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/api/common/APIFramework.java
@@ -250,21 +250,7 @@
             }
         }
 
-        int frameSize = GlobalConfig.DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE;
-        String frameSizeStr = System.getProperty(GlobalConfig.FRAME_SIZE_PROPERTY);
-        if (frameSizeStr != null) {
-            int fz = -1;
-            try {
-                fz = Integer.parseInt(frameSizeStr);
-            } catch (NumberFormatException nfe) {
-                GlobalConfig.ASTERIX_LOGGER.warning("Wrong frame size size argument. Picking default value ("
-                        + GlobalConfig.DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE + ") instead.\n");
-                throw new AlgebricksException(nfe);
-            }
-            if (fz >= 0) {
-                frameSize = fz;
-            }
-        }
+        int frameSize = GlobalConfig.getFrameSize();
 
         HeuristicCompilerFactoryBuilder builder = new HeuristicCompilerFactoryBuilder(
                 AqlOptimizationContextFactory.INSTANCE);
diff --git a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/GlobalConfig.java b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/GlobalConfig.java
index 91ea627..913882e 100644
--- a/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/GlobalConfig.java
+++ b/asterix-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/asterix/common/config/GlobalConfig.java
@@ -36,4 +36,22 @@
     public static final float DEFAULT_BTREE_FILL_FACTOR = 1.00f;
 
     public static int DEFAULT_INPUT_DATA_COLUMN = 0;
+
+    public static int getFrameSize() {
+        int frameSize = GlobalConfig.DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE;
+        String frameSizeStr = System.getProperty(GlobalConfig.FRAME_SIZE_PROPERTY);
+        if (frameSizeStr != null) {
+            int fz = -1;
+            try {
+                fz = Integer.parseInt(frameSizeStr);
+            } catch (NumberFormatException nfe) {
+                GlobalConfig.ASTERIX_LOGGER.warning("Wrong frame size size argument. Picking default value ("
+                        + GlobalConfig.DEFAULT_FRAME_SIZE + ") instead.\n");
+            }
+            if (fz >= 0) {
+                frameSize = fz;
+            }
+        }
+        return frameSize;
+    }
 }