diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/asterix-build-configuration.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/asterix-build-configuration.xml
index 1d693f9..cbd5c93 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/asterix-build-configuration.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-app/src/main/resources/asterix-build-configuration.xml
@@ -52,19 +52,19 @@
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>compiler.framesize</name>
-    <value>32768</value>
+    <value>32KB</value>
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>compiler.sortmemory</name>
-    <value>327680</value>
+    <value>320KB</value>
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>compiler.groupmemory</name>
-    <value>163840</value>
+    <value>160KB</value>
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>compiler.joinmemory</name>
-    <value>163840</value>
+    <value>160KB</value>
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>compiler.pregelix.home</name>
@@ -72,14 +72,14 @@
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.pagesize</name>
-    <value>32768</value>
+    <value>32KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages in the buffer cache.
       (Default = "32768" // 32KB)
     </description>
   </property>
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.size</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The size of memory allocated to the disk buffer cache.
       The value should be a multiple of the buffer cache page size(Default
       = "33554432" // 32MB)
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixCompilerProperties.java b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixCompilerProperties.java
index 42f612a..5bfb5f8 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixCompilerProperties.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixCompilerProperties.java
@@ -40,22 +40,22 @@
 
     public long getSortMemorySize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(COMPILER_SORTMEMORY_KEY, COMPILER_SORTMEMORY_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public long getJoinMemorySize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(COMPILER_JOINMEMORY_KEY, COMPILER_JOINMEMORY_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public long getGroupMemorySize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(COMPILER_GROUPMEMORY_KEY, COMPILER_GROUPMEMORY_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public int getFrameSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(COMPILER_FRAMESIZE_KEY, COMPILER_FRAMESIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public String getPregelixHome() {
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixFeedProperties.java b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixFeedProperties.java
index e4d2913..0f3951e 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixFeedProperties.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixFeedProperties.java
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 
     public long getMemoryComponentGlobalBudget() {
         return accessor.getProperty(FEED_MEMORY_GLOBALBUDGET_KEY, FEED_MEMORY_GLOBALBUDGET_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public long getMemoryAvailableWaitTimeout() {
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixReplicationProperties.java b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixReplicationProperties.java
index 7f51bbd..eec4947 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixReplicationProperties.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixReplicationProperties.java
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@
 
     public int getLogBufferPageSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(REPLICATION_LOG_BUFFER_PAGE_SIZE_KEY, REPLICATION_LOG_BUFFER_PAGE_SIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public int getLogBufferNumOfPages() {
@@ -270,6 +270,6 @@
 
     public int getLogBatchSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(REPLICATION_LOG_BATCH_SIZE_KEY, REPLICATION_LOG_BATCH_SIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixStorageProperties.java b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixStorageProperties.java
index 9fb4e94..5fdbc1c 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixStorageProperties.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixStorageProperties.java
@@ -55,12 +55,12 @@
 
     public int getBufferCachePageSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(STORAGE_BUFFERCACHE_PAGESIZE_KEY, STORAGE_BUFFERCACHE_PAGESIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public long getBufferCacheSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(STORAGE_BUFFERCACHE_SIZE_KEY, STORAGE_BUFFERCACHE_SIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public int getBufferCacheNumPages() {
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 
     public int getMemoryComponentPageSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(STORAGE_MEMORYCOMPONENT_PAGESIZE_KEY, STORAGE_MEMORYCOMPONENT_PAGESIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public int getMemoryComponentNumPages() {
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@
 
     public long getMemoryComponentGlobalBudget() {
         return accessor.getProperty(STORAGE_MEMORYCOMPONENT_GLOBALBUDGET_KEY,
-                STORAGE_MEMORYCOMPONENT_GLOBALBUDGET_DEFAULT, PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                STORAGE_MEMORYCOMPONENT_GLOBALBUDGET_DEFAULT, PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public double getBloomFilterFalsePositiveRate() {
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixTransactionProperties.java b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixTransactionProperties.java
index 356dad3..00bcdc9 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixTransactionProperties.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/AsterixTransactionProperties.java
@@ -81,12 +81,12 @@
 
     public int getLogBufferPageSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(TXN_LOG_BUFFER_PAGESIZE_KEY, TXN_LOG_BUFFER_PAGESIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getIntegerBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public long getLogPartitionSize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(TXN_LOG_PARTITIONSIZE_KEY, TXN_LOG_PARTITIONSIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 
     public int getCheckpointLSNThreshold() {
@@ -131,6 +131,6 @@
 
     public long getJobRecoveryMemorySize() {
         return accessor.getProperty(TXN_JOB_RECOVERY_MEMORY_SIZE_KEY, TXN_JOB_RECOVERY_MEMORY_SIZE_DEFAULT,
-                PropertyInterpreters.getLongPropertyInterpreter());
+                PropertyInterpreters.getLongBytePropertyInterpreter());
     }
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/PropertyInterpreters.java b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/PropertyInterpreters.java
index b54bcc3..4dd07d8 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/PropertyInterpreters.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-common/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/common/config/PropertyInterpreters.java
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 
 import java.util.logging.Level;
 
+import org.apache.hyracks.util.StorageUtil;
+
 public class PropertyInterpreters {
 
     public static IPropertyInterpreter<Integer> getIntegerPropertyInterpreter() {
@@ -88,4 +90,30 @@
         };
     }
 
+    public static IPropertyInterpreter<Long> getLongBytePropertyInterpreter() {
+        return new IPropertyInterpreter<Long>() {
+            @Override
+            public Long interpret(String s) throws IllegalArgumentException {
+                try {
+                    return StorageUtil.getByteValue(s);
+                } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+                    throw new IllegalArgumentException(e);
+                }
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
+    public static IPropertyInterpreter<Integer> getIntegerBytePropertyInterpreter() {
+        return new IPropertyInterpreter<Integer>() {
+            @Override
+            public Integer interpret(String s) throws IllegalArgumentException {
+                try {
+                    return (int) StorageUtil.getByteValue(s);
+                } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+                    throw new IllegalArgumentException(e);
+                }
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-docker/docker/asterix-configuration.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-docker/docker/asterix-configuration.xml
index dd8d571..ea43da9 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-docker/docker/asterix-configuration.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-docker/docker/asterix-configuration.xml
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages in the buffer cache.
       (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.size</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The size of memory allocated to the disk buffer cache.
       The value should be a multiple of the buffer cache page size(Default
       = "536870912" // 512MB)
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages allocated to memory
       components. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.globalbudget</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The total size of memory in bytes that the sum of all
       open memory
       components cannot exceed. (Default = "536870192" // 512MB)
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.buffer.pagesize</name>
-    <value>524288</value>
+    <value>512KB</value>
     <description>The size of pages in the in-memory log buffer. (Default =
       "524288" // 512KB)
     </description>
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.partitionsize</name>
-    <value>2147483648</value>
+    <value>2GB</value>
     <description>The maximum size of a log file partition allowed before
       rotating the log to the next partition. (Default = "2147483648" //
       2GB)
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.sortmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to sort operations.
       (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
     </description>
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.joinmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to join operations.
       (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
     </description>
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.framesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The Hyracks frame size that the compiler configures per
       job. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-experiments/src/main/resources/ingestion-experiment-binary-and-configs/configs/asterix-configuration.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-experiments/src/main/resources/ingestion-experiment-binary-and-configs/configs/asterix-configuration.xml
index af37d0b..c642cbb 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-experiments/src/main/resources/ingestion-experiment-binary-and-configs/configs/asterix-configuration.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-experiments/src/main/resources/ingestion-experiment-binary-and-configs/configs/asterix-configuration.xml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages in the buffer cache.
       (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.size</name>
-    <value>3221225472</value>
+    <value>3GB</value>
     <description>[3GB] The size of memory allocated to the disk buffer cache.
       The value should be a multiple of the buffer cache page size(Default
       = "536870912" // 512MB)
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
   <!-- Buffer size per dataset for in-memory components: 1GB -->
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages allocated to memory
       components. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.globalbudget</name>
-    <value>4399824896</value>
-    <description>[4GB + 8MB]The total size of memory in bytes that the sum of all
+    <value>4196MB</value>
+    <description>[4GB + 100MB]The total size of memory in bytes that the sum of all
       open memory
       components cannot exceed. (Default = "536870192" // 512MB)
     </description>
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.buffer.pagesize</name>
-    <value>8388608</value>
+    <value>8MB</value>
     <description>[8MB]The size of pages in the in-memory log buffer. (Default =
       "524288" // 512KB)
     </description>
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.partitionsize</name>
-    <value>2147483648</value>
+    <value>2GB</value>
     <description>The maximum size of a log file partition allowed before
       rotating the log to the next partition. (Default = "2147483648" //
       2GB)
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.sortmemory</name>
-    <value>67108864</value>
+    <value>64MB</value>
     <description>[64MB]The amount of memory in bytes given to sort operations.
       (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
     </description>
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.joinmemory</name>
-    <value>67108864</value>
+    <value>64MB</value>
     <description>[64MB]The amount of memory in bytes given to join operations.
       (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
     </description>
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.framesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The Hyracks frame size that the compiler configures per
       job. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/conf/asterix-configuration.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/conf/asterix-configuration.xml
index f6da341..a7c5c6d 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/conf/asterix-configuration.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/main/resources/conf/asterix-configuration.xml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages in the buffer cache.
       (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.size</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The size of memory allocated to the disk buffer cache.
       The value should be a multiple of the buffer cache page size(Default
       = "536870912" // 512MB)
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages allocated to memory
       components. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.globalbudget</name>
-    <value>1073741824</value>
+    <value>1GB</value>
     <description>The total size of memory in bytes that the sum of all
       open memory
       components cannot exceed. (Default = "536870192" // 512MB)
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.buffer.pagesize</name>
-    <value>524288</value>
+    <value>512KB</value>
     <description>The size of pages in the in-memory log buffer. (Default =
       "524288" // 512KB)
     </description>
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.partitionsize</name>
-    <value>2147483648</value>
+    <value>2GB</value>
     <description>The maximum size of a log file partition allowed before
       rotating the log to the next partition. (Default = "2147483648" //
       2GB)
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.job.recovery.memorysize</name>
-    <value>67108864</value>
+    <value>64MB</value>
     <description>The memory allocated per job during recovery.
      (Default = "67108864" // 64MB)
     </description>
@@ -205,23 +205,23 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.sortmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to sort operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.joinmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to join operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.framesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The Hyracks frame size that the compiler configures per
       job. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/test/resources/integrationts/asterix-configuration.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/test/resources/integrationts/asterix-configuration.xml
index 4cd7fff..e36c33b 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/test/resources/integrationts/asterix-configuration.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-installer/src/test/resources/integrationts/asterix-configuration.xml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages in the buffer cache.
       (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.size</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The size of memory allocated to the disk buffer cache.
       The value should be a multiple of the buffer cache page size(Default
       = "536870912" // 512MB)
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages allocated to memory
       components. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.globalbudget</name>
-    <value>1073741824</value>
+    <value>1GB</value>
     <description>The total size of memory in bytes that the sum of all
       open memory
       components cannot exceed. (Default = "536870192" // 512MB)
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.buffer.pagesize</name>
-    <value>524288</value>
+    <value>512KB</value>
     <description>The size of pages in the in-memory log buffer. (Default =
       "524288" // 512KB)
     </description>
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.partitionsize</name>
-    <value>2147483648</value>
+    <value>2GB</value>
     <description>The maximum size of a log file partition allowed before
       rotating the log to the next partition. (Default = "2147483648" //
       2GB)
@@ -197,23 +197,31 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.sortmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to sort operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.joinmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to join operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
+    </description>
+  </property>
+
+  <property>
+    <name>compiler.groupmemory</name>
+    <value>32MB</value>
+    <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to group-by operations.
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.framesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The Hyracks frame size that the compiler configures per
       job. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/base-asterix-configuration.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/base-asterix-configuration.xml
index 778e51f..788cb76 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/base-asterix-configuration.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/base-asterix-configuration.xml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages in the buffer cache.
       (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.size</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The size of memory allocated to the disk buffer cache.
       The value should be a multiple of the buffer cache page size(Default
       = "536870912" // 512MB)
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages allocated to memory
       components. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.globalbudget</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The total size of memory in bytes that the sum of all
       open memory
       components cannot exceed. (Default = "536870192" // 512MB)
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.buffer.pagesize</name>
-    <value>524288</value>
+    <value>512KB</value>
     <description>The size of pages in the in-memory log buffer. (Default =
       "524288" // 512KB)
     </description>
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.partitionsize</name>
-    <value>2147483648</value>
+    <value>2GB</value>
     <description>The maximum size of a log file partition allowed before
       rotating the log to the next partition. (Default = "2147483648" //
       2GB)
@@ -197,23 +197,23 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.sortmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to sort operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.joinmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to join operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.framesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The Hyracks frame size that the compiler configures per
       job. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/configs/base-asterix-configuration.xml b/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/configs/base-asterix-configuration.xml
index 778e51f..788cb76 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/configs/base-asterix-configuration.xml
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-yarn/src/main/resources/configs/base-asterix-configuration.xml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages in the buffer cache.
       (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.buffercache.size</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The size of memory allocated to the disk buffer cache.
       The value should be a multiple of the buffer cache page size(Default
       = "536870912" // 512MB)
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.pagesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The page size in bytes for pages allocated to memory
       components. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>storage.memorycomponent.globalbudget</name>
-    <value>536870912</value>
+    <value>512MB</value>
     <description>The total size of memory in bytes that the sum of all
       open memory
       components cannot exceed. (Default = "536870192" // 512MB)
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.buffer.pagesize</name>
-    <value>524288</value>
+    <value>512KB</value>
     <description>The size of pages in the in-memory log buffer. (Default =
       "524288" // 512KB)
     </description>
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>txn.log.partitionsize</name>
-    <value>2147483648</value>
+    <value>2GB</value>
     <description>The maximum size of a log file partition allowed before
       rotating the log to the next partition. (Default = "2147483648" //
       2GB)
@@ -197,23 +197,23 @@
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.sortmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to sort operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.joinmemory</name>
-    <value>33554432</value>
+    <value>32MB</value>
     <description>The amount of memory in bytes given to join operations.
-      (Default = "33554432" // 32mb)
+      (Default = "33554432" // 32MB)
     </description>
   </property>
 
   <property>
     <name>compiler.framesize</name>
-    <value>131072</value>
+    <value>128KB</value>
     <description>The Hyracks frame size that the compiler configures per
       job. (Default = "131072" // 128KB)
     </description>
diff --git a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-util/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/util/StorageUtil.java b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-util/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/util/StorageUtil.java
index 4607214..7025f15 100644
--- a/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-util/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/util/StorageUtil.java
+++ b/hyracks-fullstack/hyracks/hyracks-util/src/main/java/org/apache/hyracks/util/StorageUtil.java
@@ -23,12 +23,23 @@
     private static final int BASE = 1024, KB = BASE, MB = KB * BASE, GB = MB * BASE, TB = GB * BASE, PB = TB * BASE;
 
     public enum StorageUnit {
-        BYTE,
-        KILOBYTE,
-        MEGABYTE,
-        GIGABYTE,
-        TERABYTE,
-        PETABYTE
+        BYTE("B"),
+        KILOBYTE("KB"),
+        MEGABYTE("MB"),
+        GIGABYTE("GB"),
+        TERABYTE("TB"),
+        PETABYTE("PB");
+
+        private final String unitTypeInLetter;
+
+        private StorageUnit(String unitTypeInLetter) {
+            this.unitTypeInLetter = unitTypeInLetter;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public String toString() {
+            return this.unitTypeInLetter;
+        }
     }
 
     private StorageUtil() {
@@ -36,23 +47,24 @@
     }
 
     public static int getSizeInBytes(final int size, final StorageUnit unit) {
-        switch (unit) {
-            case BYTE:
-                return size;
-            case KILOBYTE:
-                return size * KB;
-            case MEGABYTE:
-                return size * MB;
-            case GIGABYTE:
-                return size * GB;
-            case TERABYTE:
-                return size * TB;
-            default:
-                throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported unti: " + unit);
+        double result = getSizeInBytes((double) size, unit);
+        if (result > Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("The given value:" + result + " is not within the integer range.");
+        } else {
+            return (int) result;
         }
     }
 
     public static long getSizeInBytes(final long size, final StorageUnit unit) {
+        double result = getSizeInBytes((double) size, unit);
+        if (result > Long.MAX_VALUE) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("The given value:" + result + " is not within the long range.");
+        } else {
+            return (long) result;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static double getSizeInBytes(final double size, final StorageUnit unit) {
         switch (unit) {
             case BYTE:
                 return size;
@@ -67,7 +79,87 @@
             case PETABYTE:
                 return size * PB;
             default:
-                throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported unti: " + unit);
+                throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported unit: " + unit);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Helper method to parse a byte unit string to its double value and unit
+     * (e.g., 10,345.8MB becomes Pair<10345.8, StorageUnit.MB>.)
+     *
+     * @throws HyracksException
+     */
+    public static ByteValueStringInfo parseByteUnitString(String s) {
+        String sSpaceRemoved = s.replaceAll(" ", "");
+        String sUpper = sSpaceRemoved.toUpperCase();
+        ByteValueStringInfo valueAndUnitType = new ByteValueStringInfo();
+
+        // Default type
+        StorageUtil.StorageUnit unitType = StorageUnit.BYTE;
+
+        // If the length is 1, it should only contain a digit number.
+        if (sUpper.length() == 1) {
+            if (Character.isDigit(sUpper.charAt(0))) {
+                unitType = StorageUnit.BYTE;
+            } else {
+                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                        "The given string: " + s + " is not a byte unit string (e.g., 320KB or 1024).");
+            }
+        } else if (sUpper.length() > 1) {
+            String checkStr = sUpper.substring(sUpper.length() - 2);
+            boolean found = false;
+            for (StorageUnit unit : StorageUnit.values()) {
+                if (checkStr.equals(unit.toString())) {
+                    unitType = unit;
+                    found = true;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+
+            if (!found) {
+                // The last suffix should be at least "B" or a digit to be qualified as byte unit string.
+                char lastChar = sUpper.charAt(sUpper.length() - 1);
+                if (sUpper.substring(sUpper.length() - 1).equals(StorageUnit.BYTE.toString())
+                        || Character.isDigit(lastChar)) {
+                    unitType = StorageUnit.BYTE;
+                } else {
+                    throw new IllegalStateException(
+                            "The given string: " + s + " is not a byte unit string (e.g., 320KB or 1024).");
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            // String length is zero. We can't parse this string.
+            throw new IllegalStateException(
+                    "The given string: " + s + " is not a byte unit string (e.g., 320KB or 1024).");
+        }
+
+        // Strip all unit suffixes such as KB, MB ...
+        String sFinalVal = sUpper.replaceAll("[^\\.0123456789]", "");
+
+        // Return the digit and its unit type.
+        valueAndUnitType.value = Double.parseDouble(sFinalVal);
+        valueAndUnitType.unitType = unitType;
+
+        return valueAndUnitType;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return byte value for the given string (e.g., 0.1KB, 100kb, 1mb, 3MB, 8.5GB ...)
+     *
+     * @throws HyracksException
+     */
+    public static long getByteValue(String s) {
+        try {
+            ByteValueStringInfo valueAndUnitType = parseByteUnitString(s);
+
+            double result = getSizeInBytes(valueAndUnitType.value, valueAndUnitType.unitType);
+            if (result > Long.MAX_VALUE) {
+                throw new IllegalStateException("The given value:" + result + " is not within the long range.");
+            } else {
+                return (long) result;
+            }
+        } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException(e);
         }
     }
 
@@ -85,4 +177,14 @@
         final int baseValue = (63 - Long.numberOfLeadingZeros(bytes)) / 10;
         return String.format("%.2f %sB", (double) bytes / (1L << (baseValue * 10)), " kMGTPE".charAt(baseValue));
     }
+
+    private static class ByteValueStringInfo {
+        double value;
+        StorageUnit unitType;
+
+        ByteValueStringInfo() {
+            value = 0.0;
+            unitType = StorageUnit.BYTE;
+        }
+    }
 }