diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/AwsS3InputStreamFactory.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/AwsS3InputStreamFactory.java
index 045b746..e99c0ef 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/AwsS3InputStreamFactory.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/AwsS3InputStreamFactory.java
@@ -52,18 +52,15 @@
             IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory filterEvaluatorFactory) throws AlgebricksException, HyracksDataException {
         super.configure(ctx, configuration, warningCollector, filterEvaluatorFactory);
 
-        // Ensure the validity of include/exclude
-        ExternalDataUtils.validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
+        // get include/exclude matchers
         IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
-        IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(ctx, warningCollector);
 
         // prepare prefix for computed field calculations
+        IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(ctx, warningCollector);
         ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix = new ExternalDataPrefix(configuration, warningCollector);
         configuration.put(ExternalDataPrefix.PREFIX_ROOT_FIELD_NAME, externalDataPrefix.getRoot());
 
-        // TODO(htowaileb): Since we're using the root to load the files then start filtering, it might end up being
-        // very expensive since at the root of the prefix we might load millions of files, we should consider (when
-        // possible) to get the value and add it
+        // get the items
         List<S3Object> filesOnly = S3Utils.listS3Objects(configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector,
                 externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
 
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/parquet/AwsS3ParquetReaderFactory.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/parquet/AwsS3ParquetReaderFactory.java
index bccb6f8..88aeb1b 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/parquet/AwsS3ParquetReaderFactory.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/aws/parquet/AwsS3ParquetReaderFactory.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
  */
 package org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.aws.parquet;
 
+import static org.apache.asterix.external.util.aws.s3.S3Utils.configureAwsS3HdfsJobConf;
+import static org.apache.asterix.external.util.aws.s3.S3Utils.listS3Objects;
 import static org.apache.hyracks.api.util.ExceptionUtils.getMessageOrToString;
 
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -25,7 +27,6 @@
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 
-import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.CompilationException;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.ErrorCode;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.RuntimeDataException;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluator;
@@ -36,7 +37,6 @@
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataPrefix;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataUtils;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.aws.s3.S3Constants;
-import org.apache.asterix.external.util.aws.s3.S3Utils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobConf;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.application.IServiceContext;
@@ -59,23 +59,33 @@
             IWarningCollector warningCollector, IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory filterEvaluatorFactory)
             throws AlgebricksException, HyracksDataException {
 
-        // prepare prefix for computed field calculations
-        ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix = new ExternalDataPrefix(configuration, warningCollector);
-        IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(serviceCtx, warningCollector);
-        configuration.put(ExternalDataPrefix.PREFIX_ROOT_FIELD_NAME, externalDataPrefix.getRoot());
+        // get path
+        String path;
+        if (configuration.containsKey(ExternalDataConstants.KEY_PATH)) {
+            path = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.KEY_PATH);
+        } else {
+            // get include/exclude matchers
+            IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
 
-        //Get path
-        String path = configuration.containsKey(ExternalDataConstants.KEY_PATH)
-                ? configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.KEY_PATH)
-                : buildPathURIs(configuration, warningCollector, externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
-        //Put S3 configurations to AsterixDB's Hadoop configuration
+            // prepare prefix for computed field calculations
+            IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(serviceCtx, warningCollector);
+            ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix = new ExternalDataPrefix(configuration, warningCollector);
+            configuration.put(ExternalDataPrefix.PREFIX_ROOT_FIELD_NAME, externalDataPrefix.getRoot());
+
+            String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
+            List<S3Object> filesOnly = listS3Objects(configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector,
+                    externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
+            path = buildPathURIs(container, filesOnly);
+        }
+
+        // put S3 configurations to AsterixDB's Hadoop configuration
         putS3ConfToHadoopConf(configuration, path);
 
         //Configure Hadoop S3 input splits
         try {
             JobConf conf = createHdfsConf(serviceCtx, configuration);
             int numberOfPartitions = getPartitionConstraint().getLocations().length;
-            S3Utils.configureAwsS3HdfsJobConf(conf, configuration, numberOfPartitions);
+            configureAwsS3HdfsJobConf(conf, configuration, numberOfPartitions);
             configureHdfsConf(conf, configuration);
         } catch (SdkException | SdkBaseException ex) {
             throw new RuntimeDataException(ErrorCode.EXTERNAL_SOURCE_ERROR, getMessageOrToString(ex));
@@ -112,18 +122,12 @@
     /**
      * Build S3 path-style for the requested files
      *
-     * @param configuration    properties
-     * @param warningCollector warning collector
+     * @param container container
+     * @param filesOnly files
+     *
      * @return Comma-delimited paths (e.g., "s3a://bucket/file1.parquet,s3a://bucket/file2.parquet")
-     * @throws CompilationException Compilation exception
      */
-    private static String buildPathURIs(Map<String, String> configuration, IWarningCollector warningCollector,
-            ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix, IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator)
-            throws CompilationException, HyracksDataException {
-        String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
-        IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
-        List<S3Object> filesOnly = S3Utils.listS3Objects(configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector,
-                externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
+    private static String buildPathURIs(String container, List<S3Object> filesOnly) {
         StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
 
         if (!filesOnly.isEmpty()) {
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/blob/AzureBlobInputStreamFactory.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/blob/AzureBlobInputStreamFactory.java
index 5cd396e..173cc15 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/blob/AzureBlobInputStreamFactory.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/blob/AzureBlobInputStreamFactory.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
  */
 package org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.azure.blob;
 
-import static org.apache.asterix.external.util.azure.blob_storage.AzureUtils.buildAzureBlobClient;
 import static org.apache.asterix.external.util.azure.blob_storage.AzureUtils.listBlobItems;
 
 import java.util.Comparator;
@@ -27,9 +26,11 @@
 import java.util.PriorityQueue;
 
 import org.apache.asterix.common.api.IApplicationContext;
+import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluator;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.api.AsterixInputStream;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.abstracts.AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory;
+import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataPrefix;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataUtils;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.application.IServiceContext;
@@ -37,7 +38,6 @@
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.IWarningCollector;
 
-import com.azure.storage.blob.BlobServiceClient;
 import com.azure.storage.blob.models.BlobItem;
 
 public class AzureBlobInputStreamFactory extends AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory {
@@ -56,14 +56,18 @@
     public void configure(IServiceContext ctx, Map<String, String> configuration, IWarningCollector warningCollector,
             IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory filterEvaluatorFactory) throws AlgebricksException, HyracksDataException {
         super.configure(ctx, configuration, warningCollector, filterEvaluatorFactory);
-
         IApplicationContext appCtx = (IApplicationContext) ctx.getApplicationContext();
-        // Ensure the validity of include/exclude
-        ExternalDataUtils.validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
+
+        // get include/exclude matchers
         IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
-        BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient = buildAzureBlobClient(appCtx, configuration);
-        List<BlobItem> filesOnly =
-                listBlobItems(blobServiceClient, configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector);
+
+        // prepare prefix for computed field calculations
+        IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(ctx, warningCollector);
+        ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix = new ExternalDataPrefix(configuration, warningCollector);
+        configuration.put(ExternalDataPrefix.PREFIX_ROOT_FIELD_NAME, externalDataPrefix.getRoot());
+
+        List<BlobItem> filesOnly = listBlobItems(appCtx, configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector,
+                externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
 
         // Distribute work load amongst the partitions
         distributeWorkLoad(filesOnly, getPartitionsCount());
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/datalake/AzureDataLakeInputStreamFactory.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/datalake/AzureDataLakeInputStreamFactory.java
index bd2535d..89a1d80 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/datalake/AzureDataLakeInputStreamFactory.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/datalake/AzureDataLakeInputStreamFactory.java
@@ -58,9 +58,10 @@
         super.configure(ctx, configuration, warningCollector, filterEvaluatorFactory);
 
         IApplicationContext appCtx = (IApplicationContext) ctx.getApplicationContext();
-        // Ensure the validity of include/exclude
-        ExternalDataUtils.validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
+
+        // get include/exclude matchers
         IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
+
         DataLakeServiceClient client = buildAzureDatalakeClient(appCtx, configuration);
         List<PathItem> filesOnly =
                 listDatalakePathItems(client, configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector);
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/parquet/AzureBlobParquetReaderFactory.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/parquet/AzureBlobParquetReaderFactory.java
index 927e74e..cec29d4 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/parquet/AzureBlobParquetReaderFactory.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/azure/parquet/AzureBlobParquetReaderFactory.java
@@ -29,11 +29,12 @@
 import java.util.Set;
 
 import org.apache.asterix.common.api.IApplicationContext;
-import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.CompilationException;
+import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluator;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.HDFSDataSourceFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.abstracts.AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory.IncludeExcludeMatcher;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataConstants;
+import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataPrefix;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobConf;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
@@ -54,15 +55,30 @@
             IWarningCollector warningCollector, IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory filterEvaluatorFactory)
             throws AlgebricksException, HyracksDataException {
         IApplicationContext appCtx = (IApplicationContext) serviceCtx.getApplicationContext();
+
+        // get endpoint
         BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient = buildAzureBlobClient(appCtx, configuration);
-        //Get endpoint
         String endPoint = extractEndPoint(blobServiceClient.getAccountUrl());
-        //Get path
-        String path = buildPathURIs(configuration, warningCollector, blobServiceClient, endPoint);
-        //Put Azure configurations to AsterixDB's Hadoop configuration
+
+        // get include/exclude matchers
+        IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
+
+        // prepare prefix for computed field calculations
+        IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(serviceCtx, warningCollector);
+        ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix = new ExternalDataPrefix(configuration, warningCollector);
+        configuration.put(ExternalDataPrefix.PREFIX_ROOT_FIELD_NAME, externalDataPrefix.getRoot());
+
+        List<BlobItem> filesOnly = listBlobItems(blobServiceClient, configuration, includeExcludeMatcher,
+                warningCollector, externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
+
+        // get path
+        String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
+        String path = buildPathURIs(container, filesOnly, endPoint);
+
+        // put Azure configurations to AsterixDB's Hadoop configuration
         putAzureBlobConfToHadoopConf(configuration, path);
 
-        //Configure Hadoop Azure input splits
+        // configure Hadoop Azure input splits
         JobConf conf = createHdfsConf(serviceCtx, configuration);
         configureAzureHdfsJobConf(conf, configuration, endPoint);
         configureHdfsConf(conf, configuration);
@@ -92,20 +108,15 @@
     /**
      * Build Azure Blob Storage path-style for the requested files
      *
-     * @param configuration    properties
-     * @param warningCollector warning collector
+     * @param container container
+     * @param filesOnly files
+     * @param endPoint endpoint
+     *
      * @return Comma-delimited paths (e.g., "wasbs://container@accountName.blob.core.windows.net/file1.parquet,
      * wasbs://container@accountName.blob.core.windows.net/file2.parquet")
-     * @throws CompilationException Compilation exception
      */
-    private static String buildPathURIs(Map<String, String> configuration, IWarningCollector warningCollector,
-            BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient, String endPoint) throws CompilationException {
-        IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
-        List<BlobItem> filesOnly =
-                listBlobItems(blobServiceClient, configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector);
-
+    private static String buildPathURIs(String container, List<BlobItem> filesOnly, String endPoint) {
         StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
-        String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
 
         if (!filesOnly.isEmpty()) {
             appendFileURI(builder, container, endPoint, filesOnly.get(0));
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/GCSInputStreamFactory.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/GCSInputStreamFactory.java
index 165f340..89ff24b 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/GCSInputStreamFactory.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/GCSInputStreamFactory.java
@@ -25,9 +25,11 @@
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.PriorityQueue;
 
+import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluator;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.api.AsterixInputStream;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.abstracts.AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory;
+import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataPrefix;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataUtils;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.google.gcs.GCSUtils;
 import org.apache.hyracks.algebricks.common.exceptions.AlgebricksException;
@@ -52,12 +54,17 @@
             IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory filterEvaluatorFactory) throws AlgebricksException, HyracksDataException {
         super.configure(ctx, configuration, warningCollector, filterEvaluatorFactory);
 
-        // Ensure the validity of include/exclude
-        ExternalDataUtils.validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
-        IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
+        // get include/exclude matchers
+        IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
+
+        // prepare prefix for computed field calculations
+        IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(ctx, warningCollector);
+        ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix = new ExternalDataPrefix(configuration, warningCollector);
+        configuration.put(ExternalDataPrefix.PREFIX_ROOT_FIELD_NAME, externalDataPrefix.getRoot());
 
         // get the items
-        List<Blob> filesOnly = GCSUtils.listItems(configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector);
+        List<Blob> filesOnly = GCSUtils.listItems(configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector,
+                externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
 
         // Distribute work load amongst the partitions
         distributeWorkLoad(filesOnly, getPartitionsCount());
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/parquet/GCSParquetReaderFactory.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/parquet/GCSParquetReaderFactory.java
index 1de944b..bb98abe 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/parquet/GCSParquetReaderFactory.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/input/record/reader/gcs/parquet/GCSParquetReaderFactory.java
@@ -23,11 +23,12 @@
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 
-import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.CompilationException;
+import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluator;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.HDFSDataSourceFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.abstracts.AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory.IncludeExcludeMatcher;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataConstants;
+import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataPrefix;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataUtils;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.google.gcs.GCSConstants;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.google.gcs.GCSUtils;
@@ -48,8 +49,21 @@
     public void configure(IServiceContext serviceCtx, Map<String, String> configuration,
             IWarningCollector warningCollector, IExternalFilterEvaluatorFactory filterEvaluatorFactory)
             throws AlgebricksException, HyracksDataException {
+
+        // get include/exclude matchers
+        IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
+
+        // prepare prefix for computed field calculations
+        IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator = filterEvaluatorFactory.create(serviceCtx, warningCollector);
+        ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix = new ExternalDataPrefix(configuration, warningCollector);
+        configuration.put(ExternalDataPrefix.PREFIX_ROOT_FIELD_NAME, externalDataPrefix.getRoot());
+
+        String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
+        List<Blob> filesOnly = GCSUtils.listItems(configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector,
+                externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
+
         // get path
-        String path = buildPathURIs(configuration, warningCollector);
+        String path = buildPathURIs(container, filesOnly);
 
         // put GCS configurations to AsterixDB's Hadoop configuration
         putGCSConfToHadoopConf(configuration, path);
@@ -85,21 +99,13 @@
     /**
      * Build Google Cloud Storage path-style for the requested files
      *
-     * @param configuration    properties
-     * @param warningCollector warning collector
+     * @param container container
+     * @param filesOnly files
+     *
      * @return Comma-delimited paths (e.g., "gs://bucket/file1.parquet,gs://bucket/file2.parquet")
-     * @throws CompilationException Compilation exception
      */
-    private static String buildPathURIs(Map<String, String> configuration, IWarningCollector warningCollector)
-            throws CompilationException {
-        String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
+    private static String buildPathURIs(String container, List<Blob> filesOnly) {
 
-        // Ensure the validity of include/exclude
-        ExternalDataUtils.validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
-        IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher = ExternalDataUtils.getIncludeExcludeMatchers(configuration);
-
-        // get the items
-        List<Blob> filesOnly = GCSUtils.listItems(configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector);
         StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
 
         if (!filesOnly.isEmpty()) {
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataPrefix.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataPrefix.java
index f6973ee..f8076ef 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataPrefix.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataPrefix.java
@@ -151,12 +151,11 @@
 
             // we need to keep track of the end position
             StringBuilder expression = new StringBuilder();
-            int end = 0;
 
             for (int i = 0; i < segments.size(); i++) {
                 matcher.reset(segments.get(i));
                 expression.setLength(0);
-                end = 0;
+                int end = 0;
 
                 while (matcher.find()) {
                     expression.append(segments.get(i), end, matcher.start());
@@ -207,14 +206,14 @@
      * Returns the longest static path (root) before encountering the first computed field
      */
     private void extractRoot() {
-        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
-
         // check if there are any computed fields before doing any testing
         if (computedFieldNames.isEmpty()) {
             root = original;
             return;
         }
 
+        StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
+
         // construct all static parts before encountering the first computed field
         for (int i = 0; i < computedFieldSegmentIndexes.get(0); i++) {
             builder.append(segments.get(i)).append("/");
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataUtils.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataUtils.java
index 318716f..2605fe7 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataUtils.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/ExternalDataUtils.java
@@ -839,6 +839,9 @@
 
     public static IncludeExcludeMatcher getIncludeExcludeMatchers(Map<String, String> configuration)
             throws CompilationException {
+        // ensure validity of include/exclude matchers
+        validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
+
         // Get and compile the patterns for include/exclude if provided
         List<Matcher> includeMatchers = new ArrayList<>();
         List<Matcher> excludeMatchers = new ArrayList<>();
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/azure/blob_storage/AzureUtils.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/azure/blob_storage/AzureUtils.java
index 0dc9ad2..aced253 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/azure/blob_storage/AzureUtils.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/azure/blob_storage/AzureUtils.java
@@ -58,10 +58,14 @@
 import org.apache.asterix.common.api.IApplicationContext;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.CompilationException;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.ErrorCode;
+import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluator;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.abstracts.AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataConstants;
+import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataPrefix;
+import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataUtils;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.HDFSUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobConf;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.IWarningCollector;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.SourceLocation;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.Warning;
@@ -395,19 +399,24 @@
         }
     }
 
+    public static List<BlobItem> listBlobItems(IApplicationContext context, Map<String, String> configuration,
+            AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory.IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher,
+            IWarningCollector warningCollector, ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix,
+            IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator) throws CompilationException {
+        BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient = buildAzureBlobClient(context, configuration);
+        return listBlobItems(blobServiceClient, configuration, includeExcludeMatcher, warningCollector,
+                externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
+    }
+
     public static List<BlobItem> listBlobItems(BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient, Map<String, String> configuration,
             AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory.IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher,
-            IWarningCollector warningCollector) throws CompilationException {
+            IWarningCollector warningCollector, ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix,
+            IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator) throws CompilationException {
         String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
-
         List<BlobItem> filesOnly = new ArrayList<>();
 
-        // Ensure the validity of include/exclude
-        validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
-
-        BlobContainerClient blobContainer;
         try {
-            blobContainer = blobServiceClient.getBlobContainerClient(container);
+            BlobContainerClient blobContainer = blobServiceClient.getBlobContainerClient(container);
 
             // Get all objects in a container and extract the paths to files
             ListBlobsOptions listBlobsOptions = new ListBlobsOptions();
@@ -416,7 +425,7 @@
 
             // Collect the paths to files only
             collectAndFilterBlobFiles(blobItems, includeExcludeMatcher.getPredicate(),
-                    includeExcludeMatcher.getMatchersList(), filesOnly);
+                    includeExcludeMatcher.getMatchersList(), filesOnly, externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
 
             // Warn if no files are returned
             if (filesOnly.isEmpty() && warningCollector.shouldWarn()) {
@@ -439,17 +448,10 @@
      * @param filesOnly List containing the files only (excluding folders)
      */
     private static void collectAndFilterBlobFiles(Iterable<BlobItem> items,
-            BiPredicate<List<Matcher>, String> predicate, List<Matcher> matchers, List<BlobItem> filesOnly) {
+            BiPredicate<List<Matcher>, String> predicate, List<Matcher> matchers, List<BlobItem> filesOnly,
+            ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix, IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator) throws HyracksDataException {
         for (BlobItem item : items) {
-            String uri = item.getName();
-
-            // skip folders
-            if (uri.endsWith("/")) {
-                continue;
-            }
-
-            // No filter, add file
-            if (predicate.test(matchers, uri)) {
+            if (ExternalDataUtils.evaluate(item.getName(), predicate, matchers, externalDataPrefix, evaluator)) {
                 filesOnly.add(item);
             }
         }
@@ -462,9 +464,6 @@
 
         List<PathItem> filesOnly = new ArrayList<>();
 
-        // Ensure the validity of include/exclude
-        validateIncludeExclude(configuration);
-
         DataLakeFileSystemClient fileSystemClient;
         try {
             fileSystemClient = client.getFileSystemClient(container);
diff --git a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/google/gcs/GCSUtils.java b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/google/gcs/GCSUtils.java
index 6183a88..0029e6a 100644
--- a/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/google/gcs/GCSUtils.java
+++ b/asterixdb/asterix-external-data/src/main/java/org/apache/asterix/external/util/google/gcs/GCSUtils.java
@@ -46,11 +46,14 @@
 
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.CompilationException;
 import org.apache.asterix.common.exceptions.ErrorCode;
+import org.apache.asterix.common.external.IExternalFilterEvaluator;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.input.record.reader.abstracts.AbstractExternalInputStreamFactory.IncludeExcludeMatcher;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataConstants;
+import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataPrefix;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.ExternalDataUtils;
 import org.apache.asterix.external.util.HDFSUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapred.JobConf;
+import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.HyracksDataException;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.IWarningCollector;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.SourceLocation;
 import org.apache.hyracks.api.exceptions.Warning;
@@ -154,7 +157,8 @@
     }
 
     public static List<Blob> listItems(Map<String, String> configuration, IncludeExcludeMatcher includeExcludeMatcher,
-            IWarningCollector warningCollector) throws CompilationException {
+            IWarningCollector warningCollector, ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix,
+            IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator) throws CompilationException, HyracksDataException {
         // Prepare to retrieve the objects
         List<Blob> filesOnly = new ArrayList<>();
         String container = configuration.get(ExternalDataConstants.CONTAINER_NAME_FIELD_NAME);
@@ -170,7 +174,7 @@
 
         // Collect the paths to files only
         collectAndFilterFiles(items, includeExcludeMatcher.getPredicate(), includeExcludeMatcher.getMatchersList(),
-                filesOnly);
+                filesOnly, externalDataPrefix, evaluator);
 
         // Warn if no files are returned
         if (filesOnly.isEmpty() && warningCollector.shouldWarn()) {
@@ -187,15 +191,10 @@
      * @param items List of returned objects
      */
     private static void collectAndFilterFiles(Page<Blob> items, BiPredicate<List<Matcher>, String> predicate,
-            List<Matcher> matchers, List<Blob> filesOnly) {
+            List<Matcher> matchers, List<Blob> filesOnly, ExternalDataPrefix externalDataPrefix,
+            IExternalFilterEvaluator evaluator) throws HyracksDataException {
         for (Blob item : items.iterateAll()) {
-            // skip folders
-            if (item.getName().endsWith("/")) {
-                continue;
-            }
-
-            // No filter, add file
-            if (predicate.test(matchers, item.getName())) {
+            if (ExternalDataUtils.evaluate(item.getName(), predicate, matchers, externalDataPrefix, evaluator)) {
                 filesOnly.add(item);
             }
         }