diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp
index 02b5230e16..7a96ab613a 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBCollection.cpp
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ arangodb::Result RocksDBCollection::persistProperties() {
 
   RocksDBKey key(RocksDBKey::Collection(_logicalCollection->vocbase()->id(), _objectId));
   RocksDBValue value(RocksDBValue::Document(infoBuilder.slice()));
-  res = globalRocksDBPut(key.string(), *value.string());
+  res = globalRocksDBPut(key.string(), value.string());
 
   } catch (arangodb::basics::Exception const& ex) {
     res.reset(ex.code());
@@ -810,7 +810,7 @@ int RocksDBCollection::insertDocument(arangodb::transaction::Methods* trx,
       << "INSERT DOCUMENT. COLLECTION '" << _logicalCollection->name()
       << "', OBJECTID: " << _objectId << ", REVISIONID: " << revisionId;
 
-  rocksdb::Status status = rtrx->Put(key.string(), *value.string());
+  rocksdb::Status status = rtrx->Put(key.string(), value.string());
   if (!status.ok()) {
     auto converted =
         rocksutils::convertStatus(status, rocksutils::StatusHint::document);
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBEngine.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBEngine.cpp
index 89472c5ec0..e6cba72778 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBEngine.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBEngine.cpp
@@ -245,14 +245,14 @@ void RocksDBEngine::getCollectionInfo(TRI_vocbase_t* vocbase, TRI_voc_cid_t cid,
   auto key = RocksDBKey::Collection(vocbase->id(), cid);
   auto value = RocksDBValue::Empty(RocksDBEntryType::Collection);
   rocksdb::ReadOptions options;
-  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Get(options, key.string(), value.string());
+  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Get(options, key.string(), value.buffer());
   auto result = rocksutils::convertStatus(res);
   
   if (result.errorNumber() != TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR) {
     THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(result.errorNumber());
   }
 
-  builder.add("parameters", VPackSlice(value.string()->data()));
+  builder.add("parameters", VPackSlice(value.buffer()->data()));
 
   if (includeIndexes) {
     // dump index information
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ int RocksDBEngine::writeCreateDatabaseMarker(TRI_voc_tick_t id,
   auto value = RocksDBValue::Database(slice);
   rocksdb::WriteOptions options;  // TODO: check which options would make sense
 
-  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Put(options, key.string(), *value.string());
+  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Put(options, key.string(), value.string());
   auto result = rocksutils::convertStatus(res);
   return result.errorNumber();
 }
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ int RocksDBEngine::writeCreateCollectionMarker(TRI_voc_tick_t databaseId,
   auto value = RocksDBValue::Collection(slice);
   rocksdb::WriteOptions options;  // TODO: check which options would make sense
 
-  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Put(options, key.string(), *value.string());
+  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Put(options, key.string(), value.string());
   auto result = rocksutils::convertStatus(res);
   return result.errorNumber();
 }
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ void RocksDBEngine::createIndex(TRI_vocbase_t* vocbase,
   auto key = RocksDBKey::Index(vocbase->id(), collectionId, indexId);
   auto value = RocksDBValue::Index(data);
 
-  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Put(options, key.string(), *value.string());
+  rocksdb::Status res = _db->Put(options, key.string(), value.string());
   auto result = rocksutils::convertStatus(res);
   if (!result.ok()) {
     THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(result.errorNumber());
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBPrimaryIndex.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBPrimaryIndex.cpp
index 6dab4a641c..eedc1118a5 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBPrimaryIndex.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBPrimaryIndex.cpp
@@ -216,7 +216,8 @@ RocksDBToken RocksDBPrimaryIndex::lookupKey(transaction::Methods* trx,
     auto f = _cache->find(key.string().data(),
                           static_cast<uint32_t>(key.string().size()));
     if (f.found()) {
-      value.string()->append(reinterpret_cast<char const*>(f.value()->value()),
+      f.value();
+      value.buffer()->append(reinterpret_cast<char const*>(f.value()->value()),
                              static_cast<size_t>(f.value()->valueSize));
       return RocksDBToken(RocksDBValue::revisionId(value));
     }
@@ -227,7 +228,7 @@ RocksDBToken RocksDBPrimaryIndex::lookupKey(transaction::Methods* trx,
   rocksdb::Transaction* rtrx = state->rocksTransaction();
   auto options = state->readOptions();
 
-  auto status = rtrx->Get(options, key.string(), value.string());
+  auto status = rtrx->Get(options, key.string(), value.buffer());
   if (!status.ok()) {
     return RocksDBToken();
   }
@@ -236,7 +237,7 @@ RocksDBToken RocksDBPrimaryIndex::lookupKey(transaction::Methods* trx,
     // write entry back to cache
     auto entry = cache::CachedValue::construct(
         key.string().data(), static_cast<uint32_t>(key.string().size()),
-        value.string()->data(), static_cast<uint64_t>(value.string()->size()));
+        value.buffer()->data(), static_cast<uint64_t>(value.buffer()->size()));
     bool cached = _cache->insert(entry);
     if (!cached) {
       delete entry;
@@ -257,7 +258,7 @@ RocksDBToken RocksDBPrimaryIndex::lookupKey(
   rocksdb::Transaction* rtrx = state->rocksTransaction();
   auto options = state->readOptions();
 
-  auto status = rtrx->Get(options, key.string(), value.string());
+  auto status = rtrx->Get(options, key.string(), value.buffer());
   if (!status.ok()) {
     return RocksDBToken();
   }
@@ -291,7 +292,7 @@ int RocksDBPrimaryIndex::insert(transaction::Methods* trx,
     }
   }
 
-  auto status = rtrx->Put(key.string(), *value.string());
+  auto status = rtrx->Put(key.string(), value.string());
   if (!status.ok()) {
     auto converted =
         rocksutils::convertStatus(status, rocksutils::StatusHint::index);
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBVPackIndex.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBVPackIndex.cpp
index 1dbd4eda78..67fa1aca69 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBVPackIndex.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBVPackIndex.cpp
@@ -503,14 +503,14 @@ int RocksDBVPackIndex::insert(transaction::Methods* trx,
     if (_unique) {
       RocksDBValue existing =
           RocksDBValue::Empty(RocksDBEntryType::UniqueIndexValue);
-      auto status = rtrx->Get(options, key.string(), existing.string());
+      auto status = rtrx->Get(options, key.string(), existing.buffer());
       if (!status.IsNotFound()) {
         res = TRI_ERROR_ARANGO_UNIQUE_CONSTRAINT_VIOLATED;
       }
     }
 
     if (res == TRI_ERROR_NO_ERROR) {
-      auto s = rtrx->Put(key.string(), *value.string());
+      auto s = rtrx->Put(key.string(), value.string());
 
       auto status = rocksutils::convertStatus(s, rocksutils::StatusHint::index);
       if (!status.ok()) {
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.cpp
index 04437a15db..5bf6f51fab 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.cpp
@@ -105,8 +105,6 @@ VPackSlice RocksDBValue::data(std::string const& s) {
   return data(s.data(), s.size());
 }
 
-std::string* RocksDBValue::string() { return &_buffer; }
-
 RocksDBValue::RocksDBValue(RocksDBEntryType type) : _type(type), _buffer() {}
 
 RocksDBValue::RocksDBValue(RocksDBEntryType type, uint64_t data)
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.h b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.h
index b2f60ea2d1..b9d7d6ec6c 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.h
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBValue.h
@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@ class RocksDBValue {
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
   /// @brief Returns a reference to the underlying string buffer.
   //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-  std::string* string();
+  std::string const& string() { return _buffer; } // to be used with put
+  std::string* buffer() { return &_buffer; }      // to be used with get
 
  private:
   RocksDBValue();