diff --git a/arangod/Aql/Functions.cpp b/arangod/Aql/Functions.cpp
index 503a0b9268..0a1c84df91 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/Functions.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/Functions.cpp
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@ static void RequestEdges(VPackSlice const& vertexSlice,
               THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(vertexResult.code);
             }
           } else {
-            result.add("vertex", vertexResult.slice());
+            result.add("vertex", vertexResult.slice().resolveExternal());
           }
         }
       }
@@ -596,51 +596,28 @@ static void RegisterCollectionInTransaction(
 /// @brief Helper function to get a document by it's identifier
 ///        Lazy Locks the collection if necessary.
 static void GetDocumentByIdentifier(arangodb::AqlTransaction* trx,
-                                    std::string const& collectionName,
+                                    std::string& collectionName,
                                     std::string const& identifier,
                                     bool ignoreError,
                                     VPackBuilder& result) {
   OperationOptions options;
   OperationResult opRes;
-  VPackBuilder searchBuilder;
-  searchBuilder.openObject();
-  searchBuilder.add(VPackValue(TRI_VOC_ATTRIBUTE_KEY));
+  TransactionBuilderLeaser searchBuilder(trx);
+
+  searchBuilder->openObject();
+  searchBuilder->add(VPackValue(TRI_VOC_ATTRIBUTE_KEY));
 
   std::vector<std::string> parts =
       arangodb::basics::StringUtils::split(identifier, "/");
 
-
   if (parts.size() == 1) {
-    searchBuilder.add(VPackValue(identifier));
-    searchBuilder.close();
-
-    try {
-      TRI_voc_cid_t cid;
-      RegisterCollectionInTransaction(trx, collectionName, cid);
-    } catch (arangodb::basics::Exception const&) {
-      if (ignoreError) {
-        return;
-      }
-      throw;
-    }
-
-    opRes = trx->document(collectionName, searchBuilder.slice(), options);
+    searchBuilder->add(VPackValue(identifier));
+    searchBuilder->close();
   } else if (parts.size() == 2) {
     if (collectionName.empty()) {
-      searchBuilder.add(VPackValue(parts[1]));
-      searchBuilder.close();
-
-      try {
-        TRI_voc_cid_t cid;
-        RegisterCollectionInTransaction(trx, parts[0], cid);
-      } catch (arangodb::basics::Exception const&) {
-        if (ignoreError) {
-          return;
-        }
-        throw;
-      }
-
-      opRes = trx->document(parts[0], searchBuilder.slice(), options);
+      searchBuilder->add(VPackValue(parts[1]));
+      searchBuilder->close();
+      collectionName = parts[0];
     } else if (parts[0] != collectionName) {
       // Reqesting an _id that cannot be stored in this collection
       if (ignoreError) {
@@ -648,20 +625,8 @@ static void GetDocumentByIdentifier(arangodb::AqlTransaction* trx,
       }
       THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(TRI_ERROR_ARANGO_CROSS_COLLECTION_REQUEST);
     } else {
-      searchBuilder.add(VPackValue(parts[1]));
-      searchBuilder.close();
-
-      try {
-        TRI_voc_cid_t cid;
-        RegisterCollectionInTransaction(trx, collectionName, cid);
-      } catch (arangodb::basics::Exception const&) {
-        if (ignoreError) {
-          return;
-        }
-        throw;
-      }
-
-      opRes = trx->document(collectionName, searchBuilder.slice(), options);
+      searchBuilder->add(VPackValue(parts[1]));
+      searchBuilder->close();
     }
   } else {
     if (ignoreError) {
@@ -669,6 +634,16 @@ static void GetDocumentByIdentifier(arangodb::AqlTransaction* trx,
     }
     THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(TRI_ERROR_ARANGO_DOCUMENT_HANDLE_BAD);
   }
+
+  try {
+    opRes = trx->document(collectionName, searchBuilder->slice(), options);
+  } catch (arangodb::basics::Exception const&) {
+    if (ignoreError) {
+      return;
+    }
+    throw;
+  }
+
   if (opRes.failed()) {
     if (ignoreError) {
       return;
@@ -766,7 +741,8 @@ static AqlValue VertexIdsToAqlValueVPack(arangodb::aql::Query* query,
   if (includeData) {
     for (auto& it : ids) {
       // THROWS ERRORS if the Document was not found
-      GetDocumentByIdentifier(trx, "", it, false, *builder.get());
+      std::string colName;
+      GetDocumentByIdentifier(trx, colName, it, false, *builder.get());
     }
   } else {
     for (auto& it : ids) {
@@ -2436,7 +2412,8 @@ AqlValue Functions::Document(arangodb::aql::Query* query,
     TransactionBuilderLeaser builder(trx);
     if (id.isString()) {
       std::string identifier(id.slice().copyString());
-      GetDocumentByIdentifier(trx, "", identifier, true, *builder.get());
+      std::string colName;
+      GetDocumentByIdentifier(trx, colName, identifier, true, *builder.get());
       if (builder->isEmpty()) {
         // not found
         return AqlValue(arangodb::basics::VelocyPackHelper::NullValue());
@@ -2450,7 +2427,8 @@ AqlValue Functions::Document(arangodb::aql::Query* query,
       for (auto const& next : VPackArrayIterator(idSlice)) {
         if (next.isString()) {
           std::string identifier = next.copyString();
-          GetDocumentByIdentifier(trx, "", identifier, true, *builder.get());
+          std::string colName;
+          GetDocumentByIdentifier(trx, colName, identifier, true, *builder.get());
         }
       }
       builder->close();
@@ -2463,7 +2441,7 @@ AqlValue Functions::Document(arangodb::aql::Query* query,
   if (!collectionValue.isString()) {
     THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(TRI_ERROR_INTERNAL);
   }
-  std::string const collectionName(collectionValue.slice().copyString());
+  std::string collectionName(collectionValue.slice().copyString());
 
   bool notFound = false; // TODO: what does this do?
 
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/Graphs.cpp b/arangod/Aql/Graphs.cpp
index 7702f38784..6881d353f5 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/Graphs.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/Graphs.cpp
@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@ void Graph::toVelocyPack(VPackBuilder& builder, bool verbose) const {
   }
 }
 
-Graph::Graph(VPackSlice const& slice) : _vertexColls(), _edgeColls() {
+Graph::Graph(VPackSlice const& info) : _vertexColls(), _edgeColls() {
+  VPackSlice const slice = info.resolveExternal();
   if (slice.hasKey(_attrEdgeDefs)) {
     auto edgeDefs = slice.get(_attrEdgeDefs);
 
diff --git a/arangod/RestHandler/RestVocbaseBaseHandler.cpp b/arangod/RestHandler/RestVocbaseBaseHandler.cpp
index 05ab3769c0..73a90d8643 100644
--- a/arangod/RestHandler/RestVocbaseBaseHandler.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RestHandler/RestVocbaseBaseHandler.cpp
@@ -344,9 +344,10 @@ void RestVocbaseBaseHandler::generateNotModified(TRI_voc_rid_t rid) {
 /// @brief generates next entry from a result set
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-void RestVocbaseBaseHandler::generateDocument(VPackSlice const& document,
+void RestVocbaseBaseHandler::generateDocument(VPackSlice const& input,
                                               bool generateBody,
                                               VPackOptions const* options) {
+  VPackSlice document = input.resolveExternal();
   std::string rev;
   if (document.isObject()) {
     rev = VelocyPackHelper::getStringValue(document, Transaction::RevString, "");
diff --git a/arangod/Utils/Transaction.cpp b/arangod/Utils/Transaction.cpp
index 1b9bff60c0..19ea18892c 100644
--- a/arangod/Utils/Transaction.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Utils/Transaction.cpp
@@ -708,14 +708,14 @@ void Transaction::buildDocumentIdentity(TRI_document_collection_t* document,
     builder.add("_oldRev", oldRid);
   }
   if (oldMptr != nullptr) {
-    builder.add("old", VPackSlice(oldMptr->vpack()));
+    // builder.add("old", VPackSlice(oldMptr->vpack()));
     // TODO: add externals later.
-    //builder.add("old", VPackValue(VPackValueType::External, oldMptr->vpack()));
+    builder.add("old", VPackValue(oldMptr->vpack(), VPackValueType::External));
   }
   if (newMptr != nullptr) {
-    builder.add("new", VPackSlice(newMptr->vpack()));
+    // builder.add("new", VPackSlice(newMptr->vpack()));
     // TODO: add externals later.
-    //builder.add("new", VPackValue(VPackValueType::External, newMptr->vpack()));
+    builder.add("new", VPackValue(newMptr->vpack(), VPackValueType::External));
   }
   builder.close();
 }
@@ -1110,9 +1110,7 @@ OperationResult Transaction::documentLocal(std::string const& collectionName,
     }
   
     if (!options.silent) {
-      //resultBuilder.add(VPackValue(static_cast<void const*>(mptr.vpack()), VPackValueType::External));
-      // This is the future, for now, we have to do this:
-      resultBuilder.add(VPackSlice(mptr.vpack()));
+      resultBuilder.add(VPackValue(static_cast<void const*>(mptr.vpack()), VPackValueType::External));
     } else if (isMultiple) {
       resultBuilder.add(VPackSlice::nullSlice());
     }
diff --git a/arangod/VocBase/ExampleMatcher.cpp b/arangod/VocBase/ExampleMatcher.cpp
index f6572fc91a..b39836b7ae 100644
--- a/arangod/VocBase/ExampleMatcher.cpp
+++ b/arangod/VocBase/ExampleMatcher.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// DISCLAIMER
 ///
 /// Copyright 2014-2016 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
@@ -183,7 +183,8 @@ ExampleMatcher::ExampleMatcher(VPackSlice const& example,
 /// @brief Checks if the given velocyPack matches the examples in this class
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-bool ExampleMatcher::matches(VPackSlice const toMatch) const {
+bool ExampleMatcher::matches(VPackSlice const test) const {
+  VPackSlice toMatch = test.resolveExternal();
   for (auto const& def : definitions) {
     VPackSlice const compareValue = def.slice();
     size_t i = 0;
diff --git a/arangod/VocBase/Traverser.cpp b/arangod/VocBase/Traverser.cpp
index 5c965f79ef..ecae00231d 100644
--- a/arangod/VocBase/Traverser.cpp
+++ b/arangod/VocBase/Traverser.cpp
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ bool TraverserExpression::matchesCheck(arangodb::Transaction* trx,
                                        VPackSlice const& element) const {
   TRI_ASSERT(trx != nullptr);
 
-  VPackSlice value = element; 
+  VPackSlice value = element.resolveExternal(); 
   
   // initialize compare value to Null
   VPackSlice result = arangodb::basics::VelocyPackHelper::NullValue();
diff --git a/arangod/VocBase/vocbase.cpp b/arangod/VocBase/vocbase.cpp
index b6f963449a..739722f862 100644
--- a/arangod/VocBase/vocbase.cpp
+++ b/arangod/VocBase/vocbase.cpp
@@ -2319,7 +2319,8 @@ void TRI_FillVPackSub(TRI_vpack_sub_t* sub,
 /// @brief extract the _rev attribute from a slice
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-TRI_voc_rid_t TRI_ExtractRevisionId(VPackSlice const slice) {
+TRI_voc_rid_t TRI_ExtractRevisionId(VPackSlice slice) {
+  slice = slice.resolveExternal();
   TRI_ASSERT(slice.isObject());
 
   VPackSlice r(slice.get(TRI_VOC_ATTRIBUTE_REV));