diff --git a/sql/hive/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/hive/hiveOperators.scala b/sql/hive/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/hive/hiveOperators.scala
index 96faebc5a8687..aadd7f531cdc2 100644
--- a/sql/hive/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/hive/hiveOperators.scala
+++ b/sql/hive/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/hive/hiveOperators.scala
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ case class HiveTableScan(
         (_: Any, partitionKeys: Array[String]) => {
           val value = partitionKeys(ordinal)
           val dataType = relation.partitionKeys(ordinal).dataType
-          castFromString(value, dataType)
+          unwrapHiveData(castFromString(value, dataType))
         }
       } else {
         val ref = objectInspector.getAllStructFieldRefs
@@ -102,12 +102,19 @@ case class HiveTableScan(
           .getOrElse(sys.error(s"Can't find attribute $a"))
         (row: Any, _: Array[String]) => {
           val data = objectInspector.getStructFieldData(row, ref)
-          unwrapData(data, ref.getFieldObjectInspector)
+          unwrapHiveData(unwrapData(data, ref.getFieldObjectInspector))
         }
       }
     }
   }
 
+  private def unwrapHiveData(value: Any) = value match {
+    case maybeNull: String if maybeNull.toLowerCase == "null" => null
+    case varchar: HiveVarchar => varchar.getValue
+    case decimal: HiveDecimal => BigDecimal(decimal.bigDecimalValue)
+    case other => other
+  }
+
   private def castFromString(value: String, dataType: DataType) = {
     Cast(Literal(value), dataType).eval(null)
   }
@@ -143,20 +150,34 @@ case class HiveTableScan(
   }
 
   def execute() = {
-    inputRdd.map { row =>
-      val values = row match {
-        case Array(deserializedRow: AnyRef, partitionKeys: Array[String]) =>
-          attributeFunctions.map(_(deserializedRow, partitionKeys))
-        case deserializedRow: AnyRef =>
-          attributeFunctions.map(_(deserializedRow, Array.empty))
+    inputRdd.mapPartitions { iterator =>
+      if (iterator.isEmpty) {
+        Iterator.empty
+      } else {
+        val mutableRow = new GenericMutableRow(attributes.length)
+        val buffered = iterator.buffered
+
+        (buffered.head match {
+          case Array(_, _) =>
+            buffered.map { case Array(deserializedRow, partitionKeys: Array[String]) =>
+              (deserializedRow, partitionKeys)
+            }
+
+          case _ =>
+            buffered.map { deserializedRow =>
+              (deserializedRow, Array.empty[String])
+            }
+        }).map { case (deserializedRow, partitionKeys: Array[String]) =>
+          var i = 0
+
+          while (i < attributes.length) {
+            mutableRow(i) = attributeFunctions(i)(deserializedRow, partitionKeys)
+            i += 1
+          }
+
+          mutableRow: Row
+        }
       }
-      buildRow(values.map {
-        case n: String if n.toLowerCase == "null" => null
-        case varchar: org.apache.hadoop.hive.common.`type`.HiveVarchar => varchar.getValue
-        case decimal: org.apache.hadoop.hive.common.`type`.HiveDecimal =>
-          BigDecimal(decimal.bigDecimalValue)
-        case other => other
-      })
     }
   }