diff --git a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConstLink.c b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConstLink.c
index c05915717..91478d942 100644
--- a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConstLink.c
+++ b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConstLink.c
@@ -186,8 +186,8 @@ static long dbConstLoadLS(struct link *plink, char *pbuffer, epicsUInt32 size,
 
     status = dbLSConvertJSON(pstr, pbuffer, size, plen);
     if (status)
-        errlogPrintf("... while parsing link %s.%s %s\n",
-            plink->precord->name, dbLinkFieldName(plink), pstr);
+        errlogPrintf("... while parsing link %s.%s\n",
+            plink->precord->name, dbLinkFieldName(plink));
     return status;
 }
 
@@ -206,8 +206,8 @@ static long dbConstLoadArray(struct link *plink, short dbrType, void *pbuffer,
 
     status = dbPutConvertJSON(pstr, dbrType, pbuffer, pnReq);
     if (status)
-        errlogPrintf("... while parsing link %s.%s %s\n",
-            plink->precord->name, dbLinkFieldName(plink), pstr);
+        errlogPrintf("... while parsing link %s.%s\n",
+            plink->precord->name, dbLinkFieldName(plink));
     return status;
 }
 
diff --git a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConvertJSON.c b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConvertJSON.c
index f4bc81940..d685b69a9 100644
--- a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConvertJSON.c
+++ b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbConvertJSON.c
@@ -26,14 +26,16 @@ typedef struct parseContext {
     short dbrType;
     short dbrSize;
     char *pdest;
-    int elems;
+    size_t elems;
 } parseContext;
 
 static int dbcj_null(void *ctx) {
+    errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: Null objects not supported\n");
     return 0;    /* Illegal */
 }
 
 static int dbcj_boolean(void *ctx, int val) {
+    errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: Boolean not supported\n");
     return 0;    /* Illegal */
 }
 
@@ -50,10 +52,6 @@ static int dbcj_integer(void *ctx, long long num) {
     return 1;
 }
 
-static int dblsj_integer(void *ctx, long long num) {
-    return 0;    /* Illegal */
-}
-
 static int dbcj_double(void *ctx, double num) {
     parseContext *parser = (parseContext *) ctx;
     FASTCONVERT conv = dbFastPutConvertRoutine[DBF_DOUBLE][parser->dbrType];
@@ -66,19 +64,23 @@ static int dbcj_double(void *ctx, double num) {
     return 1;
 }
 
-static int dblsj_double(void *ctx, double num) {
-    return 0;    /* Illegal */
-}
-
 static int dbcj_string(void *ctx, const unsigned char *val, size_t len) {
     parseContext *parser = (parseContext *) ctx;
     char *pdest = parser->pdest;
 
-    /* Not attempting to handle char-array fields here, they need more
-     * metadata about the field than we have available at the moment.
-     */
+    if (parser->dbrType == DBF_CHAR || parser->dbrType == DBF_UCHAR) {
+        /* Treating char array as long string */
+        if (len > parser->elems)
+            len = parser->elems;
+        strncpy(pdest, (const char *) val, len);
+        parser->elems -= len;
+        parser->pdest += len;
+        return 1;
+    }
+
     if (parser->dbrType != DBF_STRING) {
-        errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: String provided, numeric value(s) expected\n");
+        errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: String \"%.*s\" provided, numeric value expected\n",
+            (int)len, val);
         return 0; /* Illegal */
     }
 
@@ -93,39 +95,11 @@ static int dbcj_string(void *ctx, const unsigned char *val, size_t len) {
     return 1;
 }
 
-static int dblsj_string(void *ctx, const unsigned char *val, size_t len) {
-    parseContext *parser = (parseContext *) ctx;
-    char *pdest = parser->pdest;
-
-    if (parser->dbrType != DBF_STRING) {
-        errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: dblsj_string dbrType error\n");
-        return 0; /* Illegal */
-    }
-
-    if (parser->elems > 0) {
-        if (len > parser->dbrSize - 1)
-            len = parser->dbrSize - 1;
-        strncpy(pdest, (const char *) val, len);
-        pdest[len] = 0;
-        parser->pdest = pdest + len;
-        parser->elems = 0;
-    }
-    return 1;
-}
-
 static int dbcj_start_map(void *ctx) {
     errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: Map type not supported\n");
     return 0;    /* Illegal */
 }
 
-static int dbcj_map_key(void *ctx, const unsigned char *key, size_t len) {
-    return 0;    /* Illegal */
-}
-
-static int dbcj_end_map(void *ctx) {
-    return 0;    /* Illegal */
-}
-
 static int dbcj_start_array(void *ctx) {
     parseContext *parser = (parseContext *) ctx;
 
@@ -135,32 +109,30 @@ static int dbcj_start_array(void *ctx) {
     return (parser->depth == 1);
 }
 
-static int dbcj_end_array(void *ctx) {
-    parseContext *parser = (parseContext *) ctx;
-
-    parser->depth--;
-    return (parser->depth == 0);
-}
-
-
 static yajl_callbacks dbcj_callbacks = {
     dbcj_null, dbcj_boolean, dbcj_integer, dbcj_double, NULL, dbcj_string,
-    dbcj_start_map, dbcj_map_key, dbcj_end_map,
-    dbcj_start_array, dbcj_end_array
+    dbcj_start_map, NULL, NULL,
+    dbcj_start_array, NULL
 };
 
 long dbPutConvertJSON(const char *json, short dbrType,
     void *pdest, long *pnRequest)
 {
     parseContext context, *parser = &context;
-    yajl_alloc_funcs dbcj_alloc;
     yajl_handle yh;
     yajl_status ys;
     size_t jlen = strlen(json);
     long status;
 
-    if(INVALID_DB_REQ(dbrType))
+    if (INVALID_DB_REQ(dbrType)) {
+        errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: Invalid dbrType %d\n", dbrType);
         return S_db_badDbrtype;
+    }
+
+    if (!jlen) {
+        *pnRequest = 0;
+        return 0;
+    }
 
     if (!jlen) {
         *pnRequest = 0;
@@ -173,10 +145,11 @@ long dbPutConvertJSON(const char *json, short dbrType,
     parser->pdest = pdest;
     parser->elems = *pnRequest;
 
-    yajl_set_default_alloc_funcs(&dbcj_alloc);
-    yh = yajl_alloc(&dbcj_callbacks, &dbcj_alloc, parser);
-    if (!yh)
+    yh = yajl_alloc(&dbcj_callbacks, NULL, parser);
+    if (!yh) {
+        errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: out of memory\n");
         return S_db_noMemory;
+    }
 
     ys = yajl_parse(yh, (const unsigned char *) json, jlen);
     if (ys == yajl_status_ok)
@@ -188,36 +161,23 @@ long dbPutConvertJSON(const char *json, short dbrType,
         status = 0;
         break;
 
-    case yajl_status_error: {
-        unsigned char *err = yajl_get_error(yh, 1,
-            (const unsigned char *) json, jlen);
-        errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: %s\n", err);
-        yajl_free_error(yh, err);
+    default: {
+            unsigned char *err = yajl_get_error(yh, 1,
+                (const unsigned char *) json, jlen);
+            errlogPrintf("dbConvertJSON: %s", err);
+            yajl_free_error(yh, err);
+            status = S_db_badField;
         }
-        /* fall through */
-    default:
-        status = S_db_badField;
     }
 
     yajl_free(yh);
     return status;
 }
 
-
-static yajl_callbacks dblsj_callbacks = {
-    dbcj_null, dbcj_boolean, dblsj_integer, dblsj_double, NULL, dblsj_string,
-    dbcj_start_map, dbcj_map_key, dbcj_end_map,
-    dbcj_start_array, dbcj_end_array
-};
-
 long dbLSConvertJSON(const char *json, char *pdest, epicsUInt32 size,
     epicsUInt32 *plen)
 {
-    parseContext context, *parser = &context;
-    yajl_alloc_funcs dbcj_alloc;
-    yajl_handle yh;
-    yajl_status ys;
-    size_t jlen = strlen(json);
+    long nRequest = size-1;
     long status;
 
     if (!size) {
@@ -225,36 +185,8 @@ long dbLSConvertJSON(const char *json, char *pdest, epicsUInt32 size,
         return 0;
     }
 
-    parser->depth = 0;
-    parser->dbrType = DBF_STRING;
-    parser->dbrSize = size;
-    parser->pdest = pdest;
-    parser->elems = 1;
-
-    yajl_set_default_alloc_funcs(&dbcj_alloc);
-    yh = yajl_alloc(&dblsj_callbacks, &dbcj_alloc, parser);
-    if (!yh)
-        return S_db_noMemory;
-
-    ys = yajl_parse(yh, (const unsigned char *) json, jlen);
-
-    switch (ys) {
-    case yajl_status_ok:
-        *plen = (char *) parser->pdest - pdest + 1;
-        status = 0;
-        break;
-
-    case yajl_status_error: {
-        unsigned char *err = yajl_get_error(yh, 1,
-            (const unsigned char *) json, jlen);
-        errlogPrintf("dbLoadLS_JSON: %s\n", err);
-        yajl_free_error(yh, err);
-        }
-        /* fall through */
-    default:
-        status = S_db_badField;
-    }
-
-    yajl_free(yh);
+    status = dbPutConvertJSON(json, DBF_CHAR, pdest, &nRequest);
+    pdest[nRequest++] = 0;
+    *plen = nRequest;
     return status;
 }
diff --git a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbTest.c b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbTest.c
index 6f5c3eab2..a82b9eb6b 100644
--- a/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbTest.c
+++ b/modules/database/src/ioc/db/dbTest.c
@@ -996,8 +996,12 @@ static void printBuffer(
                 i = 0;
                 while (len > 0) {
                     int chunk = (len > MAXLINE - 5) ? MAXLINE - 5 : len;
-
-                    sprintf(pmsg, "\"%.*s\"", chunk, (char *)pbuffer + i);
+                    strcpy(pmsg, "\"");
+                    while (epicsStrnEscapedFromRawSize((char *)pbuffer + i, chunk) >= MAXLINE - 5)
+                        chunk--;
+                    epicsStrnEscapedFromRaw(pmsg+1, MAXLINE - 5,
+                        (char *)pbuffer + i, chunk);
+                    strcat(pmsg, "\"");
                     len -= chunk; i += chunk;
                     if (len > 0)
                         strcat(pmsg, " +");