diff --git a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/DAOUtils.java b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/DAOUtils.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..45f98cfc977f7b1e8e4170278e460384dcd66b54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/DAOUtils.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2009 ETH Zuerich, CISD
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package ch.systemsx.cisd.openbis.generic.server.dataaccess.db;
+
+import org.hibernate.Criteria;
+import org.hibernate.criterion.Projections;
+
+/**
+ * Utility routines for DAOs. 
+ *
+ * @author Bernd Rinn
+ */
+final class DAOUtils
+{
+
+    private DAOUtils()
+    {
+        // Cannot be instantiated
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Don't try to get properties for more than 1000 entities.
+     */
+    final static int MAX_COUNT_FOR_PROPERTIES = 1000;
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the number of entities that the given <var>critera</var> will return.
+     */
+    static int getCount(final Criteria criteria)
+    {
+        int count = (Integer) criteria.setProjection(Projections.rowCount()).uniqueResult();
+        // Undo the rowCount projection
+        criteria.setProjection(null);
+        criteria.setResultTransformer(Criteria.ROOT_ENTITY);
+        return count;
+    }
+    
+}
diff --git a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/MaterialDAO.java b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/MaterialDAO.java
index 96161791a62cd8a1c3848b4d1035bacfa987f3cb..7ca4f5785a7a8dd40a2e5c9e7110991167d1ebe3 100644
--- a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/MaterialDAO.java
+++ b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/MaterialDAO.java
@@ -61,7 +61,15 @@ public class MaterialDAO extends AbstractGenericEntityDAO<MaterialPE> implements
 
         final Criteria criteria = getSession().createCriteria(ENTITY_CLASS);
         criteria.add(Restrictions.eq("materialType", materialType));
-        criteria.setFetchMode("materialProperties", FetchMode.JOIN);
+        final int count = DAOUtils.getCount(criteria);
+        if (count <= DAOUtils.MAX_COUNT_FOR_PROPERTIES)
+        {
+            criteria.setFetchMode("materialProperties", FetchMode.JOIN);
+        } else
+        {
+            operationLog.info(String.format("Found %d materials, disable properties loading.",
+                    count));
+        }
         criteria.setResultTransformer(Criteria.DISTINCT_ROOT_ENTITY);
         final List<MaterialPE> list = cast(criteria.list());
         if (operationLog.isDebugEnabled())
diff --git a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/SampleDAO.java b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/SampleDAO.java
index 47e4276f2a1ba3107aff3453f15cedf528b99e83..9f3c90fa5b0327f5e2aa8e8ddd69116f43693afd 100644
--- a/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/SampleDAO.java
+++ b/openbis/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/openbis/generic/server/dataaccess/db/SampleDAO.java
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import org.hibernate.Criteria;
 import org.hibernate.FetchMode;
 import org.hibernate.SessionFactory;
 import org.hibernate.criterion.Criterion;
-import org.hibernate.criterion.Projections;
 import org.hibernate.criterion.Restrictions;
 import org.hibernate.validator.ClassValidator;
 import org.springframework.dao.DataAccessException;
@@ -52,11 +51,6 @@ public class SampleDAO extends AbstractGenericEntityDAO<SamplePE> implements ISa
 {
     private final static Class<SamplePE> ENTITY_CLASS = SamplePE.class;
 
-    /**
-     * Don't try to get properties for more than 1000 samples.
-     */
-    private final static int MAX_COUNT_FOR_PROPERTIES = 1000;
-
     /**
      * This logger does not output any SQL statement. If you want to do so, you had better set an
      * appropriate debugging level for class {@link JdbcAccessor}. </p>
@@ -105,11 +99,11 @@ public class SampleDAO extends AbstractGenericEntityDAO<SamplePE> implements ISa
         {
             basicCriteria.add(criterion);
         }
-        final int count = getCount(basicCriteria);
+        final int count = DAOUtils.getCount(basicCriteria);
         if (withExperimentAndProperties)
         {
             basicCriteria.setFetchMode("experimentInternal", FetchMode.JOIN);
-            if (count < MAX_COUNT_FOR_PROPERTIES)
+            if (count <= DAOUtils.MAX_COUNT_FOR_PROPERTIES)
             {
                 basicCriteria.setFetchMode("sampleProperties", FetchMode.JOIN);
             } else
@@ -122,15 +116,6 @@ public class SampleDAO extends AbstractGenericEntityDAO<SamplePE> implements ISa
         return cast(basicCriteria.list());
     }
 
-    private int getCount(final Criteria basicCriteria)
-    {
-        int count = (Integer) basicCriteria.setProjection(Projections.rowCount()).uniqueResult();
-        // Undo the rowCount projection
-        basicCriteria.setProjection(null);
-        basicCriteria.setResultTransformer(Criteria.ROOT_ENTITY);
-        return count;
-    }
-
     private List<SamplePE> listSamplesByCriteria(boolean withExperimentAndProperties,
             Criterion... criterions) throws DataAccessException
     {