diff --git a/hive/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreter.java b/hive/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreter.java
index 912b55e2651..42916b47452 100644
--- a/hive/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreter.java
+++ b/hive/src/main/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreter.java
@@ -169,6 +169,9 @@ public void close() {
 
   public Connection getConnection(String propertyKey) throws ClassNotFoundException, SQLException {
     Connection connection = null;
+    if (propertyKey == null || propertiesMap.get(propertyKey) == null) {
+      return null;
+    }
     if (propertyKeyUnusedConnectionListMap.containsKey(propertyKey)) {
       ArrayList<Connection> connectionList = propertyKeyUnusedConnectionListMap.get(propertyKey);
       if (0 != connectionList.size()) {
@@ -203,6 +206,10 @@ public Statement getStatement(String propertyKey, String paragraphId)
     } else {
       connection = getConnection(propertyKey);
     }
+    
+    if (connection == null) {
+      return null;
+    }
 
     Statement statement = connection.createStatement();
     if (isStatementClosed(statement)) {
@@ -232,6 +239,10 @@ public InterpreterResult executeSql(String propertyKey, String sql,
 
       Statement statement = getStatement(propertyKey, paragraphId);
 
+      if (statement == null) {
+        return new InterpreterResult(Code.ERROR, "Prefix not found.");
+      }
+
       statement.setMaxRows(getMaxResult());
 
       StringBuilder msg;
@@ -315,10 +326,8 @@ private void moveConnectionToUnused(String propertyKey, String paragraphId) {
   public InterpreterResult interpret(String cmd, InterpreterContext contextInterpreter) {
     String propertyKey = getPropertyKey(cmd);
 
-    if (null != propertyKey) {
+    if (null != propertyKey && !propertyKey.equals(DEFAULT_KEY)) {
       cmd = cmd.substring(propertyKey.length() + 2);
-    } else {
-      propertyKey = DEFAULT_KEY;
     }
 
     cmd = cmd.trim();
@@ -334,17 +343,19 @@ private int getMaxResult() {
   }
 
   public String getPropertyKey(String cmd) {
-    int firstLineIndex = cmd.indexOf("\n");
-    if (-1 == firstLineIndex) {
-      firstLineIndex = cmd.length();
-    }
-    int configStartIndex = cmd.indexOf("(");
-    int configLastIndex = cmd.indexOf(")");
-    if (configStartIndex != -1 && configLastIndex != -1
-        && configLastIndex < firstLineIndex && configLastIndex < firstLineIndex) {
-      return cmd.substring(configStartIndex + 1, configLastIndex);
+    boolean firstLineIndex = cmd.startsWith("(");
+
+    if (firstLineIndex) {
+      int configStartIndex = cmd.indexOf("(");
+      int configLastIndex = cmd.indexOf(")");
+      if (configStartIndex != -1 && configLastIndex != -1) {
+        return cmd.substring(configStartIndex + 1, configLastIndex);
+      } else {
+        return null;
+      }
+    } else {
+      return DEFAULT_KEY;
     }
-    return null;
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/hive/src/test/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreterTest.java b/hive/src/test/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreterTest.java
index 8f1285df98f..bc4ec31ab46 100644
--- a/hive/src/test/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreterTest.java
+++ b/hive/src/test/java/org/apache/zeppelin/hive/HiveInterpreterTest.java
@@ -66,7 +66,53 @@ public static void setUp() throws Exception {
   @After
   public void tearDown() throws Exception {
   }
+  
+  @Test
+  public void testForParsePropertyKey() throws IOException {
+    HiveInterpreter t = new HiveInterpreter(new Properties());
+    
+    assertEquals(t.getPropertyKey("(fake) select max(cant) from test_table where id >= 2452640"),
+        "fake");
+    
+    assertEquals(t.getPropertyKey("() select max(cant) from test_table where id >= 2452640"),
+        "");
+    
+    assertEquals(t.getPropertyKey(")fake( select max(cant) from test_table where id >= 2452640"),
+        "default");
+        
+    // when you use a %hive(prefix1), prefix1 is the propertyKey as form part of the cmd string
+    assertEquals(t.getPropertyKey("(prefix1)\n select max(cant) from test_table where id >= 2452640"),
+        "prefix1");
+    
+    assertEquals(t.getPropertyKey("(prefix2) select max(cant) from test_table where id >= 2452640"),
+            "prefix2");
+    
+    // when you use a %hive, prefix is the default
+    assertEquals(t.getPropertyKey("select max(cant) from test_table where id >= 2452640"),
+            "default");
+  }
+  
+  @Test
+  public void testForMapPrefix() throws SQLException, IOException {
+    Properties properties = new Properties();
+    properties.setProperty("common.max_count", "1000");
+    properties.setProperty("common.max_retry", "3");
+    properties.setProperty("default.driver", "org.h2.Driver");
+    properties.setProperty("default.url", getJdbcConnection());
+    properties.setProperty("default.user", "");
+    properties.setProperty("default.password", "");
+    HiveInterpreter t = new HiveInterpreter(properties);
+    t.open();
 
+    String sqlQuery = "(fake) select * from test_table";
+
+    InterpreterResult interpreterResult = t.interpret(sqlQuery, new InterpreterContext("", "1", "","", null,null,null,null,null,null));
+
+    // if prefix not found return ERROR and Prefix not found.
+    assertEquals(InterpreterResult.Code.ERROR, interpreterResult.code());
+    assertEquals("Prefix not found.", interpreterResult.message());
+  }
+  
   @Test
   public void readTest() throws IOException {
     Properties properties = new Properties();