diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverter.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverter.java
index 4b84645c..db587979 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverter.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
+
 package org.springframework.data.gemfire;
 
 import org.springframework.core.convert.converter.Converter;
@@ -24,54 +25,50 @@ import com.gemstone.gemfire.cache.DataPolicy;
  * 
  */
 public class DataPolicyConverter implements Converter<String, DataPolicy> {
-	private static enum Policy {
-		EMPTY, DEFAULT, NORMAL, PERSISTENT_PARTITION, PERSISTENT_REPLICATE, PRELOADED, REPLICATE;
-		public DataPolicy toDataPolicy() {
-			DataPolicy dataPolicy = null;
-			switch (this) {
-			case EMPTY:
-				dataPolicy = DataPolicy.EMPTY;
-				break;
-			case DEFAULT:
-				dataPolicy = DataPolicy.DEFAULT;
-				break;
-			case NORMAL:
-				dataPolicy = DataPolicy.NORMAL;
-				break;
-			case PERSISTENT_PARTITION:
-				dataPolicy = DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_PARTITION;
-				break;
-			case PERSISTENT_REPLICATE:
-				dataPolicy = DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_REPLICATE;
-				break;
-			case PRELOADED:
-				dataPolicy = DataPolicy.PRELOADED;
-				break;
-			case REPLICATE:
-				dataPolicy = DataPolicy.REPLICATE;
-				break;
-			}
-			return dataPolicy;
+
+	static enum Policy {
+		DEFAULT, EMPTY, NORMAL, PRELOADED, PARTITION, PERSISTENT_PARTITION, REPLICATE, PERSISTENT_REPLICATE;
+
+		private static String toUpperCase(String value) {
+			return (value == null ? null : value.toUpperCase());
 		}
 
 		public static Policy getValue(String value) {
-			Policy policy = null;
 			try {
-				policy = valueOf(value);
+				return valueOf(toUpperCase(value));
 			}
 			catch (Exception e) {
+				return null;
 			}
-			return policy;
 		}
-	};
+
+		public DataPolicy toDataPolicy() {
+			switch (this) {
+				case EMPTY:
+					return DataPolicy.EMPTY;
+				case NORMAL:
+					return DataPolicy.NORMAL;
+				case PRELOADED:
+					return DataPolicy.PRELOADED;
+				case PARTITION :
+					return DataPolicy.PARTITION;
+				case PERSISTENT_PARTITION:
+					return DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_PARTITION;
+				case REPLICATE:
+					return DataPolicy.REPLICATE;
+				case PERSISTENT_REPLICATE:
+					return DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_REPLICATE;
+				case DEFAULT:
+				default:
+					return DataPolicy.DEFAULT;
+			}
+		}
+	}
 
 	@Override
-	public DataPolicy convert(String source) {
-		if (source == null) {
-			return null;
-		}
-		source = source.toUpperCase();
-		return Policy.getValue(source) == null ? null : Policy.getValue(source).toDataPolicy();
+	public DataPolicy convert(String policyValue) {
+		Policy policy = Policy.getValue(policyValue);
+		return (policy == null ? null : policy.toDataPolicy());
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/RegionFactoryBean.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/RegionFactoryBean.java
index ceaea032..aa971267 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/RegionFactoryBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/RegionFactoryBean.java
@@ -195,21 +195,27 @@ public class RegionFactoryBean<K, V> extends RegionLookupFactoryBean<K, V> imple
 	 * @param dataPolicy requested data policy
 	 */
 	protected void resolveDataPolicy(RegionFactory<K, V> regionFactory, Boolean persistent, String dataPolicy) {
-		if (dataPolicy == null) {
-			if (isPersistent()) {
-				regionFactory.setDataPolicy(DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_REPLICATE);
-			} else {
-				regionFactory.setDataPolicy(DataPolicy.DEFAULT);
-			}
-			return;
+		if (dataPolicy != null) {
+			regionFactory.setDataPolicy(convertAndValidate(dataPolicy));
+		}
+		else {
+			regionFactory.setDataPolicy(isPersistent() ? DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_REPLICATE : DataPolicy.DEFAULT);
+		}
+	}
+
+	private DataPolicy convertAndValidate(final String dataPolicy) {
+		final DataPolicy dataPolicyType = new DataPolicyConverter().convert(dataPolicy);
+
+		Assert.notNull(dataPolicyType, String.format("Data policy %1$s is invalid", dataPolicy));
+
+		if (dataPolicyType.withPersistence()) {
+			// NOTE isNotPersistent means the user explicitly set the persistent attribute for the Region to false,
+			// and this conflicts with the Data Policy (via the that was set by the user, which indicates persistence.
+			Assert.isTrue(!isNotPersistent(), String.format("Data policy %1$s is invalid when persistent is false",
+				dataPolicy));
 		}
 
-		DataPolicy dp = new DataPolicyConverter().convert(dataPolicy);
-		Assert.notNull(dp, "Data policy " + dataPolicy + " is invalid");
-		if (dp.withPersistence()) {
-			Assert.isTrue(!isNotPersistent(), "Data policy " + dataPolicy + " is invalid when persistent is false");
-		}
-		regionFactory.setDataPolicy(dp);
+		return dataPolicyType;
 	}
 
 	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
@@ -343,7 +349,7 @@ public class RegionFactoryBean<K, V> extends RegionLookupFactoryBean<K, V> imple
 	/**
 	 * Sets the dataPolicy as a String. Required to support property
 	 * placeholders
-	 * @param dataPolicy the dataPolicy name (NORMAL, PRELOADED, etc)
+	 * @param dataPolicyName the dataPolicy name (NORMAL, PRELOADED, etc)
 	 */
 	public void setDataPolicy(String dataPolicyName) {
 		this.dataPolicy = dataPolicyName;
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverterTest.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverterTest.java
index c0a6b054..c9fe3d69 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverterTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/gemfire/DataPolicyConverterTest.java
@@ -27,11 +27,39 @@ import com.gemstone.gemfire.cache.DataPolicy;
  * 
  */
 public class DataPolicyConverterTest {
-	DataPolicyConverter converter = new DataPolicyConverter();
+
+	private final DataPolicyConverter converter = new DataPolicyConverter();
+
+	protected int getDataPolicyEnumerationSize() {
+		for (byte ordinal = 0; true; ordinal++) {
+			try {
+				DataPolicy.fromOrdinal(ordinal);
+			}
+			catch (Exception e) {
+				return ordinal;
+			}
+		}
+	}
 
 	@Test
-	public void test() {
+	public void testPolicyToDataPolicy() {
+		// exclude DEFAULT
+		assertEquals(getDataPolicyEnumerationSize(), DataPolicyConverter.Policy.values().length - 1);
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.EMPTY, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.EMPTY.toDataPolicy());
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.NORMAL, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.NORMAL.toDataPolicy());
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.PRELOADED, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.PRELOADED.toDataPolicy());
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.PARTITION, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.PARTITION.toDataPolicy());
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_PARTITION, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.PERSISTENT_PARTITION.toDataPolicy());
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.REPLICATE, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.REPLICATE.toDataPolicy());
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_REPLICATE, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.PERSISTENT_REPLICATE.toDataPolicy());
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.DEFAULT, DataPolicyConverter.Policy.DEFAULT.toDataPolicy());
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testConvert() {
 		assertEquals(DataPolicy.EMPTY, converter.convert("empty"));
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.PARTITION, converter.convert("Partition"));
+		assertEquals(DataPolicy.PERSISTENT_REPLICATE, converter.convert("PERSISTENT_REPLICATE"));
 		assertNull(converter.convert("invalid"));
 		assertNull(converter.convert(null));
 	}