diff --git a/tez-common/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TezDAGID.java b/tez-common/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TezDAGID.java
index 68184fc8c0..ba5aab7a25 100644
--- a/tez-common/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TezDAGID.java
+++ b/tez-common/src/main/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TezDAGID.java
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 import java.io.DataInput;
 import java.io.DataOutput;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.regex.Matcher;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.api.records.ApplicationId;
 
@@ -133,6 +135,7 @@ public void write(DataOutput out) throws IOException {
     super.write(out);
   }
 
+  public static final Pattern DAG_ID_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("dag_(.+)_(\\d+)_(\\d+)");
   // DO NOT CHANGE THIS. DAGClient replicates this code to create DAG id string
   public static final String DAG = "dag";
   static final ThreadLocal<FastNumberFormat> tezAppIdFormat = new ThreadLocal<FastNumberFormat>() {
@@ -175,25 +178,15 @@ public String getGroupId(int numDagsPerGroup) {
   }
 
   public static TezDAGID fromString(String dagId) {
-    int id = 0;
-    int appId = 0;
-    String[] split = dagId.split("_");
-    if (split.length != 4 || !dagId.startsWith(DAG + "_")) {
+    final Matcher match = DAG_ID_PATTERN.matcher(dagId);
+    if (!match.find()) {
       throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid DAG Id format : " + dagId);
     }
-    String rmId = split[1];
-    try {
-      appId = Integer.parseInt(split[2]);
-    } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Error while parsing App Id '"
-          + split[2] + "' of DAG Id : " + dagId);
-    }
-    try {
-      id = Integer.parseInt(split[3]);
-    } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Error while parsing Id '" + split[3]
-          + "' of DAG Id : " + dagId);
-    }
+
+    final String rmId = match.group(1);
+    final int appId = Integer.parseInt(match.group(2));
+    final int id = Integer.parseInt(match.group(3));
+
     return TezDAGID.getInstance(rmId, appId, id);
   }
 
diff --git a/tez-common/src/test/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TestTezIds.java b/tez-common/src/test/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TestTezIds.java
index 5e1552d345..1427ac32c8 100644
--- a/tez-common/src/test/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TestTezIds.java
+++ b/tez-common/src/test/java/org/apache/tez/dag/records/TestTezIds.java
@@ -108,43 +108,37 @@ public void testIdStringify() {
     verifyAttemptId(taIdStr, taId);
   }
 
-  @Test(timeout=5000)
-  public void testInvalidDagIds() {
-    String dagIdStr = "aaa_111_1_1";
-    TezDAGID dagId;
-    try {
-      dagId = TezDAGID.fromString(dagIdStr);
-      Assert.fail("Expected failure for invalid dagId=" + dagIdStr);
-    } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
-      Assert.assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("Invalid DAG Id format"));
-    }
-
-    dagIdStr = "dag_111_11";
-    try {
-      dagId = TezDAGID.fromString(dagIdStr);
-      Assert.fail("Expected failure for invalid dagId=" + dagIdStr);
-    } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
-      Assert.assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("Invalid DAG Id format"));
-    }
+  @Test
+  public void testFromStringValid() {
+    final TezDAGID dagId = TezDAGID.fromString("dag_111_2_3");
+    Assert.assertEquals(3, dagId.getId());
+    Assert.assertEquals(111, dagId.getApplicationId().getClusterTimestamp());
+    Assert.assertEquals(2, dagId.getApplicationId().getId());
+  }
 
-    dagIdStr = "dag_111_11_aa";
-    try {
-      dagId = TezDAGID.fromString(dagIdStr);
-      Assert.fail("Expected failure for invalid dagId=" + dagIdStr);
-    } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
-      Assert.assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("Error while parsing"));
-    }
+  @Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+  public void testFromStringInvalidPrefix() {
+    // Case sensitive
+    TezDAGID.fromString("DAG_111_1_1");
+  }
 
-    dagIdStr = "dag_111_aa_1";
-    try {
-      dagId = TezDAGID.fromString(dagIdStr);
-      Assert.fail("Expected failure for invalid dagId=" + dagIdStr);
-    } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
-      Assert.assertTrue(e.getMessage().contains("Error while parsing"));
-    }
+  @Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+  public void testFromStringInvalidFormat() {
+    // Missing last field
+    TezDAGID.fromString("dag_111_11");
+  }
 
+  @Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+  public void testFromStringInvalidID() {
+    // ID field must be numeric
+    TezDAGID.fromString("dag_111_11_aa");
   }
 
+  @Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+  public void testFromStringInvalidAppID() {
+    // App ID field must be numeric
+    TezDAGID.fromString("dag_111_aa_11");
+  }
 
   public void testGetGroupIds() {
     ApplicationId appId = ApplicationId.newInstance(0, 1);