diff --git a/platform/core/src/models/PersistedModelProvider.js b/platform/core/src/models/PersistedModelProvider.js
index eb23eac809..8dee85b0e4 100644
--- a/platform/core/src/models/PersistedModelProvider.js
+++ b/platform/core/src/models/PersistedModelProvider.js
@@ -20,22 +20,30 @@ define(
          *        models should be retrieved.
          */
         function PersistedModelProvider(persistenceService, $q, SPACE) {
+            // Load a single object model from persistence
+            function loadModel(id) {
+                return persistenceService.readObject(SPACE, id);
+            }
+
+            // Promise all persisted models (in id->model form)
             function promiseModels(ids) {
-                return $q.all(ids.filter(function (id) {
-                    // Filter out "namespaced" identifiers; these are
-                    // not expected to be found in database. See WTD-659.
-                    return id.indexOf(":") === -1;
-                }).map(function (id) {
-                    // Read remaining objects from persistence
-                    return persistenceService.readObject(SPACE, id);
-                })).then(function (models) {
-                    // Packaged the result as id->object
+                // Package the result as id->model
+                function packageResult(models) {
                     var result = {};
                     ids.forEach(function (id, index) {
                         result[id] = models[index];
                     });
                     return result;
+                }
+
+                // Filter out "namespaced" identifiers; these are
+                // not expected to be found in database. See WTD-659.
+                ids = ids.filter(function (id) {
+                    return id.indexOf(":") === -1;
                 });
+
+                // Give a promise for all persistence lookups...
+                return $q.all(ids.map(loadModel)).then(packageResult);
             }
 
             return {