diff --git a/controllers/serveController.js b/controllers/serveController.js
index f0ed5f05..023622f3 100644
--- a/controllers/serveController.js
+++ b/controllers/serveController.js
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ module.exports = {
   getAssetByClaim (claimName, claimId) {
     logger.debug(`getAssetByClaim(${claimName}, ${claimId})`);
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      db.getLongClaimId(claimName, claimId) // 1. get the long claim id
+      db.Claim.getLongClaimId(claimName, claimId) // 1. get the long claim id
         .then(result => {  // 2. get the asset using the long claim id
           logger.debug('long claim id ===', result);
           if (result === NO_CLAIM) {
diff --git a/models/claim.js b/models/claim.js
index c0df47a9..b61a389e 100644
--- a/models/claim.js
+++ b/models/claim.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ function sortResult (result, longId) {
   return shortId;
 }
 
-module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, ARRAY, DECIMAL, DOUBLE }) => {
+module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, ARRAY, DECIMAL, DOUBLE, Op }) => {
   const Claim = sequelize.define(
     'Claim',
     {
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, ARRAY, DECIMAL, D
   Claim.getClaimIdByLongChannelId = function (channelId, claimName) {
     logger.debug(`finding claim id for claim ${claimName} from channel ${channelId}`);
     return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-      Claim
+      this
         .findAll({
           where: { name: claimName, certificateId: channelId },
           order: [['id', 'ASC']],
@@ -250,5 +250,64 @@ module.exports = (sequelize, { STRING, BOOLEAN, INTEGER, TEXT, ARRAY, DECIMAL, D
     });
   };
 
+    // sequelize.query(`SELECT claimId FROM Claim WHERE name = '${name}' AND claimId LIKE '${shortId}%' ORDER BY height ASC LIMIT 1;`, { type: db.sequelize.QueryTypes.SELECT })
+  Claim.getLongClaimIdFromShortClaimId = function (name, shortId) {
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      this
+        .findAll({
+          where: {
+            name,
+            claimId: {
+              [Op.like]: `${shortId}%`,
+            }},
+          order: [['height', 'ASC']],
+        })
+        .then(result => {
+          switch (result.length) {
+            case 0:
+              return resolve(NO_CLAIM);
+            default: // note results must be sorted
+              return resolve(result[0].claimId);
+          }
+        })
+        .catch(error => {
+          reject(error);
+        });
+    });
+  };
+
+  Claim.getTopFreeClaimIdByClaimName = function (name) {
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      this
+        .findAll({
+          where: { name },
+          order: [['effectiveAmount', 'DESC'], ['height', 'ASC']],  // note: maybe height and effective amount need to switch?
+        })
+        .then(result => {
+          switch (result.length) {
+            case 0:
+              return resolve(NO_CLAIM);
+            default:
+              logger.debug('getTopFreeClaimIdByClaimName result:', result);
+              return resolve(result[0].claimId);
+          }
+        })
+        .catch(error => {
+          reject(error);
+        });
+    });
+  };
+
+  Claim.getLongClaimId = function (claimName, claimId) {
+    logger.debug(`getLongClaimId(${claimName}, ${claimId})`);
+    if (claimId && (claimId.length === 40)) {  // if a full claim id is provided
+      return new Promise((resolve, reject) => resolve(claimId));
+    } else if (claimId && claimId.length < 40) {
+      return this.getLongClaimIdFromShortClaimId(claimName, claimId);  // if a short claim id is provided
+    } else {
+      return this.getTopFreeClaimIdByClaimName(claimName);  // if no claim id is provided
+    }
+  };
+
   return Claim;
 };
diff --git a/models/index.js b/models/index.js
index fa527331..ea227777 100644
--- a/models/index.js
+++ b/models/index.js
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ const db = {};
 const logger = require('winston');
 
 const NO_CHANNEL = 'NO_CHANNEL';
-const NO_CLAIM = 'NO_CLAIM';
 
 const database = config.get('Database.Database');
 const username = config.get('Database.Username');
 const password = config.get('Database.Password');
+
 const sequelize = new Sequelize(database, username, password, {
   host   : 'localhost',
   dialect: 'mysql',
@@ -24,43 +24,6 @@ const sequelize = new Sequelize(database, username, password, {
   },
 });
 
-function getLongClaimIdFromShortClaimId (name, shortId) {
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    db
-      .sequelize.query(`SELECT claimId FROM Claim WHERE name = '${name}' AND claimId LIKE '${shortId}%' ORDER BY height ASC LIMIT 1;`, { type: db.sequelize.QueryTypes.SELECT })
-      .then(result => {
-        switch (result.length) {
-          case 0:
-            return resolve(NO_CLAIM);
-          default: // note results must be sorted
-            return resolve(result[0].claimId);
-        }
-      })
-      .catch(error => {
-        reject(error);
-      });
-  });
-}
-
-function getTopFreeClaimIdByClaimName (name) {
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    db
-      .sequelize.query(`SELECT claimId FROM Claim WHERE name = '${name}' ORDER BY effectiveAmount DESC, height ASC LIMIT 1`, { type: db.sequelize.QueryTypes.SELECT })
-      .then(result => {
-        logger.debug('getTopFreeClaimIdByClaimName result:', result);
-        switch (result.length) {
-          case 0:
-            return resolve(NO_CLAIM);
-          default:
-            return resolve(result[0].claimId);
-        }
-      })
-      .catch(error => {
-        reject(error);
-      });
-  });
-};
-
 function getLongChannelIdFromShortChannelId (channelName, channelId) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     db
@@ -172,17 +135,6 @@ db['resolveClaim'] = (name, claimId) => {
   });
 };
 
-db['getLongClaimId'] = (claimName, claimId) => {
-  logger.debug(`getLongClaimId(${claimName}, ${claimId})`);
-  if (claimId && (claimId.length === 40)) {  // if a full claim id is provided
-    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => resolve(claimId));
-  } else if (claimId && claimId.length < 40) {
-    return getLongClaimIdFromShortClaimId(claimName, claimId);  // if a short claim id is provided
-  } else {
-    return getTopFreeClaimIdByClaimName(claimName);  // if no claim id is provided
-  }
-};
-
 db['getLongChannelId'] = (channelName, channelId) => {
   logger.debug(`getLongChannelId (${channelName}, ${channelId})`);
   if (channelId && (channelId.length === 40)) {  // if a full channel id is provided