diff --git a/nb-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/nb/api/config/standard/NBConfiguration.java b/nb-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/nb/api/config/standard/NBConfiguration.java
index b94b4dab5..e1fac7a60 100644
--- a/nb-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/nb/api/config/standard/NBConfiguration.java
+++ b/nb-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/nb/api/config/standard/NBConfiguration.java
@@ -102,7 +102,11 @@ public class NBConfiguration {
 
         Object o = data.get(name);
         if (o == null) {
-            throw new NBConfigError("config param '" + name + "' was not defined.");
+            if (param.getDefaultValue()==null) {
+                throw new NBConfigError("config param '" + name + "' was not defined.");
+            } else {
+                o= param.getDefaultValue();
+            }
         }
         return ConfigModel.convertValueTo(this.getClass().getSimpleName(), name,o,type);
 //        if (type.isAssignableFrom(o.getClass())) {
diff --git a/virtdata-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/engine/api/templating/ParsedTemplateMap.java b/virtdata-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/engine/api/templating/ParsedTemplateMap.java
index 0f9cec7f6..42906941a 100644
--- a/virtdata-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/engine/api/templating/ParsedTemplateMap.java
+++ b/virtdata-api/src/main/java/io/nosqlbench/engine/api/templating/ParsedTemplateMap.java
@@ -293,7 +293,8 @@ public class ParsedTemplateMap implements LongFunction<Map<String, ?>>, StaticFi
     public <T> T takeStaticValue(String field, Class<T> classOfT) {
         if (statics.containsKey(field)) {
             protomap.remove(field);
-            return (T) statics.remove(field);
+            T value = (T) statics.remove(field);
+            return value;
         } else if (isConfig(field)) {
             return getConfig(field);
         }