diff --git a/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/ActionCodec.java b/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/ActionCodec.java
index 69b31a8..d0a285e 100644
--- a/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/ActionCodec.java
+++ b/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/ActionCodec.java
@@ -74,10 +74,14 @@
         final PiAction.Builder builder = PiAction.builder()
                 .withId(PiActionId.of(actionName));
         for (P4RuntimeOuterClass.Action.Param p : message.getParamsList()) {
-            final String paramName = paramInfo.getById(p.getParamId()).getName();
-            final ImmutableByteSequence value = ImmutableByteSequence.copyFrom(
-                    p.getValue().toByteArray());
-            builder.withParameter(new PiActionParam(PiActionParamId.of(paramName), value));
+            final P4InfoOuterClass.Action.Param actionParam = paramInfo.getById(p.getParamId());
+            final ImmutableByteSequence value;
+            if (browser.isTypeString(actionParam.getTypeName())) {
+                value = ImmutableByteSequence.copyFrom(new String(p.getValue().toByteArray()));
+            } else {
+                value = ImmutableByteSequence.copyFrom(p.getValue().toByteArray());
+            }
+            builder.withParameter(new PiActionParam(PiActionParamId.of(actionParam.getName()), value));
         }
         return builder.build();
     }
diff --git a/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/FieldMatchCodec.java b/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/FieldMatchCodec.java
index d42e6b9..6b01546 100644
--- a/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/FieldMatchCodec.java
+++ b/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/FieldMatchCodec.java
@@ -152,16 +152,23 @@
             PiPipeconf pipeconf, P4InfoBrowser browser)
             throws CodecException, P4InfoBrowser.NotFoundException {
 
-        String fieldMatchName = browser.matchFields(tablePreamble.getId())
-                .getById(message.getFieldId()).getName();
-        PiMatchFieldId headerFieldId = PiMatchFieldId.of(fieldMatchName);
+        final P4InfoOuterClass.MatchField matchField =
+                browser.matchFields(tablePreamble.getId())
+                        .getById(message.getFieldId());
+        final PiMatchFieldId headerFieldId = PiMatchFieldId.of(matchField.getName());
+        final boolean isSdnString = browser.isTypeString(matchField.getTypeName());
 
         P4RuntimeOuterClass.FieldMatch.FieldMatchTypeCase typeCase = message.getFieldMatchTypeCase();
 
         switch (typeCase) {
             case EXACT:
                 P4RuntimeOuterClass.FieldMatch.Exact exactFieldMatch = message.getExact();
-                ImmutableByteSequence exactValue = copyFrom(exactFieldMatch.getValue().asReadOnlyByteBuffer());
+                ImmutableByteSequence exactValue;
+                if (isSdnString) {
+                    exactValue = copyFrom(new String(exactFieldMatch.getValue().toByteArray()));
+                } else {
+                    exactValue = copyFrom(exactFieldMatch.getValue().asReadOnlyByteBuffer());
+                }
                 return new PiExactFieldMatch(headerFieldId, exactValue);
             case TERNARY:
                 P4RuntimeOuterClass.FieldMatch.Ternary ternaryFieldMatch = message.getTernary();
@@ -180,7 +187,12 @@
                 return new PiRangeFieldMatch(headerFieldId, rangeLowValue, rangeHighValue);
             case OPTIONAL:
                 P4RuntimeOuterClass.FieldMatch.Optional optionalFieldMatch = message.getOptional();
-                ImmutableByteSequence optionalValue = copyFrom(optionalFieldMatch.getValue().asReadOnlyByteBuffer());
+                ImmutableByteSequence optionalValue;
+                if (isSdnString) {
+                    optionalValue = copyFrom(new String(optionalFieldMatch.getValue().toByteArray()));
+                } else {
+                    optionalValue = copyFrom(optionalFieldMatch.getValue().asReadOnlyByteBuffer());
+                }
                 return new PiOptionalFieldMatch(headerFieldId, optionalValue);
             default:
                 throw new CodecException(format(
diff --git a/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/PacketMetadataCodec.java b/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/PacketMetadataCodec.java
index 3f78085..876f84c 100644
--- a/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/PacketMetadataCodec.java
+++ b/protocols/p4runtime/utils/src/main/java/org/onosproject/p4runtime/ctl/codec/PacketMetadataCodec.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package org.onosproject.p4runtime.ctl.codec;
 
 import com.google.protobuf.ByteString;
+import org.onlab.util.ImmutableByteSequence;
 import org.onosproject.net.pi.model.PiPacketMetadataId;
 import org.onosproject.net.pi.model.PiPipeconf;
 import org.onosproject.net.pi.runtime.PiPacketMetadata;
@@ -54,14 +55,18 @@
             P4InfoOuterClass.Preamble ctrlPktMetaPreamble,
             PiPipeconf pipeconf, P4InfoBrowser browser)
             throws P4InfoBrowser.NotFoundException {
-        final String packetMetadataName = browser
-                .packetMetadatas(ctrlPktMetaPreamble.getId())
-                .getById(message.getMetadataId()).getName();
-        final PiPacketMetadataId metadataId = PiPacketMetadataId
-                .of(packetMetadataName);
+        final P4InfoOuterClass.ControllerPacketMetadata.Metadata packetMetadata =
+                browser.packetMetadatas(ctrlPktMetaPreamble.getId())
+                .getById(message.getMetadataId());
+        final ImmutableByteSequence value;
+        if (browser.isTypeString(packetMetadata.getTypeName())) {
+            value = copyFrom(new String(message.getValue().toByteArray()));
+        } else {
+            value = copyFrom(message.getValue().asReadOnlyByteBuffer());
+        }
         return PiPacketMetadata.builder()
-                .withId(metadataId)
-                .withValue(copyFrom(message.getValue().asReadOnlyByteBuffer()))
+                .withId(PiPacketMetadataId.of(packetMetadata.getName()))
+                .withValue(value)
                 .build();
     }
 }