diff --git a/sqlx-core/Cargo.toml b/sqlx-core/Cargo.toml
index 38a4d049..edf8d880 100644
--- a/sqlx-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/sqlx-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ sqlite = [ "libsqlite3-sys" ]
 tls = [ "async-native-tls" ]
 runtime-async-std = [ "async-native-tls/runtime-async-std", "async-std" ]
 runtime-tokio = [ "async-native-tls/runtime-tokio", "tokio" ]
+# intended for internal benchmarking, do not use
+bench = []
 
 [dependencies]
 async-native-tls = { version = "0.3.2", default-features = false, optional = true }
diff --git a/sqlx-core/src/lib.rs b/sqlx-core/src/lib.rs
index 93598a9d..024a1f91 100644
--- a/sqlx-core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/sqlx-core/src/lib.rs
@@ -7,8 +7,12 @@
 #![cfg_attr(not(feature = "sqlite"), forbid(unsafe_code))]
 #![recursion_limit = "512"]
 #![cfg_attr(docsrs, feature(doc_cfg))]
+#![cfg_attr(all(test, feature = "bench"), feature(test))]
 // #![warn(missing_docs)]
 
+#[cfg(all(test, feature = "bench"))]
+extern crate test;
+
 // HACK: Allow a feature name the same name as a dependency
 #[cfg(feature = "bigdecimal")]
 extern crate bigdecimal_ as bigdecimal;
@@ -65,7 +69,3 @@ pub mod postgres;
 pub mod sqlite;
 
 pub use error::{Error, Result};
-
-// Named Lifetimes:
-//  'c: connection
-//  'q: query string (and arguments)
diff --git a/sqlx-core/src/postgres/connection.rs b/sqlx-core/src/postgres/connection.rs
index 09e414b3..3c530087 100644
--- a/sqlx-core/src/postgres/connection.rs
+++ b/sqlx-core/src/postgres/connection.rs
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ pub struct PgConnection {
 
     // Work buffer for the value ranges of the current row
     // This is used as the backing memory for each Row's value indexes
-    pub(super) current_row_values: Vec<Option<Range<u32>>>,
+    pub(super) current_row_values: Vec<Option<(u32, u32)>>,
 
     // TODO: Find a use for these values. Perhaps in a debug impl of PgConnection?
     #[allow(dead_code)]
diff --git a/sqlx-core/src/postgres/protocol/data_row.rs b/sqlx-core/src/postgres/protocol/data_row.rs
index 579367e9..e36e652f 100644
--- a/sqlx-core/src/postgres/protocol/data_row.rs
+++ b/sqlx-core/src/postgres/protocol/data_row.rs
@@ -4,27 +4,26 @@ use byteorder::NetworkEndian;
 use std::ops::Range;
 
 pub(crate) struct DataRow<'c> {
-    len: u16,
+    values: &'c [Option<(u32, u32)>],
     buffer: &'c [u8],
-    values: &'c [Option<Range<u32>>],
 }
 
 impl<'c> DataRow<'c> {
     pub(crate) fn len(&self) -> usize {
-        self.len as usize
+        self.values.len()
     }
 
     pub(crate) fn get(&self, index: usize) -> Option<&'c [u8]> {
-        let range = self.values[index].as_ref()?;
-
-        Some(&self.buffer[(range.start as usize)..(range.end as usize)])
+        self.values[index]
+            .as_ref()
+            .map(|(offset, size)| &self.buffer[(*offset as usize)..((*offset + *size) as usize)])
     }
 }
 
 impl<'c> DataRow<'c> {
     pub(crate) fn read(
         buffer: &'c [u8],
-        values: &'c mut Vec<Option<Range<u32>>>,
+        values: &'c mut Vec<Option<(u32, u32)>>,
     ) -> crate::Result<Self> {
         values.clear();
 
@@ -32,30 +31,53 @@ impl<'c> DataRow<'c> {
 
         let len = buf.get_u16::<NetworkEndian>()?;
 
-        let mut index = 6;
+        let mut offset = 6;
 
         while values.len() < (len as usize) {
             // The length of the column value, in bytes (this count does not include itself).
             // Can be zero. As a special case, -1 indicates a NULL column value.
             // No value bytes follow in the NULL case.
-            let size = buf.get_i32::<NetworkEndian>()?;
+            let mut size = buf.get_i32::<NetworkEndian>()?;
 
-            if size == -1 {
+            if size < 0 {
                 values.push(None);
 
-                index += 4;
+                offset += 4;
             } else {
-                values.push(Some((index)..(index + (size as u32))));
+                values.push(Some((offset, size as u32)));
 
-                index += (size as u32) + 4;
+                offset += (size as u32) + 4;
                 buf.advance(size as usize);
             }
         }
 
-        Ok(Self {
-            len,
-            buffer,
-            values,
-        })
+        Ok(Self { buffer, values })
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(feature = "bench")]
+#[bench]
+fn bench_get_data_row(b: &mut test::Bencher) {
+    let buffer = b"\x00\x08\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\n\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x14\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00(\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00P";
+    let mut values = Vec::with_capacity(10);
+    let row = DataRow::read(buffer, &mut values).unwrap();
+
+    b.iter(|| {
+        assert_eq!(row.get(0), None);
+        assert_eq!(row.get(1), Some(&[0, 0, 0, 10][..]));
+        assert_eq!(row.get(2), None);
+        assert_eq!(row.get(3), Some(&[0, 0, 0, 20][..]));
+        assert_eq!(row.get(4), None);
+    });
+}
+
+#[cfg(feature = "bench")]
+#[bench]
+fn bench_read_data_row(b: &mut test::Bencher) {
+    let buffer = b"\x00\x08\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\n\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x14\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00(\xff\xff\xff\xff\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00P";
+    let mut values = Vec::with_capacity(10);
+
+    b.iter(|| {
+        let row = DataRow::read(buffer, &mut values).unwrap();
+    });
+}
diff --git a/sqlx-core/src/postgres/types/raw/array.rs b/sqlx-core/src/postgres/types/raw/array.rs
index a9b7d647..acf8f731 100644
--- a/sqlx-core/src/postgres/types/raw/array.rs
+++ b/sqlx-core/src/postgres/types/raw/array.rs
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ where
 mod tests {
     use super::PgArrayDecoder;
     use super::PgArrayEncoder;
-    use crate::postgres::{PgRawBuffer, PgValue, Postgres};
+    use crate::postgres::{PgRawBuffer, PgValue};
 
     const BUF_BINARY_I32: &[u8] = b"\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x17\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x03\x00\x00\x00\x04\x00\x00\x00\x04";