diff --git a/CHANGES.rst b/CHANGES.rst
index 45b4a607..374cb220 100644
--- a/CHANGES.rst
+++ b/CHANGES.rst
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@
 Changelog
 =========
 
+Version 3.5.1 (2019-10-25)
+==========================
+- Fix potential ``pyarrow.lib.ArrowNotImplementedError`` when trying to store or pickle empty
+  :class:`~kartothek.core.index.ExplicitSecondaryIndex` objects
+- Fix pickling of :class:`~kartothek.core.index.ExplicitSecondaryIndex` unloaded in
+  :func:`~kartothek.io_components.read.dispatch_metapartitions_from_factory`
+
+
 Version 3.5.0 (2019-10-21)
 ==========================
 
diff --git a/kartothek/core/index.py b/kartothek/core/index.py
index 127d836f..bbe8fc81 100644
--- a/kartothek/core/index.py
+++ b/kartothek/core/index.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 import logging
 from copy import copy
-from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Optional, Set, TypeVar, Union
+from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Optional, Set, TypeVar, Union, cast
 
 import numpy as np
 import pandas as pd
@@ -561,6 +561,8 @@ def __init__(
     ):
         if (index_dct is None) and not index_storage_key:
             raise ValueError("No valid index source specified")
+        if not index_storage_key and not index_dct and dtype is None:
+            raise ValueError("Trying to create non-typesafe index")
         self.index_storage_key = index_storage_key
         super(ExplicitSecondaryIndex, self).__init__(
             column=column,
@@ -569,15 +571,24 @@ def __init__(
             normalize_dtype=normalize_dtype,
         )
 
-    def copy(self, **kwargs) -> "IndexBase":
+    def copy(self, **kwargs) -> "ExplicitSecondaryIndex":
         if kwargs:
-            index_storage_key = None
+            index_storage_key = kwargs.pop("index_storage_key", None)
         else:
             index_storage_key = self.index_storage_key
-        return super(IndexBase, self).copy(
-            index_storage_key=index_storage_key, **kwargs
+        return cast(
+            ExplicitSecondaryIndex,
+            super(IndexBase, self).copy(index_storage_key=index_storage_key, **kwargs),
         )
 
+    def unload(self) -> "IndexBase":
+        """
+        Drop index data to safe memory.
+        """
+        idx = self.copy(index_dct={}, index_storage_key=self.index_storage_key)
+        idx._index_dct_available = False
+        return idx
+
     def __eq__(self, other) -> bool:
         if not isinstance(other, ExplicitSecondaryIndex):
             return False
@@ -845,9 +856,13 @@ def _index_dct_to_table(index_dct: IndexDictType, column: str, dtype: pa.DataTyp
     # Additional note: pyarrow.array is supposed to infer type automatically.
     # But the inferred type is not enough to hold np.uint64. Until this is fixed in
     # upstream Arrow, we have to retain the following line
-    keys = np.array(list(keys))
+    if not index_dct:
+        # the np.array dtype will be double which arrow cannot convert to the target type, so use an empty list instead
+        labeled_array = pa.array([], type=dtype)
+    else:
+        keys = np.array(list(keys))
+        labeled_array = pa.array(keys, type=dtype)
 
-    labeled_array = pa.array(keys, type=dtype)
     partition_array = pa.array(list(index_dct.values()))
 
     return pa.Table.from_arrays(
diff --git a/kartothek/io_components/metapartition.py b/kartothek/io_components/metapartition.py
index a99069cb..48819466 100644
--- a/kartothek/io_components/metapartition.py
+++ b/kartothek/io_components/metapartition.py
@@ -1221,6 +1221,9 @@ def build_indices(self, columns):
             are overwritten
         :return: self
         """
+        if self.label is None:
+            return self
+
         new_indices = {}
         for col in columns:
             possible_values = set()
@@ -1678,6 +1681,7 @@ def parse_input_to_metapartition(
                 'Use the `secondary_indices` keyword argument of "write" and "update" functions instead.',
                 DeprecationWarning,
             )
+        indices = {k: v for k, v in indices.items() if v}
         _ensure_valid_indices(
             mp_indices=indices, secondary_indices=expected_secondary_indices, data=data
         )
diff --git a/kartothek/io_components/read.py b/kartothek/io_components/read.py
index 50b4f9c3..74ea9ae2 100644
--- a/kartothek/io_components/read.py
+++ b/kartothek/io_components/read.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ def dispatch_metapartitions_from_factory(
         base_df = base_df[base_df.index.map(label_filter)]
 
     indices_to_dispatch = {
-        name: ix.copy(index_dct={})
+        name: ix.unload()
         for name, ix in dataset_factory.indices.items()
         if isinstance(ix, ExplicitSecondaryIndex)
     }
diff --git a/tests/core/test_index.py b/tests/core/test_index.py
index 951f7e67..f013e2b9 100644
--- a/tests/core/test_index.py
+++ b/tests/core/test_index.py
@@ -144,16 +144,51 @@ def test_index_update_wrong_col():
     )
 
 
-def test_index_empty(store):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "dtype",
+    [
+        pa.binary(),
+        pa.bool_(),
+        pa.date32(),
+        pa.float32(),
+        pa.float64(),
+        pa.int64(),
+        pa.int8(),
+        pa.string(),
+        pa.timestamp("ns"),
+    ],
+)
+def test_index_empty(store, dtype):
     storage_key = "dataset_uuid/some_index.parquet"
     index1 = ExplicitSecondaryIndex(
-        column="col", index_dct={}, dtype=pa.int64(), index_storage_key=storage_key
+        column="col", index_dct={}, dtype=dtype, index_storage_key=storage_key
     )
     key1 = index1.store(store, "dataset_uuid")
 
     index2 = ExplicitSecondaryIndex(column="col", index_storage_key=key1).load(store)
     assert index1 == index2
 
+    index3 = pickle.loads(pickle.dumps(index1))
+    assert index1 == index3
+
+
+def test_pickle_without_load(store):
+    storage_key = "dataset_uuid/some_index.parquet"
+    index1 = ExplicitSecondaryIndex(
+        column="col", index_dct={1: ["part_1"]}, index_storage_key=storage_key
+    )
+    key1 = index1.store(store, "dataset_uuid")
+
+    index2 = ExplicitSecondaryIndex(column="col", index_storage_key=key1)
+    assert index2 != index1
+
+    index3 = pickle.loads(pickle.dumps(index2))
+    assert index3 == index2
+
+    index4 = index3.load(store)
+    assert index4 == index1
+    assert index4 != index2
+
 
 def test_index_no_source():
     with pytest.raises(ValueError) as e:
@@ -735,13 +770,23 @@ def test_serialization_normalization(key):
     )
 
 
-def test_serialization_no_indices(store):
-    index = ExplicitSecondaryIndex(column="col", index_dct={1: ["part_1"]})
-    storage_key = index.store(store=store, dataset_uuid="uuid")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("with_index_dct", [True, False])
+def test_unload(with_index_dct):
+    storage_key = "dataset_uuid/some_index.parquet"
+    index1 = ExplicitSecondaryIndex(
+        column="col",
+        index_dct={1: ["part_1"]} if with_index_dct else None,
+        index_storage_key=storage_key,
+    )
+
+    index2 = index1.unload()
+    assert not index2.loaded
+    assert index2.index_storage_key == storage_key
 
-    # Create index without `index_dct`
-    index = ExplicitSecondaryIndex(column="col", index_storage_key=storage_key)
+    index3 = pickle.loads(pickle.dumps(index2))
+    assert index2 == index3
 
-    index2 = pickle.loads(pickle.dumps(index))
 
-    assert index == index2
+def test_fail_type_unsafe():
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Trying to create non-typesafe index"):
+        ExplicitSecondaryIndex(column="col", index_dct={})
diff --git a/tests/io/dask/conftest.py b/tests/io/dask/conftest.py
index cb79f899..5391b1af 100644
--- a/tests/io/dask/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/io/dask/conftest.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 import pytest
 from distributed import Client
 
-import kartothek
+import kartothek.core._time
 from kartothek.core.testing import cm_frozen_time
 
 _client = None