diff --git a/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/LocalPrefixSpan.scala b/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/LocalPrefixSpan.scala
index dc555001b7778..39c48b084e550 100644
--- a/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/LocalPrefixSpan.scala
+++ b/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/LocalPrefixSpan.scala
@@ -30,13 +30,13 @@ import org.apache.spark.annotation.Experimental
 private[fpm] object LocalPrefixSpan extends Logging with Serializable {
 
   /**
-   * Calculate all patterns of a projected database in local.
+   * Calculate all patterns of a projected database.
    * @param minCount minimum count
    * @param maxPatternLength maximum pattern length
    * @param prefix prefix
    * @param projectedDatabase the projected dabase
    * @return a set of sequential pattern pairs,
-   *         the key of pair is pattern (a list of elements),
+   *         the key of pair is sequential pattern (a list of items),
    *         the value of pair is the pattern's count.
    */
   def run(
@@ -44,7 +44,21 @@ private[fpm] object LocalPrefixSpan extends Logging with Serializable {
       maxPatternLength: Int,
       prefix: Array[Int],
       projectedDatabase: Array[Array[Int]]): Array[(Array[Int], Long)] = {
-    getPatternsWithPrefix(minCount, maxPatternLength, prefix, projectedDatabase)
+    val frequentPrefixAndCounts = getFreqItemAndCounts(minCount, projectedDatabase)
+    val frequentPatternAndCounts = frequentPrefixAndCounts
+      .map(x => (prefix ++ Array(x._1), x._2))
+    val prefixProjectedDatabases = getPatternAndProjectedDatabase(
+      prefix, frequentPrefixAndCounts.map(_._1), projectedDatabase)
+
+    val continueProcess = prefixProjectedDatabases.nonEmpty && prefix.length + 1 < maxPatternLength
+    if (continueProcess) {
+      val nextPatterns = prefixProjectedDatabases
+        .map(x => run(minCount, maxPatternLength, x._1, x._2))
+        .reduce(_ ++ _)
+      frequentPatternAndCounts ++ nextPatterns
+    } else {
+      frequentPatternAndCounts
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -96,34 +110,4 @@ private[fpm] object LocalPrefixSpan extends Logging with Serializable {
       (prePrefix ++ Array(x), sub)
     }.filter(x => x._2.nonEmpty)
   }
-
-  /**
-   * Calculate all patterns of a projected database in local.
-   * @param minCount the minimum count
-   * @param maxPatternLength maximum pattern length
-   * @param prefix prefix
-   * @param projectedDatabase projected database
-   * @return patterns
-   */
-  private def getPatternsWithPrefix(
-      minCount: Long,
-      maxPatternLength: Int,
-      prefix: Array[Int],
-      projectedDatabase: Array[Array[Int]]): Array[(Array[Int], Long)] = {
-    val frequentPrefixAndCounts = getFreqItemAndCounts(minCount, projectedDatabase)
-    val frequentPatternAndCounts = frequentPrefixAndCounts
-      .map(x => (prefix ++ Array(x._1), x._2))
-    val prefixProjectedDatabases = getPatternAndProjectedDatabase(
-      prefix, frequentPrefixAndCounts.map(_._1), projectedDatabase)
-
-    val continueProcess = prefixProjectedDatabases.nonEmpty && prefix.length + 1 < maxPatternLength
-    if (continueProcess) {
-      val nextPatterns = prefixProjectedDatabases
-        .map(x => getPatternsWithPrefix(minCount, maxPatternLength, x._1, x._2))
-        .reduce(_ ++ _)
-      frequentPatternAndCounts ++ nextPatterns
-    } else {
-      frequentPatternAndCounts
-    }
-  }
 }
diff --git a/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala b/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala
index 2239aa529695c..9d8c60ef0fc45 100644
--- a/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala
+++ b/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala
@@ -82,10 +82,15 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
       logWarning("Input data is not cached.")
     }
     val minCount = getMinCount(sequences)
-    val (lengthOnePatternsAndCounts, prefixAndCandidates) =
-      findLengthOnePatterns(minCount, sequences)
-    val projectedDatabase = makePrefixProjectedDatabases(prefixAndCandidates)
-    val nextPatterns = getPatternsInLocal(minCount, projectedDatabase)
+    val lengthOnePatternsAndCounts =
+      getFreqItemAndCounts(minCount, sequences).collect()
+    val prefixAndProjectedDatabase = getPrefixAndProjectedDatabase(
+      lengthOnePatternsAndCounts.map(_._1), sequences)
+    val groupedProjectedDatabase = prefixAndProjectedDatabase
+      .map(x => (x._1.toSeq, x._2))
+      .groupByKey()
+      .map(x => (x._1.toArray, x._2.toArray))
+    val nextPatterns = getPatternsInLocal(minCount, groupedProjectedDatabase)
     val lengthOnePatternsAndCountsRdd =
       sequences.sparkContext.parallelize(
         lengthOnePatternsAndCounts.map(x => (Array(x._1), x._2)))
@@ -122,7 +127,7 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
    * @param sequences sequences data
    * @return prefixes and projected database
    */
-  private def getPatternAndProjectedDatabase(
+  private def getPrefixAndProjectedDatabase(
       frequentPrefixes: Array[Int],
       sequences: RDD[Array[Int]]): RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Int])] = {
     val filteredSequences = sequences.map { p =>
@@ -136,33 +141,6 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Find the patterns that it's length is one
-   * @param minCount the minimum count
-   * @param sequences original sequences data
-   * @return length-one patterns and projection table
-   */
-  private def findLengthOnePatterns(
-      minCount: Long,
-      sequences: RDD[Array[Int]]): (Array[(Int, Long)], RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Int])]) = {
-    val frequentLengthOnePatternAndCounts = getFreqItemAndCounts(minCount, sequences)
-    val prefixAndProjectedDatabase = getPatternAndProjectedDatabase(
-      frequentLengthOnePatternAndCounts.keys.collect(), sequences)
-    (frequentLengthOnePatternAndCounts.collect(), prefixAndProjectedDatabase)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Constructs prefix-projected databases from (prefix, suffix) pairs.
-   * @param data patterns and projected sequences data before re-partition
-   * @return patterns and projected sequences data after re-partition
-   */
-  private def makePrefixProjectedDatabases(
-      data: RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Int])]): RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Array[Int]])] = {
-    data.map(x => (x._1.toSeq, x._2))
-      .groupByKey()
-      .map(x => (x._1.toArray, x._2.toArray))
-  }
-
   /**
    * calculate the patterns in local.
    * @param minCount the absolute minimum count