diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/ShibConfigurationProperty.java b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/ShibConfigurationProperty.java
index 345592ae3..eb0f4ea77 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/ShibConfigurationProperty.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/ui/domain/ShibConfigurationProperty.java
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 package edu.internet2.tier.shibboleth.admin.ui.domain;
 
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonIgnore;
+import edu.internet2.tier.shibboleth.admin.util.EmptyStringToNullConverter;
 import lombok.Data;
 import org.hibernate.envers.Audited;
 
 import javax.persistence.Column;
+import javax.persistence.Convert;
 import javax.persistence.Entity;
 import javax.persistence.Id;
 import java.util.UUID;
@@ -23,35 +26,52 @@ public class ShibConfigurationProperty {
     String configFile;
 
     @Column(name = "default_value")
+    @Convert(converter = EmptyStringToNullConverter.class)
     String defaultValue;
 
     @Column(name = "description")
+    @Convert(converter = EmptyStringToNullConverter.class)
     String description;
 
     @Column(name = "idp_version", nullable = false)
     String idpVersion;
 
     @Column(name = "module")
+    @Convert(converter = EmptyStringToNullConverter.class)
     String module;
 
     @Column(name = "module_version")
+    @Convert(converter = EmptyStringToNullConverter.class)
     String moduleVersion;
 
     @Column(name = "note")
+    @Convert(converter = EmptyStringToNullConverter.class)
     String note;
 
     @Column(name = "property_name", nullable = false)
     String propertyName;
 
     @Column(name = "property_type", nullable = false)
+    @JsonIgnore // display type is sent to the ui instead
     PropertyType propertyType;
 
-    @Column(name = "property_value")
-    String propertyValue;
-
     @Column(name = "selection_items")
+    @Convert(converter = EmptyStringToNullConverter.class)
     String selectionItems;
 
+    public String getDisplayType() {
+        switch (propertyType) {
+        case BOOLEAN:
+            return propertyType.name().toLowerCase();
+        case INTEGER:
+            return "number";
+        case SELECTION_LIST:
+            return "list";
+        default: // DURATION, SPRING_BEAN_ID, STRING
+            return "string";
+        }
+    }
+
     public void setPropertyType(String val) {
         this.propertyType = PropertyType.valueOf(val);
     }
diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/util/EmptyStringToNullConverter.java b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/util/EmptyStringToNullConverter.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0e3073bfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/edu/internet2/tier/shibboleth/admin/util/EmptyStringToNullConverter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package edu.internet2.tier.shibboleth.admin.util;
+
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
+
+import javax.persistence.AttributeConverter;
+import javax.persistence.Converter;
+
+@Converter
+public class EmptyStringToNullConverter implements AttributeConverter<String, String> {
+    @Override
+    public String convertToDatabaseColumn(String string) {
+        // if whitespace is set on a value, send null to the db
+        return StringUtils.defaultIfBlank(string, null);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String convertToEntityAttribute(String dbData) {
+        // keep nulls from the db as nulls
+        return dbData;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file