diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.test.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.test.ts
index 8c955832e2..f84f1212c6 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.test.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.test.ts
@@ -294,7 +294,31 @@ describe('AddColumnButton', () => {
 			expect(getByText('string')).toBeInTheDocument();
 			expect(getByText('number')).toBeInTheDocument();
 			expect(getByText('boolean')).toBeInTheDocument();
-			expect(getByText('date')).toBeInTheDocument();
+			expect(getByText('datetime')).toBeInTheDocument();
+		});
+	});
+
+	it('should set value to "date" when selecting "datetime" option', async () => {
+		const { getByTestId, getByRole, getByText, getByPlaceholderText } = renderComponent();
+		const addButton = getByTestId('data-store-add-column-trigger-button');
+
+		await fireEvent.click(addButton);
+
+		const nameInput = getByPlaceholderText('Enter column name');
+		await fireEvent.update(nameInput, 'dateColumn');
+
+		const selectElement = getByRole('combobox');
+		await fireEvent.click(selectElement);
+
+		const dateOption = getByText('datetime');
+		await fireEvent.click(dateOption);
+
+		const submitButton = getByTestId('data-store-add-column-submit-button');
+		await fireEvent.click(submitButton);
+
+		expect(addColumnHandler).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+			name: 'dateColumn',
+			type: 'date',
 		});
 	});
 
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.vue b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.vue
index 7bfdc3c0b5..361c0248d1 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.vue
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/AddColumnButton.vue
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import type {
 	DataStoreColumnCreatePayload,
 	DataStoreColumnType,
 } from '@/features/dataStore/datastore.types';
+import { DATA_STORE_COLUMN_TYPES } from '@/features/dataStore/datastore.types';
 import { useI18n } from '@n8n/i18n';
 import { useDataStoreTypes } from '@/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreTypes';
 import { COLUMN_NAME_REGEX, MAX_COLUMN_NAME_LENGTH } from '@/features/dataStore/constants';
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ const nameInputRef = ref<HTMLInputElement | null>(null);
 const columnName = ref('');
 const columnType = ref<DataStoreColumnType>('string');
 
-const columnTypes: DataStoreColumnType[] = ['string', 'number', 'boolean', 'date'];
+const columnTypes: DataStoreColumnType[] = [...DATA_STORE_COLUMN_TYPES];
 
 const error = ref<FormError | null>(null);
 
@@ -44,6 +45,15 @@ const isSelectOpen = ref(false);
 
 const popoverId = computed(() => props.popoverId ?? 'add-column-popover');
 
+const columnTypeOptions = computed(() => {
+	// Renaming 'date' to 'datetime' but only in UI label
+	// we still want to use 'date' as value so nothing breaks
+	return columnTypes.map((type) => ({
+		label: type === 'date' ? 'datetime' : type,
+		value: type,
+	}));
+});
+
 const onAddButtonClicked = async () => {
 	validateName();
 	if (!columnName.value || !columnType.value || error.value) {
@@ -178,10 +188,15 @@ const onInput = debounce(validateName, { debounceTime: 100 });
 									:append-to="`#${popoverId}`"
 									@visible-change="isSelectOpen = $event"
 								>
-									<N8nOption v-for="type in columnTypes" :key="type" :value="type">
+									<N8nOption
+										v-for="option in columnTypeOptions"
+										:key="option.value"
+										:label="option.label"
+										:value="option.value"
+									>
 										<div class="add-column-option-content">
-											<N8nIcon :icon="getIconForType(type)" />
-											<N8nText>{{ type }}</N8nText>
+											<N8nIcon :icon="getIconForType(option.value)" />
+											<N8nText>{{ option.label }}</N8nText>
 										</div>
 									</N8nOption>
 								</N8nSelect>
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/DataStoreTable.vue b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/DataStoreTable.vue
index 484a788d32..010dbfb95b 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/DataStoreTable.vue
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/DataStoreTable.vue
@@ -395,5 +395,13 @@ defineExpose({
 			width: var(--spacing-m);
 		}
 	}
+
+	// A hacky solution for element ui bug where clicking svg inside .more button does not work
+	:global(.el-pager .more) {
+		background: transparent !important;
+		svg {
+			z-index: -1;
+		}
+	}
 }
 </style>
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/ElDatePickerCellEditor.vue b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/ElDatePickerCellEditor.vue
index 300ab7e0af..609004f4fb 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/ElDatePickerCellEditor.vue
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/components/dataGrid/ElDatePickerCellEditor.vue
@@ -1,26 +1,67 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { onMounted, ref, nextTick } from 'vue';
+import { onMounted, ref, nextTick, useTemplateRef } from 'vue';
 import type { ICellEditorParams } from 'ag-grid-community';
-import { DateTime } from 'luxon';
+import { parseLooseDateInput } from '@/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils';
 
 const props = defineProps<{
 	params: ICellEditorParams;
 }>();
 
-const pickerRef = ref<HTMLElement | null>(null);
+const pickerRef = useTemplateRef('pickerRef');
+const wrapperRef = useTemplateRef('wrapperRef');
 const dateValue = ref<Date | null>(null);
 const initialValue = ref<Date | null>(null);
 
 const inputWidth = ref(props.params.column.getActualWidth() - 4); // -4 for the border
 
+function commitIfParsedFromInput(target?: EventTarget | null) {
+	const input = target instanceof HTMLInputElement ? target : null;
+	const value = input?.value ?? '';
+	const parsed = parseLooseDateInput(value);
+	if (parsed) {
+		dateValue.value = parsed;
+		props.params.stopEditing();
+		return true;
+	}
+	return false;
+}
+
+function onKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
+	if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+		e.stopPropagation();
+		dateValue.value = initialValue.value;
+		props.params.stopEditing();
+		return;
+	}
+	if (e.key === 'Enter') {
+		const committed = commitIfParsedFromInput(e.target);
+		if (committed) {
+			e.preventDefault();
+			e.stopPropagation();
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+function getInnerInput(): HTMLInputElement | null {
+	return (wrapperRef.value?.querySelector('input') ?? null) as HTMLInputElement | null;
+}
+
+function onChange() {
+	props.params.stopEditing();
+}
+
+function onClear() {
+	dateValue.value = null;
+	props.params.stopEditing();
+}
+
 onMounted(async () => {
 	const initial = props.params.value as unknown;
 	if (initial === null || initial === undefined) {
 		dateValue.value = null;
 	} else if (initial instanceof Date) {
-		const dt = DateTime.fromJSDate(initial);
-		// the date editor shows local time but we want the UTC so we need to offset the value here
-		dateValue.value = dt.minus({ minutes: dt.offset }).toJSDate();
+		// Use the provided Date as-is (local time)
+		dateValue.value = initial;
 	}
 	initialValue.value = dateValue.value;
 
@@ -33,48 +74,35 @@ onMounted(async () => {
 	} catch {}
 });
 
-function onChange() {
-	props.params.stopEditing();
-}
-
-function onClear() {
-	dateValue.value = null;
-	props.params.stopEditing();
-}
-
-function onKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
-	if (e.key === 'Escape') {
-		e.stopPropagation();
-		dateValue.value = initialValue.value;
-		props.params.stopEditing();
-	} else if (e.key === 'Enter') {
-		e.stopPropagation();
-		props.params.stopEditing();
-	}
-}
-
 defineExpose({
 	getValue: () => {
-		if (dateValue.value === null) return null;
-		const dt = DateTime.fromJSDate(dateValue.value);
-		// the editor returns local time but we initially offset the value to UTC so we need to add the offset back here
-		return dt.plus({ minutes: dt.offset }).toJSDate();
+		// Prefer what's typed in the input
+		// Element plus will not update the v-model if the input is invalid (loose)
+		const input = getInnerInput();
+		const typed = input?.value ?? '';
+		const parsed = parseLooseDateInput(typed);
+		if (parsed) return parsed;
+
+		// Fallback to the v-model value
+		return dateValue.value;
 	},
 	isPopup: () => true,
 });
 </script>
 
 <template>
-	<div class="datastore-datepicker-wrapper">
+	<div ref="wrapperRef" class="datastore-datepicker-wrapper">
 		<el-date-picker
+			id="datastore-datepicker"
 			ref="pickerRef"
 			v-model="dateValue"
 			type="datetime"
 			:style="{ width: `${inputWidth}px` }"
 			:clearable="true"
-			:editable="false"
+			:editable="true"
 			:teleported="false"
-			:placeholder="''"
+			popper-class="ag-custom-component-popup datastore-datepicker-popper"
+			placeholder="YYYY-MM-DD (HH:mm:ss)"
 			size="small"
 			@change="onChange"
 			@clear="onClear"
@@ -108,4 +136,11 @@ defineExpose({
 		border: var(--grid-cell-editing-border);
 	}
 }
+
+.datastore-datepicker-popper {
+	// Hide the date input in the popper
+	.el-date-picker__time-header .el-date-picker__editor-wrap:first-child {
+		display: none;
+	}
+}
 </style>
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreGridBase.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreGridBase.ts
index 0a71dac6aa..377b018dec 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreGridBase.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreGridBase.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import type {
 import {
 	ADD_ROW_ROW_ID,
 	DATA_STORE_ID_COLUMN_WIDTH,
+	DEFAULT_COLUMN_WIDTH,
 	DEFAULT_ID_COLUMN_NAME,
 } from '@/features/dataStore/constants';
 import { useDataStoreTypes } from '@/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreTypes';
@@ -102,9 +103,15 @@ export const useDataStoreGridBase = ({
 		if (rowNode?.rowIndex === null) return;
 		const rowIndex = rowNode!.rowIndex;
 
-		const firstEditableCol = colDefs.value[1];
-		if (!firstEditableCol?.colId) return;
-		const columnId = firstEditableCol.colId;
+		const displayed = initializedGridApi.value.getAllDisplayedColumns();
+		const firstEditable = displayed.find((col) => {
+			const def = col.getColDef();
+			if (!def) return false;
+			if (def.colId === DEFAULT_ID_COLUMN_NAME) return false;
+			return !!def.editable;
+		});
+		if (!firstEditable) return;
+		const columnId = firstEditable.getColId();
 
 		requestAnimationFrame(() => {
 			initializedGridApi.value.ensureIndexVisible(rowIndex);
@@ -124,7 +131,6 @@ export const useDataStoreGridBase = ({
 			field: col.name,
 			headerName: col.name,
 			sortable: true,
-			flex: 1,
 			editable: (params) => params.data?.id !== ADD_ROW_ROW_ID,
 			resizable: true,
 			lockPinned: true,
@@ -135,6 +141,7 @@ export const useDataStoreGridBase = ({
 			cellClass: getCellClass,
 			valueGetter: createValueGetter(col),
 			cellRendererSelector: createCellRendererSelector(col),
+			width: DEFAULT_COLUMN_WIDTH,
 		};
 
 		if (col.type === 'string') {
@@ -148,6 +155,7 @@ export const useDataStoreGridBase = ({
 				component: ElDatePickerCellEditor,
 			});
 			columnDef.valueFormatter = dateValueFormatter;
+			columnDef.cellEditorPopup = true;
 		} else if (col.type === 'number') {
 			columnDef.valueFormatter = numberValueFormatter;
 		}
@@ -183,6 +191,7 @@ export const useDataStoreGridBase = ({
 			},
 			cellClass: (params) => (params.data?.id === ADD_ROW_ROW_ID ? 'add-row-cell' : 'system-cell'),
 			headerClass: 'system-column',
+			width: DEFAULT_COLUMN_WIDTH,
 		};
 		return [
 			// Always add the ID column, it's not returned by the back-end but all data stores have it
@@ -250,6 +259,7 @@ export const useDataStoreGridBase = ({
 					lockPinned: true,
 					lockPosition: 'right',
 					resizable: false,
+					flex: 1,
 					headerComponent: AddColumnButton,
 					headerComponentParams: { onAddColumn },
 				},
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreOperations.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreOperations.ts
index 7b1a0861d6..4d5b939871 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreOperations.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreOperations.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,9 @@ import type {
 } from 'ag-grid-community';
 import { useDataStoreStore } from '@/features/dataStore/dataStore.store';
 import { MODAL_CONFIRM } from '@/constants';
-import { isDataStoreValue } from '@/features/dataStore/typeGuards';
-import { useDataStoreTypes } from './useDataStoreTypes';
+import { isDataStoreValue, isAGGridCellType } from '@/features/dataStore/typeGuards';
+import { useDataStoreTypes } from '@/features/dataStore/composables/useDataStoreTypes';
+import { areValuesEqual } from '@/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils';
 
 export type UseDataStoreOperationsParams = {
 	colDefs: Ref<ColDef[]>;
@@ -197,7 +198,11 @@ export const useDataStoreOperations = ({
 		const { data, api, oldValue, colDef } = params;
 		const value = params.data[colDef.field!];
 
-		if (value === undefined || value === oldValue) {
+		const cellType = isAGGridCellType(colDef.cellDataType)
+			? dataStoreTypes.mapToDataStoreColumnType(colDef.cellDataType)
+			: undefined;
+
+		if (value === undefined || areValuesEqual(oldValue, value, cellType)) {
 			return;
 		}
 
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/constants.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/constants.ts
index 22a1c9dbf1..556b762878 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/constants.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/constants.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ export const DEFAULT_DATA_STORE_PAGE_SIZE = 10;
 
 export const DATA_STORE_ID_COLUMN_WIDTH = 60;
 
+export const DEFAULT_COLUMN_WIDTH = 250;
+
 export const DATA_STORE_HEADER_HEIGHT = 36;
 export const DATA_STORE_ROW_HEIGHT = 33;
 
@@ -39,3 +41,7 @@ export const DATA_STORE_MODULE_NAME = 'data-table';
 export const NUMBER_WITH_SPACES_REGEX = /\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g;
 export const NUMBER_THOUSAND_SEPARATOR = ' ';
 export const NUMBER_DECIMAL_SEPARATOR = '.';
+
+// Allows 1-2 digit month/day/time parts (e.g., 2025-1-1 2:3:4)
+export const LOOSE_DATE_REGEX =
+	/^([0-9]{4})-([0-9]{1,2})-([0-9]{1,2})(?:[ T]([0-9]{1,2}):([0-9]{1,2})(?::([0-9]{1,2}))?)?$/;
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/datastore.types.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/datastore.types.ts
index aa4948e1f0..accbe5a861 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/datastore.types.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/datastore.types.ts
@@ -11,9 +11,19 @@ export type DataStore = {
 	project?: Project;
 };
 
-export type DataStoreColumnType = 'string' | 'number' | 'boolean' | 'date';
+// Single sources of truth for supported types
+export const DATA_STORE_COLUMN_TYPES = ['string', 'number', 'boolean', 'date'] as const;
+export type DataStoreColumnType = (typeof DATA_STORE_COLUMN_TYPES)[number];
 
-export type AGGridCellType = 'text' | 'number' | 'boolean' | 'date' | 'dateString' | 'object';
+export const AG_GRID_CELL_TYPES = [
+	'text',
+	'number',
+	'boolean',
+	'date',
+	'dateString',
+	'object',
+] as const;
+export type AGGridCellType = (typeof AG_GRID_CELL_TYPES)[number];
 
 export type DataStoreColumn = {
 	id: string;
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/typeGuards.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/typeGuards.ts
index 88eb56b8c9..badc5e3b31 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/typeGuards.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/typeGuards.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-import type { AGGridCellType, DataStoreValue } from '@/features/dataStore/datastore.types';
+import type {
+	AGGridCellType,
+	DataStoreValue,
+	DataStoreColumnType,
+} from '@/features/dataStore/datastore.types';
+import { AG_GRID_CELL_TYPES, DATA_STORE_COLUMN_TYPES } from '@/features/dataStore/datastore.types';
 
 export const isDataStoreValue = (value: unknown): value is DataStoreValue => {
 	return (
@@ -11,8 +16,9 @@ export const isDataStoreValue = (value: unknown): value is DataStoreValue => {
 };
 
 export const isAGGridCellType = (value: unknown): value is AGGridCellType => {
-	return (
-		typeof value === 'string' &&
-		['text', 'number', 'boolean', 'date', 'dateString', 'object'].includes(value)
-	);
+	return typeof value === 'string' && (AG_GRID_CELL_TYPES as readonly string[]).includes(value);
+};
+
+export const isDataStoreColumnType = (type: unknown): type is DataStoreColumnType => {
+	return typeof type === 'string' && (DATA_STORE_COLUMN_TYPES as readonly string[]).includes(type);
 };
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/columnUtils.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/columnUtils.ts
index 7beaed55d9..d8fa93183e 100644
--- a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/columnUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/columnUtils.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import type {
 	ValueFormatterParams,
 } from 'ag-grid-community';
 import type { Ref } from 'vue';
+import { DateTime } from 'luxon';
 import type { DataStoreColumn, DataStoreRow } from '@/features/dataStore/datastore.types';
 import {
 	ADD_ROW_ROW_ID,
@@ -98,7 +99,8 @@ export const dateValueFormatter = (
 ): string => {
 	const value = params.value;
 	if (value === null || value === undefined) return '';
-	return value.toISOString();
+	// Format using user's local timezone (includes offset)
+	return DateTime.fromJSDate(value).toISO() ?? '';
 };
 
 const numberWithSpaces = (num: number) => {
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils.test.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..373a33681a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+
+import { parseLooseDateInput, areValuesEqual } from '@/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils';
+
+describe('Loose Date Parsing', () => {
+	it('parses full loose datetime with single-digit parts', () => {
+		const d = parseLooseDateInput('2023-7-9 5:6:7');
+		expect(d).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(d?.getFullYear()).toBe(2023);
+		expect(d?.getMonth()).toBe(6); // July is 6 (0-indexed)
+		expect(d?.getDate()).toBe(9);
+		expect(d?.getHours()).toBe(5);
+		expect(d?.getMinutes()).toBe(6);
+		expect(d?.getSeconds()).toBe(7);
+	});
+
+	it('parses date-only and defaults time to 00:00:00', () => {
+		const d = parseLooseDateInput('2023-07-09');
+		expect(d).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(d?.getHours()).toBe(0);
+		expect(d?.getMinutes()).toBe(0);
+		expect(d?.getSeconds()).toBe(0);
+	});
+
+	it('parses without seconds and defaults seconds to 00', () => {
+		const d = parseLooseDateInput('2023-07-09 05:06');
+		expect(d).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(d?.getHours()).toBe(5);
+		expect(d?.getMinutes()).toBe(6);
+		expect(d?.getSeconds()).toBe(0);
+	});
+
+	it('trims surrounding whitespace', () => {
+		const d = parseLooseDateInput('   2023-07-09 05:06:07   ');
+		expect(d).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(d?.getFullYear()).toBe(2023);
+	});
+
+	it('accepts T separator between date and time', () => {
+		const d = parseLooseDateInput('2023-01-02T3:4:5');
+		expect(d).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(d?.getFullYear()).toBe(2023);
+		expect(d?.getMonth()).toBe(0);
+		expect(d?.getDate()).toBe(2);
+		expect(d?.getHours()).toBe(3);
+		expect(d?.getMinutes()).toBe(4);
+		expect(d?.getSeconds()).toBe(5);
+	});
+
+	it('accepts T separator without seconds and defaults seconds to 00', () => {
+		const d = parseLooseDateInput('2023-01-02T3:4');
+		expect(d).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(d?.getFullYear()).toBe(2023);
+		expect(d?.getMonth()).toBe(0);
+		expect(d?.getDate()).toBe(2);
+		expect(d?.getHours()).toBe(3);
+		expect(d?.getMinutes()).toBe(4);
+		expect(d?.getSeconds()).toBe(0);
+	});
+
+	it('validates real calendar dates (e.g., leap day)', () => {
+		expect(parseLooseDateInput('2024-02-29')).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(parseLooseDateInput('2023-02-29')).toBeNull();
+	});
+
+	it('accepts single-digit date-only input', () => {
+		const d = parseLooseDateInput('2023-7-9');
+		expect(d).not.toBeNull();
+		expect(d?.getFullYear()).toBe(2023);
+		expect(d?.getMonth()).toBe(6);
+		expect(d?.getDate()).toBe(9);
+		expect(d?.getHours()).toBe(0);
+		expect(d?.getMinutes()).toBe(0);
+		expect(d?.getSeconds()).toBe(0);
+	});
+
+	it('returns null for invalid inputs', () => {
+		const invalidInputs = [
+			// Invalid ranges
+			'2023-13-01',
+			'2023-00-10',
+			'2023-01-32',
+			'2023-01-00',
+			'2023-01-01 24:00:00',
+			'2023-01-01 23:60:00',
+			'2023-01-01 23:59:60',
+			// Invalid calendar dates
+			'2023-02-30',
+			'2023-04-31',
+			// Invalid separators/spacing
+			'2023-01-02  3:4:5',
+			// Non-matching strings
+			'not a date',
+			'2023/07/09',
+			'07-09-2023',
+		];
+
+		invalidInputs.forEach((input) => {
+			expect(parseLooseDateInput(input)).toBeNull();
+		});
+	});
+});
+
+describe('Cell value comparison', () => {
+	it('compares Date values by timestamp when type is date', () => {
+		const a = new Date(2023, 6, 9, 5, 6, 7);
+		const b = new Date(2023, 6, 9, 5, 6, 7);
+		const c = new Date(2023, 6, 9, 5, 6, 8);
+
+		expect(areValuesEqual(a, b, 'date')).toBe(true);
+		expect(areValuesEqual(a, c, 'date')).toBe(false);
+	});
+
+	it('falls back to strict equality for non-date types', () => {
+		expect(areValuesEqual(1, 1, 'number')).toBe(true);
+		expect(areValuesEqual(1, 2, 'number')).toBe(false);
+		const obj = { a: 1 };
+		expect(areValuesEqual(obj, obj, 'string')).toBe(true);
+		expect(areValuesEqual({ a: 1 }, { a: 1 }, 'string')).toBe(false);
+	});
+
+	it('when type is date but values are not Date instances, uses strict equality', () => {
+		const date = new Date(2023, 6, 9);
+		expect(areValuesEqual(date, date.toISOString(), 'date')).toBe(false);
+		const sameRef: unknown = { when: date };
+		expect(areValuesEqual(sameRef, sameRef, 'date')).toBe(true);
+	});
+});
diff --git a/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils.ts b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d600fea904
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/frontend/editor-ui/src/features/dataStore/utils/typeUtils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import { LOOSE_DATE_REGEX } from '@/features/dataStore/constants';
+import type { DataStoreColumnType } from '@/features/dataStore/datastore.types';
+
+/**
+ * Parses a loose date string into a Date object.
+ * Allows:
+ * 	- Missing leading zeros (e.g., 2023-7-9 5:6:7)
+ * 	- Optional time part (e.g., 2023-07-09), defaulting to 00:00:00
+ *  - Optional seconds part (e.g., 2023-07-09 05:06), defaulting to 00
+ * @param text The loose date string to parse
+ * @returns Date | null
+ */
+export const parseLooseDateInput = (text: string): Date | null => {
+	const trimmed = text.trim();
+	// Validate shape and extract parts
+	const m = LOOSE_DATE_REGEX.exec(trimmed);
+	if (!m) return null;
+	const y = Number(m[1]);
+	const mo = Number(m[2]);
+	const d = Number(m[3]);
+	const hh = m[4] !== undefined ? Number(m[4]) : 0;
+	const mm = m[5] !== undefined ? Number(m[5]) : 0;
+	const ss = m[6] !== undefined ? Number(m[6]) : 0;
+
+	// Check if constructed date matches input parts
+	// this ensures Date constructor didn't auto-correct invalid dates
+	const dt = new Date(y, mo - 1, d, hh, mm, ss, 0);
+	if (
+		dt.getFullYear() !== y ||
+		dt.getMonth() !== mo - 1 ||
+		dt.getDate() !== d ||
+		dt.getHours() !== hh ||
+		dt.getMinutes() !== mm ||
+		dt.getSeconds() !== ss
+	) {
+		return null;
+	}
+
+	return dt;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Check if two column values are equal, with special handling for date types.
+ * @param oldValue unknown
+ * @param newValue unknown
+ * @param type DataStoreColumnType | undefined
+ * @returns boolean
+ */
+export const areValuesEqual = (
+	oldValue: unknown,
+	newValue: unknown,
+	type: DataStoreColumnType | undefined,
+) => {
+	if (type && type === 'date') {
+		if (oldValue instanceof Date && newValue instanceof Date) {
+			return oldValue.getTime() === newValue.getTime();
+		}
+	}
+	return oldValue === newValue;
+};