diff --git a/webui/react/src/components/ColumnPickerMenu.tsx b/webui/react/src/components/ColumnPickerMenu.tsx
index bce59645c52..ec0735cf07f 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/components/ColumnPickerMenu.tsx
+++ b/webui/react/src/components/ColumnPickerMenu.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import Badge from 'hew/Badge';
 import Button from 'hew/Button';
 import Checkbox, { CheckboxChangeEvent } from 'hew/Checkbox';
 import Dropdown from 'hew/Dropdown';
@@ -10,9 +11,10 @@ import { Loadable } from 'hew/utils/loadable';
 import React, { ChangeEvent, useCallback, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
 import { FixedSizeList as List } from 'react-window';
 
-import { V1LocationType } from 'services/api-ts-sdk';
+import { V1ColumnType, V1LocationType } from 'services/api-ts-sdk';
 import { ProjectColumn } from 'types';
 import { ensureArray } from 'utils/data';
+import { formatColumnKey, removeColumnTypePrefix } from 'utils/flatRun';
 
 import css from './ColumnPickerMenu.module.scss';
 
@@ -63,6 +65,8 @@ interface ColumnTabProps {
   onHeatmapSelectionRemove?: (id: string) => void;
 }
 
+const KNOWN_BOOLEAN_COLUMNS = ['archived', 'isExpMultitrial', 'parentArchived'];
+
 const ColumnPickerTab: React.FC<ColumnTabProps> = ({
   columnState,
   compare,
@@ -75,7 +79,7 @@ const ColumnPickerTab: React.FC<ColumnTabProps> = ({
   onVisibleColumnChange,
   onHeatmapSelectionRemove,
 }) => {
-  const checkedColumns = useMemo(
+  const checkedColumnNames = useMemo(
     () => (compare ? new Set(columnState.slice(0, pinnedColumnsCount)) : new Set(columnState)),
     [columnState, compare, pinnedColumnsCount],
   );
@@ -95,18 +99,21 @@ const ColumnPickerTab: React.FC<ColumnTabProps> = ({
   }, [searchString, totalColumns, tab]);
 
   const allFilteredColumnsChecked = useMemo(() => {
-    return filteredColumns.every((col) => columnState.includes(col.column));
+    return filteredColumns.every((col) => columnState.includes(formatColumnKey(col)));
   }, [columnState, filteredColumns]);
 
   const handleShowHideAll = useCallback(() => {
     const filteredColumnMap: Record<string, boolean> = filteredColumns.reduce(
-      (acc, col) => ({ ...acc, [col.column]: columnState.includes(col.column) }),
+      (acc, col) => ({
+        ...acc,
+        [formatColumnKey(col)]: columnState.includes(formatColumnKey(col)),
+      }),
       {},
     );
 
     const newColumns = allFilteredColumnsChecked
       ? columnState.filter((col) => !filteredColumnMap[col])
-      : [...new Set([...columnState, ...filteredColumns.map((col) => col.column)])];
+      : [...new Set([...columnState, ...filteredColumns.map((col) => formatColumnKey(col))])];
     const pinnedCount = allFilteredColumnsChecked
       ? // If uncheck something pinned, reduce the pinnedColumnsCount
         newColumns.filter((col) => columnState.indexOf(col) < pinnedColumnsCount).length
@@ -123,32 +130,34 @@ const ColumnPickerTab: React.FC<ColumnTabProps> = ({
 
   const handleColumnChange = useCallback(
     (event: CheckboxChangeEvent) => {
-      const { id, checked } = event.target;
-      if (id === undefined) return;
+      const { id: targetCol, checked } = event.target;
+
+      if (targetCol === undefined) return;
+
       if (compare) {
         // pin or unpin column
-        const newColumns = columnState.filter((c) => c !== id);
+        const newColumns = columnState.filter((c) => c !== targetCol);
         let pinnedCount = pinnedColumnsCount;
         if (checked) {
-          newColumns.splice(pinnedColumnsCount, 0, id);
+          newColumns.splice(pinnedColumnsCount, 0, targetCol);
           pinnedCount = Math.max(pinnedColumnsCount + 1, 0);
         } else {
-          newColumns.splice(pinnedColumnsCount - 1, 0, id);
+          newColumns.splice(pinnedColumnsCount - 1, 0, targetCol);
           pinnedCount = Math.max(pinnedColumnsCount - 1, 0);
         }
         onVisibleColumnChange?.(newColumns, pinnedCount);
       } else {
         let pinnedCount = pinnedColumnsCount;
         // If uncheck something pinned, reduce the pinnedColumnsCount
-        if (!checked && columnState.indexOf(id) < pinnedColumnsCount) {
+        if (!checked && columnState.indexOf(targetCol) < pinnedColumnsCount) {
           pinnedCount = Math.max(pinnedColumnsCount - 1, 0);
         }
         // If uncheck something had heatmap skipped, reset to heatmap visible
         if (!checked) {
-          onHeatmapSelectionRemove?.(id);
+          onHeatmapSelectionRemove?.(targetCol);
         }
         const newColumnSet = new Set(columnState);
-        checked ? newColumnSet.add(id) : newColumnSet.delete(id);
+        checked ? newColumnSet.add(targetCol) : newColumnSet.delete(targetCol);
         onVisibleColumnChange?.([...newColumnSet], pinnedCount);
       }
     },
@@ -165,24 +174,47 @@ const ColumnPickerTab: React.FC<ColumnTabProps> = ({
   const rows = useCallback(
     ({ index, style }: { index: number; style: React.CSSProperties }) => {
       const col = filteredColumns[index];
+      const colType =
+        KNOWN_BOOLEAN_COLUMNS.includes(col.column) && col.type === V1ColumnType.UNSPECIFIED
+          ? 'BOOLEAN'
+          : removeColumnTypePrefix(col.type);
+      const getColDisplayName = (col: ProjectColumn) => {
+        return (
+          <>
+            {col.displayName || col.column} <Badge text={colType} />
+          </>
+        );
+      };
+      const getId = () => {
+        if (col.location === V1LocationType.RUNMETADATA) return formatColumnKey(col);
+
+        return col.column;
+      };
+      const getChecked = () => {
+        if (col.location === V1LocationType.RUNMETADATA)
+          return checkedColumnNames.has(formatColumnKey(col));
+
+        return checkedColumnNames.has(col.column);
+      };
+
       return (
         <div
           className={css.rows}
           data-test="row"
-          data-test-id={col.column}
-          key={col.column}
+          data-test-id={getId()}
+          key={getId()}
           style={style}>
           <Checkbox
-            checked={checkedColumns.has(col.column)}
+            checked={getChecked()}
             data-test="checkbox"
-            id={col.column}
+            id={getId()}
             onChange={handleColumnChange}>
-            {col.displayName || col.column}
+            {getColDisplayName(col)}
           </Checkbox>
         </div>
       );
     },
-    [filteredColumns, checkedColumns, handleColumnChange],
+    [filteredColumns, checkedColumnNames, handleColumnChange],
   );
 
   return (
diff --git a/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/TableFilter.tsx b/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/TableFilter.tsx
index 62a91c42109..6fd3f42ef74 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/TableFilter.tsx
+++ b/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/TableFilter.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import FilterForm from 'components/FilterForm/components/FilterForm';
 import { FilterFormStore } from 'components/FilterForm/components/FilterFormStore';
 import { FormKind } from 'components/FilterForm/components/type';
 import { V1ProjectColumn } from 'services/api-ts-sdk';
+import { formatColumnKey } from 'utils/flatRun';
 
 interface Props {
   loadableColumns: Loadable<V1ProjectColumn[]>;
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ const TableFilter = ({
   onIsOpenFilterChange,
 }: Props): JSX.Element => {
   const columns: V1ProjectColumn[] = Loadable.getOrElse([], loadableColumns).filter(
-    (column) => !bannedFilterColumns?.has(column.column),
+    (column) => !bannedFilterColumns?.has(formatColumnKey(column)),
   );
   const fieldCount = useObservable(formStore.fieldCount);
   const formset = useObservable(formStore.formset);
diff --git a/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterField.tsx b/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterField.tsx
index eda8536a474..5512e925781 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterField.tsx
+++ b/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterField.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import dayjs from 'dayjs';
+import Badge from 'hew/Badge';
 import Button from 'hew/Button';
 import DatePicker, { DatePickerProps } from 'hew/DatePicker';
 import Icon from 'hew/Icon';
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ import { getMetadataValues } from 'services/api';
 import { V1ColumnType, V1LocationType, V1ProjectColumn } from 'services/api-ts-sdk';
 import clusterStore from 'stores/cluster';
 import userStore from 'stores/users';
+import { formatColumnKey, METADATA_SEPARATOR, removeColumnTypePrefix } from 'utils/flatRun';
 import { alphaNumericSorter } from 'utils/sort';
 
 import css from './FilterField.module.scss';
@@ -69,7 +71,10 @@ const FilterField = ({
 }: Props): JSX.Element => {
   const users = Loadable.getOrElse([], useObservable(userStore.getUsers()));
   const resourcePools = Loadable.getOrElse([], useObservable(clusterStore.resourcePools));
-  const currentColumn = columns.find((c) => c.column === field.columnName);
+  const currentColumn = useMemo(
+    () => columns.find((c) => c.type === field.type && c.column === field.columnName),
+    [columns, field.columnName, field.type],
+  );
 
   const columnType = useMemo(() => {
     if (field.location === V1LocationType.RUNMETADATA && field.type === V1ColumnType.TEXT) {
@@ -96,19 +101,18 @@ const FilterField = ({
   };
 
   const onChangeColumnName = (value: SelectValue) => {
-    const prevType = currentColumn?.type;
-    const newColName = value?.toString() ?? '';
-    const newCol = columns.find((c) => c.column === newColName);
+    const prevType = field.type;
+    const [type, newColName] = (value?.toString() ?? '').split(METADATA_SEPARATOR, 2);
+    const newCol = columns.find((c) => c.column === newColName && type === c.type);
     if (newCol) {
       Observable.batch(() => {
         formStore.setFieldColumnName(field.id, newCol);
-
         if ((SpecialColumnNames as ReadonlyArray<string>).includes(newColName)) {
           formStore.setFieldOperator(field.id, Operator.Eq);
           updateFieldValue(field.id, null);
-        } else if (prevType !== newCol?.type) {
+        } else if (prevType !== newCol.type) {
           const defaultOperator: Operator =
-            AvailableOperators[newCol?.type ?? V1ColumnType.UNSPECIFIED][0];
+            AvailableOperators[newCol.type ?? V1ColumnType.UNSPECIFIED][0];
           formStore.setFieldOperator(field.id, defaultOperator);
           updateFieldValue(field.id, null);
         }
@@ -218,6 +222,16 @@ const FilterField = ({
     [columnType, field.type, formStore, index, inputOpen, parentId],
   );
 
+  const getColDisplayName = (col: V1ProjectColumn) => {
+    const colType = removeColumnTypePrefix(col.type);
+
+    return (
+      <>
+        {col.displayName || col.column} <Badge text={colType} />
+      </>
+    );
+  };
+
   return (
     <div className={css.base} data-test-component="FilterField" ref={(node) => drop(node)}>
       <ConjunctionContainer
@@ -232,12 +246,13 @@ const FilterField = ({
           autoFocus
           data-test="columnName"
           dropdownMatchSelectWidth={300}
-          options={columns.map((col, idx) => ({
-            key: `${col.column} ${idx}`,
-            label: col.displayName || col.column,
-            value: col.column,
+          options={columns.map((col) => ({
+            key: formatColumnKey(col, true),
+            label: getColDisplayName(col),
+            title: col.displayName || col.column,
+            value: formatColumnKey(col, true),
           }))}
-          value={field.columnName}
+          value={`${field.type}${METADATA_SEPARATOR}${field.columnName}`}
           width={'100%'}
           onChange={onChangeColumnName}
         />
diff --git a/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterFormStore.ts b/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterFormStore.ts
index 9bb61000a04..880c1421701 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterFormStore.ts
+++ b/webui/react/src/components/FilterForm/components/FilterFormStore.ts
@@ -242,7 +242,8 @@ export class FilterFormStore {
     col: Pick<V1ProjectColumn, 'location' | 'type' | 'column'>,
   ): void {
     return this.#updateField(id, (form) => {
-      if (form.columnName === col.column && form.location === col.location) {
+      const isSameColumn = form.columnName === col.column && form.type === col.type;
+      if (isSameColumn && form.location === col.location) {
         return form;
       }
       return {
diff --git a/webui/react/src/components/MultiSortMenu.tsx b/webui/react/src/components/MultiSortMenu.tsx
index 68916cb3fd6..1b677894876 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/components/MultiSortMenu.tsx
+++ b/webui/react/src/components/MultiSortMenu.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
+import Badge from 'hew/Badge';
 import Button from 'hew/Button';
 import { DirectionType, Sort, validSort } from 'hew/DataGrid/DataGrid';
 import Dropdown, { MenuItem } from 'hew/Dropdown';
 import Icon from 'hew/Icon';
 import Select, { Option } from 'hew/Select';
 import { Loadable } from 'hew/utils/loadable';
+import { groupBy, mapValues } from 'lodash';
+import { Fragment, useMemo } from 'react';
 
+import { runColumns } from 'pages/FlatRuns/columns';
 import { V1ColumnType } from 'services/api-ts-sdk';
 import { ProjectColumn } from 'types';
+import { removeColumnTypePrefix } from 'utils/flatRun';
 
 import css from './MultiSortMenu.module.scss';
 
@@ -25,6 +30,7 @@ interface MultiSortRowProps {
   onChange?: (sort: Sort) => void;
   onRemove?: () => void;
   bannedSortColumns: Set<string>;
+  typeMap: Record<string, V1ColumnType[]>;
 }
 interface DirectionOptionsProps {
   onChange?: (direction: DirectionType) => void;
@@ -36,6 +42,7 @@ interface ColumnOptionsProps {
   onChange?: (column: string) => void;
   value?: string;
   bannedSortColumns: Set<string>;
+  typeMap: Record<string, V1ColumnType[]>;
 }
 
 export const optionsByColumnType = {
@@ -153,6 +160,7 @@ const ColumnOptions: React.FC<ColumnOptionsProps> = ({
   columns,
   value,
   bannedSortColumns,
+  typeMap,
 }) => (
   <Select
     autoFocus
@@ -161,10 +169,31 @@ const ColumnOptions: React.FC<ColumnOptionsProps> = ({
     loading={Loadable.isNotLoaded(columns)}
     options={Loadable.getOrElse([], columns)
       .filter((c) => !bannedSortColumns.has(c.column))
-      .map((c) => ({
-        label: c.displayName || c.column,
-        value: c.column,
-      }))}
+      .map((c) => {
+        const badges = typeMap[c.column].map((type) => {
+          const copy =
+            (runColumns as readonly string[]).includes(c.column) &&
+            type === V1ColumnType.UNSPECIFIED
+              ? 'BOOLEAN'
+              : removeColumnTypePrefix(type);
+          return (
+            <Fragment key={type}>
+              <Badge text={copy} />{' '}
+            </Fragment>
+          );
+        });
+        const title = c.displayName || c.column;
+        const label = (
+          <>
+            {title} {badges}
+          </>
+        );
+        return {
+          label,
+          title,
+          value: c.column,
+        };
+      })}
     placeholder="Select column"
     value={value}
     width="100%"
@@ -178,6 +207,7 @@ const MultiSortRow: React.FC<MultiSortRowProps> = ({
   onChange,
   onRemove,
   bannedSortColumns,
+  typeMap,
 }) => {
   const valueType =
     Loadable.getOrElse([], columns).find((c) => c.column === sort.column)?.type ||
@@ -188,6 +218,7 @@ const MultiSortRow: React.FC<MultiSortRowProps> = ({
         <ColumnOptions
           bannedSortColumns={bannedSortColumns}
           columns={columns}
+          typeMap={typeMap}
           value={sort.column}
           onChange={(column) => onChange?.({ ...sort, column })}
         />
@@ -231,6 +262,27 @@ const MultiSort: React.FC<MultiSortProps> = ({ sorts, columns, onChange, bannedS
     window.document.body.dispatchEvent(new Event('mousedown', { bubbles: true }));
     onChange?.([EMPTY_SORT]);
   };
+  // replace duplicate columns with a single unspecified column for copy
+  // reasons. maintain types so we can display in the select
+  const [mergedColumns, typeMap] = useMemo(() => {
+    const loadableTuple = columns.map((c) => {
+      const columnGroups = groupBy(c, 'column');
+      const fixedColumns = Object.values(columnGroups).flatMap((group) => {
+        if (group.length > 1) {
+          return [
+            {
+              ...group[0],
+              type: V1ColumnType.UNSPECIFIED,
+            },
+          ];
+        }
+        return group;
+      });
+      const typeMap = mapValues(columnGroups, (group) => group.map((column) => column.type));
+      return [fixedColumns, typeMap] as const;
+    });
+    return [loadableTuple.map((l) => l[0]), loadableTuple.map((l) => l[1]).getOrElse({})];
+  }, [columns]);
 
   return (
     <div className={css.base} data-test-component="multiSort">
@@ -238,7 +290,7 @@ const MultiSort: React.FC<MultiSortProps> = ({ sorts, columns, onChange, bannedS
       <div className={css.rows} data-test="rows">
         {sorts.map((sort, idx) => {
           const seenColumns = sorts.slice(0, idx).map((s) => s.column);
-          const columnOptions = Loadable.map(columns, (cols) =>
+          const columnOptions = mergedColumns.map((cols) =>
             cols.filter((c) => !seenColumns.includes(c.column)),
           );
           return (
@@ -247,6 +299,7 @@ const MultiSort: React.FC<MultiSortProps> = ({ sorts, columns, onChange, bannedS
               columns={columnOptions}
               key={sort.column || idx}
               sort={sort}
+              typeMap={typeMap}
               onChange={makeOnRowChange(idx)}
               onRemove={makeOnRowRemove(idx)}
             />
diff --git a/webui/react/src/components/Searches/columns.ts b/webui/react/src/components/Searches/columns.ts
index 3765e6e80d7..4ce7dbf00b6 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/components/Searches/columns.ts
+++ b/webui/react/src/components/Searches/columns.ts
@@ -130,7 +130,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   checkpointCount: {
     id: 'checkpointCount',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       data: Number(record.experiment.checkpoints),
@@ -143,7 +142,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   checkpointSize: {
     id: 'checkpointSize',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) =>
       handleEmptyCell(record.experiment.checkpointSize, (data) => ({
         allowOverlay: false,
@@ -174,7 +172,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   duration: {
     id: 'duration',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) =>
       handleEmptyCell(record.experiment.duration, () => ({
         allowOverlay: false,
@@ -297,7 +294,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   numTrials: {
     id: 'numTrials',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       data: record.experiment.numTrials,
@@ -335,7 +331,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   searcherMetric: {
     id: 'searcherMetric',
-    isNumerical: false,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) =>
       handleEmptyCell(record.experiment.searcherMetric, (data) => ({
         allowOverlay: false,
@@ -361,7 +356,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   startTime: {
     id: 'startTime',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       copyData: getTimeInEnglish(new Date(record.experiment.startTime)),
@@ -440,7 +434,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
 export const searcherMetricsValColumn = (columnWidth?: number): ColumnDef<ExperimentWithTrial> => {
   return {
     id: 'searcherMetricsVal',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) =>
       handleEmptyCell(record.bestTrial?.searcherMetricsVal, (data) => ({
         allowOverlay: false,
diff --git a/webui/react/src/e2e/tests/experimentList.spec.ts b/webui/react/src/e2e/tests/experimentList.spec.ts
index 8ae7f66d01a..8726fc6093b 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/e2e/tests/experimentList.spec.ts
+++ b/webui/react/src/e2e/tests/experimentList.spec.ts
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ test.describe('Experiment List', () => {
       async () => {
         await expect(
           tableFilter.filterForm.filter.filterFields.columnName.selectionItem.pwLocator,
-        ).toHaveText('ID');
+        ).toContainText('ID');
         await tableFilter.filterForm.filter.filterFields.operator.selectMenuOption('!=');
       },
       totalExperiments - 1,
diff --git a/webui/react/src/pages/F_ExpList/expListColumns.ts b/webui/react/src/pages/F_ExpList/expListColumns.ts
index 8528fc209db..ff4e6e3d92f 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/pages/F_ExpList/expListColumns.ts
+++ b/webui/react/src/pages/F_ExpList/expListColumns.ts
@@ -136,7 +136,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   checkpointCount: {
     id: 'checkpointCount',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       data: Number(record.experiment.checkpoints),
@@ -149,7 +148,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   checkpointSize: {
     id: 'checkpointSize',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       copyData: record.experiment.checkpointSize
@@ -176,7 +174,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   duration: {
     id: 'duration',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       copyData: getDurationInEnglish(record.experiment),
@@ -305,7 +302,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   numTrials: {
     id: 'numTrials',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       data: record.experiment.numTrials,
@@ -346,7 +342,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   searcherMetric: {
     id: 'searcherMetric',
-    isNumerical: false,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => {
       const sMetric = record.experiment.searcherMetric ?? '';
       return {
@@ -374,7 +369,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   startTime: {
     id: 'startTime',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       copyData: getTimeInEnglish(new Date(record.experiment.startTime)),
@@ -456,7 +450,6 @@ export const searcherMetricsValColumn = (
 ): ColumnDef<ExperimentWithTrial> => {
   return {
     id: 'searcherMetricsVal',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: ExperimentWithTrial) => {
       const sMetricValue = record.bestTrial?.searcherMetricsVal;
 
diff --git a/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/FlatRuns.tsx b/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/FlatRuns.tsx
index e9fbc37c353..6e6d3d5fb90 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/FlatRuns.tsx
+++ b/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/FlatRuns.tsx
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ import userSettings from 'stores/userSettings';
 import { DetailedUser, FlatRun, FlatRunAction, ProjectColumn, RunState } from 'types';
 import handleError from 'utils/error';
 import { combine } from 'utils/filterFormSet';
+import { formatColumnKey } from 'utils/flatRun';
 import { eagerSubscribe } from 'utils/observable';
 import { pluralizer } from 'utils/string';
 
@@ -240,7 +241,7 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
     const arrayTypeColumns = projectColumns
       .getOrElse([])
       .filter((col) => col.type === V1ColumnType.ARRAY)
-      .map((col) => col.column);
+      .map((col) => formatColumnKey(col));
     return arrayTypeColumns;
   }, [projectColumns]);
 
@@ -295,7 +296,7 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
     const projectColumnsMap: Loadable<Record<string, ProjectColumn>> = Loadable.map(
       projectColumns,
       (columns) => {
-        return columns.reduce((acc, col) => ({ ...acc, [col.column]: col }), {});
+        return columns.reduce((acc, col) => ({ ...acc, [formatColumnKey(col)]: col }), {});
       },
     );
     const columnDefs = getColumnDefs({
@@ -333,6 +334,7 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
           };
 
         let dataPath: string | undefined = undefined;
+        const columnDefKey = formatColumnKey(currentColumn);
         switch (currentColumn.location) {
           case V1LocationType.EXPERIMENT:
             dataPath = `experiment.${currentColumn.column}`;
@@ -373,11 +375,11 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
               settings.heatmapOn &&
               !settings.heatmapSkipped.includes(currentColumn.column)
             ) {
-              columnDefs[currentColumn.column] = defaultNumberColumn(
-                currentColumn.column,
+              columnDefs[columnDefKey] = defaultNumberColumn(
+                columnDefKey,
                 currentColumn.displayName || currentColumn.column,
-                settings.columnWidths[currentColumn.column] ??
-                  defaultColumnWidths[currentColumn.column as RunColumn] ??
+                settings.columnWidths[columnDefKey] ??
+                  defaultColumnWidths[columnDefKey as RunColumn] ??
                   MIN_COLUMN_WIDTH,
                 dataPath,
                 {
@@ -386,33 +388,34 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
                 },
               );
             } else {
-              columnDefs[currentColumn.column] = defaultNumberColumn(
-                currentColumn.column,
+              columnDefs[columnDefKey] = defaultNumberColumn(
+                columnDefKey,
                 currentColumn.displayName || currentColumn.column,
-                settings.columnWidths[currentColumn.column] ??
-                  defaultColumnWidths[currentColumn.column as RunColumn] ??
+                settings.columnWidths[columnDefKey] ??
+                  defaultColumnWidths[columnDefKey as RunColumn] ??
                   MIN_COLUMN_WIDTH,
                 dataPath,
+                undefined,
               );
             }
             break;
           }
           case V1ColumnType.DATE:
-            columnDefs[currentColumn.column] = defaultDateColumn(
-              currentColumn.column,
+            columnDefs[columnDefKey] = defaultDateColumn(
+              columnDefKey,
               currentColumn.displayName || currentColumn.column,
-              settings.columnWidths[currentColumn.column] ??
-                defaultColumnWidths[currentColumn.column as RunColumn] ??
+              settings.columnWidths[columnDefKey] ??
+                defaultColumnWidths[columnDefKey as RunColumn] ??
                 MIN_COLUMN_WIDTH,
               dataPath,
             );
             break;
           case V1ColumnType.ARRAY:
-            columnDefs[currentColumn.column] = defaultArrayColumn(
-              currentColumn.column,
+            columnDefs[columnDefKey] = defaultArrayColumn(
+              columnDefKey,
               currentColumn.displayName || currentColumn.column,
-              settings.columnWidths[currentColumn.column] ??
-                defaultColumnWidths[currentColumn.column as RunColumn] ??
+              settings.columnWidths[columnDefKey] ??
+                defaultColumnWidths[columnDefKey as RunColumn] ??
                 MIN_COLUMN_WIDTH,
               dataPath,
             );
@@ -420,11 +423,11 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
           case V1ColumnType.TEXT:
           case V1ColumnType.UNSPECIFIED:
           default:
-            columnDefs[currentColumn.column] = defaultTextColumn(
-              currentColumn.column,
+            columnDefs[columnDefKey] = defaultTextColumn(
+              columnDefKey,
               currentColumn.displayName || currentColumn.column,
-              settings.columnWidths[currentColumn.column] ??
-                defaultColumnWidths[currentColumn.column as RunColumn] ??
+              settings.columnWidths[columnDefKey] ??
+                defaultColumnWidths[columnDefKey as RunColumn] ??
                 MIN_COLUMN_WIDTH,
               dataPath,
             );
@@ -434,7 +437,7 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
             .getOrElse([])
             .find((h) => h.metricsName === currentColumn.column);
 
-          columnDefs[currentColumn.column] = searcherMetricsValColumn(
+          columnDefs[columnDefKey] = searcherMetricsValColumn(
             settings.columnWidths[currentColumn.column],
             heatmap && settings.heatmapOn && !settings.heatmapSkipped.includes(currentColumn.column)
               ? {
@@ -444,7 +447,7 @@ const FlatRuns: React.FC<Props> = ({ projectId, workspaceId, searchId }) => {
               : undefined,
           );
         }
-        return columnDefs[currentColumn.column];
+        return columnDefs[columnDefKey];
       })
       .flatMap((col) => (col ? [col] : []));
     return gridColumns;
diff --git a/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/columns.ts b/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/columns.ts
index f1a84d48dc6..bdb71a34162 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/columns.ts
+++ b/webui/react/src/pages/FlatRuns/columns.ts
@@ -127,7 +127,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   checkpointCount: {
     id: 'checkpointCount',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: FlatRun) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       data: Number(record.checkpointCount),
@@ -140,7 +139,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   checkpointSize: {
     id: 'checkpointSize',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: FlatRun) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       copyData: humanReadableBytes(record.checkpointSize),
@@ -153,7 +151,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   duration: {
     id: 'duration',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: FlatRun) =>
       handleEmptyCell(record.duration, (data) => ({
         allowOverlay: false,
@@ -394,7 +391,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   searcherMetric: {
     id: 'searcherMetric',
-    isNumerical: false,
     renderer: (record: FlatRun) =>
       handleEmptyCell(record.experiment?.searcherMetric, (data) => ({
         allowOverlay: false,
@@ -421,7 +417,6 @@ export const getColumnDefs = ({
   },
   startTime: {
     id: 'startTime',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: FlatRun) => ({
       allowOverlay: false,
       copyData: getTimeInEnglish(new Date(record.startTime)),
@@ -505,7 +500,6 @@ export const searcherMetricsValColumn = (
 ): ColumnDef<FlatRun> => {
   return {
     id: 'searcherMetricsVal',
-    isNumerical: true,
     renderer: (record: FlatRun) => {
       const sMetricValue = record.searcherMetricValue;
 
diff --git a/webui/react/src/utils/flatRun.ts b/webui/react/src/utils/flatRun.ts
index d16feb8e1fc..34a85f677b4 100644
--- a/webui/react/src/utils/flatRun.ts
+++ b/webui/react/src/utils/flatRun.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ import {
   terminalRunStates,
 } from 'constants/states';
 import { PermissionsHook } from 'hooks/usePermissions';
-import { FlatRun, FlatRunAction, RunState, SelectionType } from 'types';
+import { V1ColumnType, V1LocationType } from 'services/api-ts-sdk';
+import { FlatRun, FlatRunAction, ProjectColumn, RunState, SelectionType } from 'types';
 
 import { combine } from './filterFormSet';
 
@@ -116,3 +117,17 @@ export const getIdsFilter = (
     filterGroup,
   };
 };
+
+export const removeColumnTypePrefix = (columnName: V1ColumnType): string => {
+  return columnName.replace('COLUMN_TYPE_', '');
+};
+
+/// we want to use special characters as "separators" to prevent user input to match with such when creating the arbitrary metadata
+export const COLUMN_SEPARATOR = '␟';
+export const METADATA_SEPARATOR = '\u241F' as const;
+
+export const formatColumnKey = (col: ProjectColumn, required = false): string => {
+  if (required || col.location === V1LocationType.RUNMETADATA)
+    return `${col.type}${METADATA_SEPARATOR}${col.column}`;
+  return col.column;
+};