diff --git a/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/controls.jsx b/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/controls.jsx
index 1e543a201..da6ff386a 100644
--- a/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/controls.jsx
+++ b/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/controls.jsx
@@ -655,6 +655,7 @@ export const controls = {
     type: 'SelectControl',
     label: 'Entity',
     default: null,
+    validators: [v.nonEmpty],
     description: 'This define the element to be plotted on the chart',
     mapStateToProps: state => ({
       choices: (state.datasource) ? state.datasource.gb_cols : [],
@@ -761,7 +762,9 @@ export const controls = {
     type: 'SelectControl',
     freeForm: true,
     label: 'Table Timestamp Format',
-    default: 'smart_date',
+    default: '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S',
+    validators: [v.nonEmpty],
+    clearable: false,
     choices: D3_TIME_FORMAT_OPTIONS,
     description: 'Timestamp Format',
   },
diff --git a/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/visTypes.js b/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/visTypes.js
index 5322680f6..3bc7fd626 100644
--- a/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/visTypes.js
+++ b/superset/assets/javascripts/explore/stores/visTypes.js
@@ -183,6 +183,9 @@ const visTypes = {
       y_axis_format: {
         label: 'Left Axis Format',
       },
+      x_axis_format: {
+        choices: D3_TIME_FORMAT_OPTIONS,
+      },
     },
   },
 
@@ -211,6 +214,13 @@ const visTypes = {
       },
       sections.NVD3TimeSeries[1],
     ],
+    controlOverrides: {
+      x_axis_format: {
+        choices: D3_TIME_FORMAT_OPTIONS,
+        default: control =>
+          control.choices && control.choices.length > 0 ? [control.choices[0][0]] : null,
+      },
+    },
   },
 
   compare: {
@@ -475,9 +485,8 @@ const visTypes = {
         label: null,
         controlSetRows: [
           ['metric'],
-          ['compare_lag'],
-          ['compare_suffix'],
-          ['y_axis_format'],
+          ['compare_lag', 'compare_suffix'],
+          ['y_axis_format', null],
         ],
       },
     ],
diff --git a/superset/assets/visualizations/big_number.js b/superset/assets/visualizations/big_number.js
index 51b08bffa..f0c3950a2 100644
--- a/superset/assets/visualizations/big_number.js
+++ b/superset/assets/visualizations/big_number.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import d3 from 'd3';
 import d3tip from 'd3-tip';
-import { formatDate } from '../javascripts/modules/dates';
+import { d3FormatPreset, d3TimeFormatPreset } from '../javascripts/modules/utils';
 
 import './big_number.css';
 import '../stylesheets/d3tip.css';
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ function bigNumberVis(slice, payload) {
   const fd = slice.formData;
   const json = payload.data;
 
-  const f = d3.format(fd.y_axis_format);
+  const f = d3FormatPreset(fd.y_axis_format);
   const fp = d3.format('+.1%');
+  const formatDate = d3TimeFormatPreset('smart_date');
   const width = slice.width();
   const height = slice.height();
   const svg = div.append('svg');
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ function bigNumberVis(slice, payload) {
     const yAxis = d3.svg.axis()
     .scale(scaleY)
     .orient('left')
-    .tickFormat(d3.format(fd.y_axis_format))
+    .tickFormat(f)
     .tickValues(valueExt);
 
     g.call(yAxis);
diff --git a/superset/assets/visualizations/nvd3_vis.js b/superset/assets/visualizations/nvd3_vis.js
index b4ccc71b3..736de78f5 100644
--- a/superset/assets/visualizations/nvd3_vis.js
+++ b/superset/assets/visualizations/nvd3_vis.js
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ function nvd3Vis(slice, payload) {
       chart.x2Axis.tickFormat(xAxisFormatter);
       height += 30;
     }
-    if (chart.xAxis && chart.xAxis.tickFormat) {
+    if (isTimeSeries && chart.xAxis && chart.xAxis.tickFormat) {
       chart.xAxis.tickFormat(xAxisFormatter);
     }
 
diff --git a/superset/assets/visualizations/table.js b/superset/assets/visualizations/table.js
index be1a82c62..82b030586 100644
--- a/superset/assets/visualizations/table.js
+++ b/superset/assets/visualizations/table.js
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@ import 'datatables-bootstrap3-plugin/media/css/datatables-bootstrap3.css';
 import 'datatables.net';
 import dt from 'datatables.net-bs';
 
-import { fixDataTableBodyHeight } from '../javascripts/modules/utils';
-import { timeFormatFactory, formatDate } from '../javascripts/modules/dates';
+import { fixDataTableBodyHeight, d3TimeFormatPreset } from '../javascripts/modules/utils';
 import './table.css';
 
 const $ = require('jquery');
@@ -14,7 +13,6 @@ dt(window, $);
 function tableVis(slice, payload) {
   const container = $(slice.selector);
   const fC = d3.format('0,000');
-  let timestampFormatter;
 
   const data = payload.data;
   const fd = slice.formData;
@@ -35,11 +33,7 @@ function tableVis(slice, payload) {
     maxes[metrics[i]] = d3.max(col(metrics[i]));
   }
 
-  if (fd.table_timestamp_format === 'smart_date') {
-    timestampFormatter = formatDate;
-  } else if (fd.table_timestamp_format !== undefined) {
-    timestampFormatter = timeFormatFactory(fd.table_timestamp_format);
-  }
+  const tsFormatter = d3TimeFormatPreset(fd.table_timestamp_format);
 
   const div = d3.select(slice.selector);
   div.html('');
@@ -70,8 +64,8 @@ function tableVis(slice, payload) {
       const val = row[c];
       let html;
       const isMetric = metrics.indexOf(c) >= 0;
-      if (c === 'timestamp') {
-        html = timestampFormatter(val);
+      if (c === '__timestamp') {
+        html = tsFormatter(val);
       }
       if (typeof (val) === 'string') {
         html = `<span class="like-pre">${val}</span>`;
diff --git a/superset/viz.py b/superset/viz.py
index 9e7f8be2d..75cb4113b 100755
--- a/superset/viz.py
+++ b/superset/viz.py
@@ -352,9 +352,6 @@ class TableViz(BaseViz):
             columns=list(df.columns),
         )
 
-    def json_dumps(self, obj):
-        return json.dumps(obj, default=utils.json_iso_dttm_ser)
-
 
 class PivotTableViz(BaseViz):
 
@@ -650,15 +647,16 @@ class BubbleViz(NVD3Viz):
     def query_obj(self):
         form_data = self.form_data
         d = super(BubbleViz, self).query_obj()
-        d['groupby'] = list({
-            form_data.get('series'),
+        d['groupby'] = [
             form_data.get('entity')
-        })
+        ]
+        if form_data.get('series'):
+            d['groupby'].append(form_data.get('series'))
         self.x_metric = form_data.get('x')
         self.y_metric = form_data.get('y')
         self.z_metric = form_data.get('size')
         self.entity = form_data.get('entity')
-        self.series = form_data.get('series')
+        self.series = form_data.get('series') or self.entity
         d['row_limit'] = form_data.get('limit')
 
         d['metrics'] = [
@@ -666,7 +664,7 @@ class BubbleViz(NVD3Viz):
             self.x_metric,
             self.y_metric,
         ]
-        if not all(d['metrics'] + [self.entity, self.series]):
+        if not all(d['metrics'] + [self.entity]):
             raise Exception("Pick a metric for x, y and size")
         return d