diff --git a/db/merge.go b/db/merge.go
index 5404e6c5..bd35e46a 100644
--- a/db/merge.go
+++ b/db/merge.go
@@ -263,13 +263,31 @@ func (d *document) mrgFld(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 	}
 
 	// Sort the fields according to their
-	// priority and then loop over them in
-	// order processing them fully.
+	// priority so that fields which depend
+	// on another field can be processed
+	// after that field in a specific order.
 
 	sort.Slice(fds, func(i, j int) bool {
 		return fds[i].Priority < fds[j].Priority
 	})
 
+	// Loop through each field and check to
+	// see if it might be a specific type.
+	// This is because when updating records
+	// using json, there is no specific type
+	// for a 'datetime' and 'record'.
+
+	d.current.Each(func(key string, val interface{}) (err error) {
+		if val, ok := conv.MightBe(val); ok {
+			d.current.Iff(val, key)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+
+	// Loop over each of the defined fields
+	// and process them fully, applying the
+	// VALUE and ASSERT clauses sequentially.
+
 	for _, fd := range fds {
 
 		err = d.current.Walk(func(key string, val interface{}) (err error) {
diff --git a/sql/ast.go b/sql/ast.go
index 32ec5c93..530729c9 100644
--- a/sql/ast.go
+++ b/sql/ast.go
@@ -713,6 +713,15 @@ type Thing struct {
 	ID interface{}
 }
 
+func ParseThing(val string) *Thing {
+	r := strings.NewReader(val)
+	s := newScanner(r)
+	if t, _, v := s.scanThing(); t == THING {
+		return v.(*Thing)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func NewThing(TB string, ID interface{}) *Thing {
 	switch val := ID.(type) {
 	default:
diff --git a/util/conv/conv.go b/util/conv/conv.go
index 9848b0c2..2f395e99 100644
--- a/util/conv/conv.go
+++ b/util/conv/conv.go
@@ -54,6 +54,35 @@ func toBoolean(str string) (bool, error) {
 
 // --------------------------------------------------
 
+func MightBe(obj interface{}) (val interface{}, ok bool) {
+	switch now := obj.(type) {
+	case string:
+		if val, ok := MightBeDatetime(now); ok {
+			return val, ok
+		}
+		if val, ok := MightBeRecord(now); ok {
+			return val, ok
+		}
+	}
+	return obj, false
+}
+
+func MightBeDatetime(obj string) (val interface{}, ok bool) {
+	if val, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, obj); err == nil {
+		return val, true
+	}
+	return nil, false
+}
+
+func MightBeRecord(obj string) (val interface{}, ok bool) {
+	if val := sql.ParseThing(obj); val != nil {
+		return val, true
+	}
+	return nil, false
+}
+
+// --------------------------------------------------
+
 func ConvertTo(t, k string, obj interface{}) (val interface{}, err error) {
 	switch t {
 	default:
@@ -248,7 +277,8 @@ func ConvertToLongitude(obj interface{}) (val float64, err error) {
 }
 
 func ConvertToRecord(obj interface{}, tb string) (val *sql.Thing, err error) {
-	if now, ok := obj.(*sql.Thing); ok {
+	switch now := obj.(type) {
+	case *sql.Thing:
 		switch tb {
 		case now.TB:
 			val = now
@@ -257,7 +287,7 @@ func ConvertToRecord(obj interface{}, tb string) (val *sql.Thing, err error) {
 		default:
 			err = fmt.Errorf("Expected a record of type '%s', but found '%v'", tb, obj)
 		}
-	} else {
+	default:
 		switch tb {
 		default:
 			err = fmt.Errorf("Expected a record of type '%s', but found '%v'", tb, obj)