diff --git a/packages/client/src/components/config/AbstractMetricModal.tsx b/packages/client/src/components/config/AbstractMetricModal.tsx
index 6f4577c2..a51634a2 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/components/config/AbstractMetricModal.tsx
+++ b/packages/client/src/components/config/AbstractMetricModal.tsx
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ const initialState = {
     metricName: false,
     aggregationMethod: false,
     dimensions: false,
+    criticalIncrease: false,
+    criticalDecrease: false,
+    allowedIncrease: false,
+    allowedDecrease: false,
     outlierStrategy: false
   },
   isValid: true,
@@ -47,7 +51,15 @@ const initialMetricState = {
   analysisConfigurations: {
     canary: {
       direction: 'either',
-      nanStrategy: 'remove'
+      critical: false,
+      nanStrategy: 'remove',
+      effectSize: {
+        allowedIncrease: 1,
+        allowedDecrease: 1
+      },
+      outliers: {
+        strategy: 'keep'
+      }
     }
   },
   scopeName: 'default'
@@ -304,6 +316,10 @@ export abstract class AbstractMetricModal<T extends CanaryMetricSetQueryConfig>
     if (criticality === 'critical') {
       delete canaryAnalysisConfigurationCopy['mustHaveData'];
       canaryAnalysisConfigurationCopy['critical'] = true;
+      canaryAnalysisConfigurationCopy['effectSize'] = {
+        criticalIncrease: 1,
+        criticalDecrease: 1
+      };
     }
 
     if (criticality === 'mustHaveData') {
@@ -312,8 +328,12 @@ export abstract class AbstractMetricModal<T extends CanaryMetricSetQueryConfig>
     }
 
     if (criticality === 'normal') {
-      delete canaryAnalysisConfigurationCopy['critical'];
+      canaryAnalysisConfigurationCopy['critical'] = false;
       delete canaryAnalysisConfigurationCopy['mustHaveData'];
+      canaryAnalysisConfigurationCopy['effectSize'] = {
+        allowedIncrease: 1,
+        allowedDecrease: 1
+      };
     }
 
     this.setState(
@@ -631,7 +651,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractMetricModal<T extends CanaryMetricSetQueryConfig>
                           <InlineTextGroup
                             id="criticalIncrease"
                             label="Critical Increase"
-                            touched={this.state.touched['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.criticalIncrease']}
+                            touched={this.state.touched.criticalIncrease}
                             error={this.state.errors['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.criticalIncrease']}
                             value={this.getEffectSizeObject('criticalIncrease')}
                             onChange={e => this.handleEffectSizeObjectChange('criticalIncrease', e.target.value)}
@@ -645,7 +665,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractMetricModal<T extends CanaryMetricSetQueryConfig>
                           <InlineTextGroup
                             id="criticalDecrease"
                             label="Critical Decrease"
-                            touched={this.state.touched['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.criticalDecrease']}
+                            touched={this.state.touched.criticalDecrease}
                             error={this.state.errors['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.criticalDecrease']}
                             value={this.getEffectSizeObject('criticalDecrease')}
                             onChange={e => this.handleEffectSizeObjectChange('criticalDecrease', e.target.value)}
@@ -662,7 +682,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractMetricModal<T extends CanaryMetricSetQueryConfig>
                           <InlineTextGroup
                             id="allowedIncrease"
                             label="Allowed Increase"
-                            touched={this.state.touched['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.allowedIncrease']}
+                            touched={this.state.touched.allowedIncrease}
                             error={this.state.errors['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.allowedIncrease']}
                             value={this.getEffectSizeObject('allowedIncrease')}
                             onChange={e => this.handleEffectSizeObjectChange('allowedIncrease', e.target.value)}
@@ -676,7 +696,7 @@ export abstract class AbstractMetricModal<T extends CanaryMetricSetQueryConfig>
                           <InlineTextGroup
                             id="allowedDecrease"
                             label="Allowed Decrease"
-                            touched={this.state.touched['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.allowedDecrease']}
+                            touched={this.state.touched.allowedDecrease}
                             error={this.state.errors['analysisConfigurations.canary.effectSize.allowedDecrease']}
                             value={this.getEffectSizeObject('allowedDecrease')}
                             onChange={e => this.handleEffectSizeObjectChange('allowedDecrease', e.target.value)}
@@ -773,7 +793,11 @@ export abstract class AbstractMetricModal<T extends CanaryMetricSetQueryConfig>
                       scopeName: true,
                       metricName: true,
                       aggregationMethod: true,
-                      dimensions: true
+                      dimensions: true,
+                      criticalIncrease: true,
+                      criticalDecrease: true,
+                      allowedIncrease: true,
+                      allowedDecrease: true
                     }
                   });
                   return;
diff --git a/packages/client/src/domain/Kayenta.ts b/packages/client/src/domain/Kayenta.ts
index 210be4a9..225073fa 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/domain/Kayenta.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/domain/Kayenta.ts
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ export interface CanaryAnalysisConfiguration {
   nanStrategy?: string;
   critical?: boolean;
   mustHaveData?: boolean;
-  effectSize?: CanaryMetricEffectSizeConfigs;
+  effectSize?: CanaryMetricEffectSizeConfig;
   outliers?: CanaryMetricOutliersConfig;
 }
 
@@ -176,10 +176,6 @@ export interface CanaryMetricEffectSizeConfig {
   criticalDecrease?: number;
 }
 
-export interface CanaryMetricEffectSizeConfigs {
-  [name: string]: CanaryMetricEffectSizeConfig;
-}
-
 export interface CanaryJudgeConfig {
   name: string;
   judgeConfigurations: KvMap<any>;
diff --git a/packages/client/src/stores/ConfigEditorStore.ts b/packages/client/src/stores/ConfigEditorStore.ts
index cb1ecb49..1031c4a2 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/stores/ConfigEditorStore.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/stores/ConfigEditorStore.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import { observable, action, computed } from 'mobx';
-import { CanaryConfig, CanaryMetricConfig, GroupWeights } from '../domain/Kayenta';
+import { action, computed, observable } from 'mobx';
+import { CanaryAnalysisConfiguration, CanaryConfig, CanaryMetricConfig, GroupWeights } from '../domain/Kayenta';
 import CanaryConfigFactory from '../util/CanaryConfigFactory';
 import log from '../util/LoggerFactory';
 import { validateCanaryConfig } from '../validation/configValidators';
@@ -97,6 +97,34 @@ export default class ConfigEditorStore {
     this.metricSourceType = type;
   }
 
+  checkCanaryAnalysisConfiguration(canaryAnalysisConfig: CanaryAnalysisConfiguration): CanaryAnalysisConfiguration {
+    const canaryAnalysisConfigCopy = Object.assign({}, canaryAnalysisConfig);
+    if (!canaryAnalysisConfig['direction']) {
+      canaryAnalysisConfigCopy['direction'] = 'either';
+    }
+    if (!canaryAnalysisConfig['nanStrategy']) {
+      canaryAnalysisConfigCopy['nanStrategy'] = 'remove';
+    }
+    if (!canaryAnalysisConfig['critical']) {
+      canaryAnalysisConfigCopy['critical'] = false;
+      canaryAnalysisConfigCopy['effectSize'] = {
+        allowedIncrease: 1,
+        allowedDecrease: 1
+      };
+    } else {
+      canaryAnalysisConfigCopy['effectSize'] = {
+        criticalIncrease: 1,
+        criticalDecrease: 1
+      };
+    }
+    if (!canaryAnalysisConfig['outliers']) {
+      canaryAnalysisConfigCopy['outliers'] = {
+        strategy: 'keep'
+      };
+    }
+    return canaryAnalysisConfigCopy;
+  }
+
   @action.bound
   setCanaryConfigObject(canaryConfigObject: CanaryConfig): void {
     // todo figure out if this ad hoc config is necessary
@@ -112,6 +140,9 @@ export default class ConfigEditorStore {
         metric.groups.forEach(group => {
           uniqueGroups.add(group);
         });
+        metric.analysisConfigurations['canary'] = this.checkCanaryAnalysisConfiguration(
+          metric.analysisConfigurations['canary']
+        );
       });
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/client/src/validation/configValidators.ts b/packages/client/src/validation/configValidators.ts
index db6ff6ff..8f55f965 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/validation/configValidators.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/validation/configValidators.ts
@@ -40,11 +40,16 @@ const getCanaryMetricConfigSchema = (metricQueryObjectSchema: KvMap<Schema<any>>
             nanStrategy: mixed().oneOf(['remove', 'replace']),
             critical: boolean(),
             mustHaveData: boolean(),
-            effectSize: object().shape({
-              allowedIncrease: number(),
-              allowedDecrease: number(),
-              criticalIncrease: number(),
-              criticalDecrease: number()
+            effectSize: object().when('critical', {
+              is: true,
+              then: object({
+                criticalIncrease: number().required('Critical Increase is a required field. Defaults to 1.'),
+                criticalDecrease: number().required('Critical Decrease is a required field. Defaults to 1.')
+              }),
+              otherwise: object({
+                allowedIncrease: number().required('Allowed Increase is a required field. Defaults to 1.'),
+                allowedDecrease: number().required('Allowed Decrease is a required field. Defaults to 1.')
+              })
             }),
             outliers: object().shape({
               strategy: string().oneOf(['keep', 'remove']),