diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/app_state_settings.js b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/app_state_settings.js
index aab94fb788411..2bce3b72762ae 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/app_state_settings.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/app_state_settings.js
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ function populateSingleMetricSettings(jobSettings, scope) {
       if (f.agg !== undefined) {
         // find the aggregation object in the aggTypeOptions list which has the same name
         // as the agg setting in the url
-        const agg = scope.ui.aggTypeOptions.find(o => (o.name === f.agg));
+        const agg = scope.ui.aggTypeOptions.find(o => (o.mlName === f.agg));
         if (agg !== undefined) {
           scope.formConfig.agg.type = agg;
           scope.aggChange();
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function populateMultiMetricSettings(jobSettings, scope) {
       }
 
       if (f.agg !== undefined) {
-        const agg = scope.ui.aggTypeOptions.find(o => (o.name === f.agg));
+        const agg = scope.ui.aggTypeOptions.find(o => (o.mlName === f.agg));
         if (agg !== undefined) {
           scope.formConfig.fields[field.id].agg.type = agg;
         }
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ function populatePopulationSettings(jobSettings, scope) {
         if (field !== undefined) {
 
           if (f.agg !== undefined) {
-            const agg = scope.ui.aggTypeOptions.find(o => (o.name === f.agg));
+            const agg = scope.ui.aggTypeOptions.find(o => (o.mlName === f.agg));
             if (agg !== undefined) {
               field.agg = { type: agg };
             }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/prepopulate_job_settings.js b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/prepopulate_job_settings.js
index 047f056e542f3..482b6195cd485 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/prepopulate_job_settings.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/jobs/new_job/simple/components/utils/prepopulate_job_settings.js
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ export function jobSettingsFromJob(job, aggTypeOptions) {
 
   function getKibanaAggName(mlAggName) {
     const agg = aggTypeOptions.find(a => a.mlName === mlAggName);
-    return (agg) ? agg.name : undefined;
+    return (agg) ? agg.mlName : undefined;
   }
 
   const jobSettings = {};
@@ -43,7 +43,19 @@ export function jobSettingsFromJob(job, aggTypeOptions) {
   if (job.custom_settings.created_by === WIZARD_TYPE.SINGLE_METRIC) {
     // single metric
     const d = dtrs[0];
-    const field = { agg: getKibanaAggName(d.function, aggTypeOptions) };
+    let func = d.function;
+
+    // distinct_count jobs in single metric wizard use a particular aggregation where
+    // the detector function is replaced as non_zero_count.
+    // here we look for this exact situation and switch the function back to distinct_count
+    if (
+      func === 'non_zero_count' &&
+      job.analysis_config.summary_count_field_name !== undefined &&
+      job.analysis_config.summary_count_field_name.match(/^dc_.+/)) {
+      func = 'distinct_count';
+    }
+
+    const field = { agg: getKibanaAggName(func) };
     if (d.field_name) {
       field.fieldName = d.field_name;
     }
@@ -58,7 +70,7 @@ export function jobSettingsFromJob(job, aggTypeOptions) {
         splitField = d.partition_field_name;
       }
 
-      const field = { agg: getKibanaAggName(d.function, aggTypeOptions) };
+      const field = { agg: getKibanaAggName(d.function) };
       if (d.field_name) {
         field.fieldName = d.field_name;
       }
@@ -79,7 +91,7 @@ export function jobSettingsFromJob(job, aggTypeOptions) {
         overField = d.over_field_name;
       }
 
-      const field = { agg: getKibanaAggName(d.function, aggTypeOptions) };
+      const field = { agg: getKibanaAggName(d.function) };
       if (d.field_name) {
         field.fieldName = d.field_name;
       }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/services/job_service.js b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/services/job_service.js
index 3abb739de0894..416f665b1d1fb 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/services/job_service.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/public/services/job_service.js
@@ -548,6 +548,12 @@ class JobService {
       }
     }
 
+    // when jumping from a wizard to the advanced job creation,
+    // the wizard's created_by information should be stripped.
+    if (tempJob.custom_settings && tempJob.custom_settings.created_by) {
+      delete tempJob.custom_settings.created_by;
+    }
+
     return tempJob;
   }