diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/datafeeds.js b/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/datafeeds.js
index 7caa8ff1a3175..48aadfb688e76 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/datafeeds.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/datafeeds.js
@@ -8,8 +8,12 @@
 export function datafeedsProvider(callWithRequest) {
 
   async function forceStartDatafeeds(datafeedIds, start, end) {
-    const jobIds = {};
-    const doStartsCalled = {};
+    const jobIds = await getJobIdsByDatafeedId();
+    const doStartsCalled = datafeedIds.reduce((p, c) => {
+      p[c] = false;
+      return p;
+    }, {});
+
     const results = {};
     const START_TIMEOUT = 10000; // 10s
 
@@ -26,29 +30,26 @@ export function datafeedsProvider(callWithRequest) {
       }
     }
 
-    datafeedIds.forEach((dId) => {
-      const jId = dId.replace('datafeed-', ''); // change this. this should be from a look up from the datafeeds endpoint
-      jobIds[dId] = jId;
-      doStartsCalled[dId] = false;
-    });
-
     for (const datafeedId of datafeedIds) {
       const jobId = jobIds[datafeedId];
-
-      setTimeout(async () => {
-        // in 10 seconds start the datafeed.
-        // this should give the openJob enough time.
-        // if not, the start request will be queued
-        // behind the open request on the server.
-        results[datafeedId] = await doStart(datafeedId);
-      }, START_TIMEOUT);
-
-      try {
-        if (await openJob(jobId)) {
+      if (jobId !== undefined) {
+        setTimeout(async () => {
+          // in 10 seconds start the datafeed.
+          // this should give the openJob enough time.
+          // if not, the start request will be queued
+          // behind the open request on the server.
           results[datafeedId] = await doStart(datafeedId);
+        }, START_TIMEOUT);
+
+        try {
+          if (await openJob(jobId)) {
+            results[datafeedId] = await doStart(datafeedId);
+          }
+        } catch (error) {
+          results[datafeedId] = { started: false, error };
         }
-      } catch (error) {
-        results[datafeedId] = { started: false, error };
+      } else {
+        results[datafeedId] = { started: false, error: 'Job has no datafeed' };
       }
     }
 
@@ -88,9 +89,27 @@ export function datafeedsProvider(callWithRequest) {
     return callWithRequest('ml.deleteDatafeed', { datafeedId, force: true });
   }
 
+  async function getDatafeedIdsByJobId() {
+    const datafeeds = await callWithRequest('ml.datafeeds');
+    return datafeeds.datafeeds.reduce((p, c) => {
+      p[c.job_id] = c.datafeed_id;
+      return p;
+    }, {});
+  }
+
+  async function getJobIdsByDatafeedId() {
+    const datafeeds = await callWithRequest('ml.datafeeds');
+    return datafeeds.datafeeds.reduce((p, c) => {
+      p[c.datafeed_id] = c.job_id;
+      return p;
+    }, {});
+  }
+
   return {
     forceStartDatafeeds,
     stopDatafeeds,
     forceDeleteDatafeed,
+    getDatafeedIdsByJobId,
+    getJobIdsByDatafeedId,
   };
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/jobs.js b/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/jobs.js
index 313b685ac10ad..f9761b4047539 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/jobs.js
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/ml/server/models/job_service/jobs.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ const TIME_FORMAT = 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss';
 
 export function jobsProvider(callWithRequest) {
 
-  const { forceDeleteDatafeed } = datafeedsProvider(callWithRequest);
+  const { forceDeleteDatafeed, getDatafeedIdsByJobId } = datafeedsProvider(callWithRequest);
   const { getAuditMessagesSummary } = jobAuditMessagesProvider(callWithRequest);
   const calMngr = new CalendarManager(callWithRequest);
 
@@ -24,14 +24,14 @@ export function jobsProvider(callWithRequest) {
 
   async function deleteJobs(jobIds) {
     const results = {};
-    const datafeedIds = jobIds.reduce((p, c) => {
-      p[c] = `datafeed-${c}`;
-      return p;
-    }, {});
+    const datafeedIds = await getDatafeedIdsByJobId();
 
     for (const jobId of jobIds) {
       try {
-        const datafeedResp = await forceDeleteDatafeed(datafeedIds[jobId]);
+        const datafeedResp = (datafeedIds[jobId] === undefined) ?
+          { acknowledged: true } :
+          await forceDeleteDatafeed(datafeedIds[jobId]);
+
         if (datafeedResp.acknowledged) {
           try {
             await forceDeleteJob(jobId);
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ export function jobsProvider(callWithRequest) {
     }, {});
 
     const jobs = fullJobsList.map((job) => {
-      const hasDatafeed = (job.datafeed_config !== undefined);
+      const hasDatafeed = (typeof job.datafeed_config === 'object' && Object.keys(job.datafeed_config).length);
       const {
         earliest: earliestTimeStamp,
         latest: latestTimeStamp } = earliestAndLatestTimeStamps(job.data_counts);
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export function jobsProvider(callWithRequest) {
       const tempJob = {
         id: job.job_id,
         description: (job.description || ''),
-        groups: (job.groups || []),
+        groups: (Array.isArray(job.groups) ? job.groups.sort() : []),
         processed_record_count: job.data_counts.processed_record_count,
         memory_status: (job.model_size_stats) ? job.model_size_stats.memory_status : '',
         jobState: job.state,