diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/DatasetTypeImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/DatasetTypeImportHelper.java
index 2ad599f83540e53493b1b77f40eebd4b31afc673..914541fef358653c7fe62d1140837e5ac68a7e68 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/DatasetTypeImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/DatasetTypeImportHelper.java
@@ -129,8 +129,16 @@ public class DatasetTypeImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
         DataSetTypeUpdate update = new DataSetTypeUpdate();
         EntityTypePermId permId = new EntityTypePermId(code);
         update.setTypeId(permId);
-        update.setDescription(description);
-
+        if (description != null)
+        {
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
+        }
         if (validationScript != null && !validationScript.isEmpty())
         {
             update.setValidationPluginId(new PluginPermId(ImportUtils.getScriptName(code, validationScript)));
diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ExperimentTypeImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ExperimentTypeImportHelper.java
index b13bee4e6955ee3d225f2679e1224b88d719691e..fd353909a61f4646c935c3f79213c5656096f216 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ExperimentTypeImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ExperimentTypeImportHelper.java
@@ -130,7 +130,17 @@ public class ExperimentTypeImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
         ExperimentTypeUpdate update = new ExperimentTypeUpdate();
         EntityTypePermId permId = new EntityTypePermId(code);
         update.setTypeId(permId);
-        update.setDescription(description);
+
+        if (description != null)
+        {
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
+        }
 
         if (validationScript != null && !validationScript.isEmpty())
         {
diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ProjectImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ProjectImportHelper.java
index e86300d275a0bebff3ddc91b70bb44281bd122d8..0f6c65b4a6509de239b6a0a1a80fde66e0fa000c 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ProjectImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/ProjectImportHelper.java
@@ -119,7 +119,13 @@ public class ProjectImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
         update.setProjectId(projectIdentifier);
         if (description != null)
         {
-            update.setDescription(description);
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
         }
 
         // Space is only needed to "MOVE" the project
diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/PropertyTypeImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/PropertyTypeImportHelper.java
index 5eae9b65c2b0251d1e953505378b293e567e8e70..4ba863ad085f6a08d6fc89cd3e28b55d0d24f8c3 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/PropertyTypeImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/PropertyTypeImportHelper.java
@@ -204,8 +204,26 @@ public class PropertyTypeImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
 
         PropertyTypeUpdate update = new PropertyTypeUpdate();
         update.setTypeId(propertyTypePermId);
-        update.setLabel(propertyLabel);
-        update.setDescription(description);
+        if (propertyLabel != null)
+        {
+            if (propertyLabel.equals("--DELETE--") || propertyLabel.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setLabel("");
+            } else if (!propertyLabel.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setLabel(propertyLabel);
+            }
+        }
+        if (description != null)
+        {
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
+        }
 
         PropertyTypeFetchOptions propertyTypeFetchOptions = new PropertyTypeFetchOptions();
         propertyTypeFetchOptions.withVocabulary();
diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SampleTypeImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SampleTypeImportHelper.java
index 19f82d0f67d47787695158e10fdf6d2df18d16b6..7b85b96f7dfcf57258f08db3dfc06019145a99ef 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SampleTypeImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SampleTypeImportHelper.java
@@ -141,7 +141,16 @@ public class SampleTypeImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
         SampleTypeUpdate update = new SampleTypeUpdate();
         EntityTypePermId permId = new EntityTypePermId(code);
         update.setTypeId(permId);
-        update.setDescription(description);
+        if (description != null)
+        {
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
+        }
         update.setAutoGeneratedCode(Boolean.parseBoolean(autoGenerateCodes));
         if (validationScript != null && !validationScript.isEmpty())
         {
diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SpaceImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SpaceImportHelper.java
index 23bc56078d496fba555d37e6fe0b985b6d8bc8a7..4bb071b894f816e5c9f9cf4e9defeeb19983ce85 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SpaceImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/SpaceImportHelper.java
@@ -97,7 +97,13 @@ public class SpaceImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
         update.setSpaceId(new SpacePermId(code));
         if (description != null)
         {
-            update.setDescription(description);
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
         }
 
         delayedExecutor.updateSpace(update);
diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyImportHelper.java
index b9b8664c969974bcd7868e2b03ee6d5ebd50d3e2..306fcdcfcbd45388ffc191ec9c35174922582e04 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyImportHelper.java
@@ -121,7 +121,16 @@ public class VocabularyImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
 
         VocabularyUpdate update = new VocabularyUpdate();
         update.setVocabularyId(vocabularyPermId);
-        update.setDescription(description);
+        if (description != null)
+        {
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
+        }
         delayedExecutor.updateVocabulary(update);
     }
 
diff --git a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyTermImportHelper.java b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyTermImportHelper.java
index a7548cc204fb21b8e9ea637ded45145b1a677af4..3c1b1bc05cfd56518fe8e60647f00c48f559444b 100644
--- a/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyTermImportHelper.java
+++ b/server-application-server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/xls/importer/helper/VocabularyTermImportHelper.java
@@ -141,9 +141,26 @@ public class VocabularyTermImportHelper extends BasicImportHelper
 
         VocabularyTermUpdate update = new VocabularyTermUpdate();
         update.setVocabularyTermId(termId);
-        update.setLabel(label);
-        update.setDescription(description);
-
+        if (label != null)
+        {
+            if (label.equals("--DELETE--") || label.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setLabel("");
+            } else if (!label.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setLabel(label);
+            }
+        }
+        if (description != null)
+        {
+            if (description.equals("--DELETE--") || description.equals("__DELETE__"))
+            {
+                update.setDescription("");
+            } else if (!description.isEmpty())
+            {
+                update.setDescription(description);
+            }
+        }
         this.delayedExecutor.updateVocabularyTerm(update);
     }
 
diff --git a/ui-eln-lims/src/core-plugins/eln-lims/1/as/webapps/eln-lims/html/js/util/FormUtil.js b/ui-eln-lims/src/core-plugins/eln-lims/1/as/webapps/eln-lims/html/js/util/FormUtil.js
index c936af9e377967a380fc0760e5c429bdcea5c48f..4f2fe3995959b0973533ea65617e6ba7eaf8102a 100644
--- a/ui-eln-lims/src/core-plugins/eln-lims/1/as/webapps/eln-lims/html/js/util/FormUtil.js
+++ b/ui-eln-lims/src/core-plugins/eln-lims/1/as/webapps/eln-lims/html/js/util/FormUtil.js
@@ -888,7 +888,8 @@ var FormUtil = new function() {
 		var vocabulary = propertyType.vocabulary;
 		if(vocabulary) {
 			for(var tIdx = 0; tIdx < vocabulary.terms.length; tIdx++) {
-				if(vocabulary.terms[tIdx].code === termCode) {
+				if(vocabulary.terms[tIdx].code === termCode &&
+				    vocabulary.terms[tIdx].label) {
 					return vocabulary.terms[tIdx].label;
 				}
 			}