diff --git a/src/migration/config-migration/config-migration.service.ts b/src/migration/config-migration/config-migration.service.ts
index 1d60165..5cb435b 100644
--- a/src/migration/config-migration/config-migration.service.ts
+++ b/src/migration/config-migration/config-migration.service.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
 import { Couchdb } from '../../couchdb/couchdb.service';
+import { migrateAddMissingEntityAttributes } from './migrate-add-entity-attributes';
 
 /**
  * Apply transformations to the Config document in the CouchDB,
@@ -21,6 +22,11 @@ export class ConfigMigrationService {
       migrateFormHeadersIntoFieldGroups,
       migrateFormFieldConfigView2ViewComponent,
       migrateMenuItemConfig,
+      migrateEntityDetailsInputEntityType,
+      migrateEntityArrayDatatype,
+      migrateEntitySchemaDefaultValue,
+      migrateChildrenListConfig,
+      migrateHistoricalDataComponent,
     ];
 
     const newConfig = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(config), (_that, rawValue) => {
@@ -40,7 +46,10 @@ export class ConfigMigrationService {
    */
   async migrateToLatestConfigFormats(couchdb: Couchdb) {
     const config = await this.getConfigDoc(couchdb);
-    const newConfig = this.applyMigrations(config);
+    let newConfig = this.applyMigrations(config);
+
+    newConfig = migrateAddMissingEntityAttributes(newConfig);
+
     await this.saveConfigDoc(couchdb, newConfig);
     return JSON.stringify(config) !== JSON.stringify(newConfig);
   }
@@ -161,3 +170,125 @@ const migrateMenuItemConfig: ConfigMigration = (key, configPart) => {
 
   return configPart;
 };
+
+/**
+ * Config properties specifying an entityType should be named "entityType" rather than "entity"
+ * to avoid confusion with a specific instance of an entity being passed in components.
+ * @param key
+ * @param configPart
+ */
+const migrateEntityDetailsInputEntityType: ConfigMigration = (
+  key,
+  configPart,
+) => {
+  if (key !== 'config') {
+    return configPart;
+  }
+
+  if (configPart['entity']) {
+    configPart['entityType'] = configPart['entity'];
+    delete configPart['entity'];
+  }
+
+  return configPart;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Replace custom "entity-array" dataType with dataType="array", innerDatatype="entity"
+ * @param key
+ * @param configPart
+ */
+const migrateEntityArrayDatatype: ConfigMigration = (key, configPart) => {
+  if (configPart === 'DisplayEntityArray') {
+    return 'DisplayEntity';
+  }
+
+  if (!configPart?.hasOwnProperty('dataType')) {
+    return configPart;
+  }
+
+  const config = configPart;
+  if (config.dataType === 'entity-array') {
+    config.dataType = 'entity';
+    config.isArray = true;
+  }
+
+  if (config.dataType === 'array') {
+    config.dataType = config['innerDataType'];
+    delete config['innerDataType'];
+    config.isArray = true;
+  }
+
+  if (config.dataType === 'configurable-enum' && config['innerDataType']) {
+    config.additional = config['innerDataType'];
+    delete config['innerDataType'];
+  }
+
+  return configPart;
+};
+
+const migrateEntitySchemaDefaultValue: ConfigMigration = (
+  key: string,
+  configPart: any,
+): any => {
+  if (key !== 'defaultValue') {
+    return configPart;
+  }
+
+  if (typeof configPart == 'object') {
+    return configPart;
+  }
+
+  let placeholderValue: string | undefined = ['$now', '$current_user'].find(
+    (value) => value === configPart,
+  );
+
+  if (placeholderValue) {
+    return {
+      mode: 'dynamic',
+      value: placeholderValue,
+    };
+  }
+
+  return {
+    mode: 'static',
+    value: configPart,
+  };
+};
+
+const migrateChildrenListConfig: ConfigMigration = (key, configPart) => {
+  if (
+    typeof configPart !== 'object' ||
+    configPart?.['component'] !== 'ChildrenList'
+  ) {
+    return configPart;
+  }
+
+  configPart['component'] = 'EntityList';
+
+  configPart['config'] = configPart['config'] ?? {};
+  configPart['config']['entityType'] = 'Child';
+  configPart['config']['loaderMethod'] = 'ChildrenService';
+
+  return configPart;
+};
+
+const migrateHistoricalDataComponent: ConfigMigration = (key, configPart) => {
+  if (
+    typeof configPart !== 'object' ||
+    configPart?.['component'] !== 'HistoricalDataComponent'
+  ) {
+    return configPart;
+  }
+
+  configPart['component'] = 'RelatedEntities';
+
+  configPart['config'] = configPart['config'] ?? {};
+  if (Array.isArray(configPart['config'])) {
+    configPart['config'] = { columns: configPart['config'] };
+  }
+  configPart['config']['entityType'] = 'HistoricalEntityData';
+  configPart['config']['loaderMethod'] = 'HistoricalDataService';
+
+  return configPart;
+};
diff --git a/src/migration/config-migration/migrate-add-entity-attributes.ts b/src/migration/config-migration/migrate-add-entity-attributes.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d49d1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/migration/config-migration/migrate-add-entity-attributes.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,532 @@
+export function migrateAddMissingEntityAttributes(config) {
+  for (let entityType of Object.keys(DEFAULT_ENTITIES)) {
+    // TODO: just blindly save all hard-coded fields into the entity config? or scan which ones are actually used?!
+    if (!JSON.stringify(config).includes(`"${entityType}"`)) {
+      // don't add config if the entity is never explicitly used or referenced
+      continue;
+    }
+    applyDefaultFieldsForEntityConfig(config, entityType);
+  }
+
+  return config;
+}
+
+function applyDefaultFieldsForEntityConfig(config, entityType: string) {
+  if (!config.data['entity:' + entityType]) {
+    config.data['entity:' + entityType] = {};
+  }
+  const entityConfig = config.data['entity:' + entityType];
+
+  const hardCodedConfig = DEFAULT_ENTITIES[entityType];
+
+  entityConfig.label = entityConfig.label ?? hardCodedConfig.label;
+  entityConfig.labelPlural =
+    entityConfig.labelPlural ?? hardCodedConfig.labelPlural;
+  entityConfig.icon = entityConfig.icon ?? hardCodedConfig.icon;
+  entityConfig.toStringAttributes =
+    entityConfig.toStringAttributes ?? hardCodedConfig.toStringAttributes;
+  entityConfig.hasPII = entityConfig.hasPII ?? hardCodedConfig.hasPII;
+
+  entityConfig.attributes = Object.assign(
+    {},
+    hardCodedConfig.attributes,
+    entityConfig.attributes,
+  );
+}
+
+const DEFAULT_ENTITIES = {
+  User: {
+    toStringAttributes: ['name'],
+    icon: 'user',
+    label: 'User',
+    labelPlural: 'Users',
+    hasPII: true,
+    attributes: {
+      name: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Username',
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+          uniqueId: 'User',
+        },
+      },
+      phone: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Contact',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  EducationalMaterial: {
+    attributes: {
+      child: {
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        additional: 'Child',
+        entityReferenceRole: 'composite',
+      },
+      date: {
+        dataType: 'date',
+        label: 'Date',
+        defaultValue: {
+          mode: 'dynamic',
+          value: '$now',
+        },
+      },
+      materialType: {
+        label: 'Material',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'materials',
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+        },
+      },
+      materialAmount: {
+        dataType: 'number',
+        label: 'Amount',
+        defaultValue: {
+          mode: 'static',
+          value: 1,
+        },
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+        },
+      },
+      description: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Description',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  Todo: {
+    toStringAttributes: ['subject'],
+    icon: 'check',
+    label: 'Task',
+    labelPlural: 'Tasks',
+    hasPII: true,
+    attributes: {
+      subject: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Subject',
+        showInDetailsView: true,
+      },
+      description: {
+        dataType: 'long-text',
+        showInDetailsView: true,
+        label: 'Description',
+      },
+      deadline: {
+        dataType: 'date-only',
+        showInDetailsView: true,
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+        label: 'Deadline',
+      },
+      startDate: {
+        dataType: 'date-only',
+        description:
+          'When you are planning to start work so that you keep enough time before the actual hard deadline.',
+        showInDetailsView: true,
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+        label: 'Start Date',
+      },
+      assignedTo: {
+        label: 'Assigned to',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'User',
+        showInDetailsView: true,
+        defaultValue: {
+          mode: 'dynamic',
+          value: '$current_user',
+        },
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      relatedEntities: {
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        label: 'Related Records',
+        additional: ['Child', 'School', 'RecurringActivity'],
+        entityReferenceRole: 'composite',
+        showInDetailsView: true,
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      repetitionInterval: {
+        label: 'repeats',
+        additional: [
+          {
+            label: 'every week',
+            interval: { amount: 1, unit: 'week' },
+          },
+          {
+            label: 'every month',
+            interval: { amount: 1, unit: 'month' },
+          },
+        ],
+        showInDetailsView: true,
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      completed: {
+        label: 'completed',
+        viewComponent: 'DisplayTodoCompletion',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  School: {
+    toStringAttributes: ['name'],
+    icon: 'university',
+    label: 'School',
+    labelPlural: 'Schools',
+    color: '#9E9D24',
+    attributes: {
+      name: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Name',
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  Aser: {
+    hasPII: true,
+    attributes: {
+      child: {
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        additional: 'Child',
+        entityReferenceRole: 'composite',
+      },
+      date: {
+        dataType: 'date',
+        label: 'Date',
+        defaultValue: {
+          mode: 'dynamic',
+          value: '$now',
+        },
+        anonymize: 'retain-anonymized',
+      },
+      hindi: {
+        label: 'Hindi',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'reading-levels',
+      },
+      bengali: {
+        label: 'Bengali',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'reading-levels',
+      },
+      english: {
+        label: 'English',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'reading-levels',
+      },
+      math: {
+        label: 'Math',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'math-levels',
+      },
+      remarks: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Remarks',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  // TODO: the "bmi" column in view configs needs to be adapted manually (this is only used at a single client, however)
+  HealthCheck: {
+    hasPII: true,
+    attributes: {
+      child: {
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        additional: 'Child',
+        entityReferenceRole: 'composite',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      date: {
+        dataType: 'date',
+        label: 'Date',
+        defaultValue: {
+          mode: 'dynamic',
+          value: '$now',
+        },
+        anonymize: 'retain-anonymized',
+      },
+      height: {
+        dataType: 'number',
+        label: 'Height [cm]',
+        viewComponent: 'DisplayUnit',
+        additional: 'cm',
+      },
+      weight: {
+        dataType: 'number',
+        label: 'Weight [kg]',
+        viewComponent: 'DisplayUnit',
+        additional: 'kg',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  ChildSchoolRelation: {
+    hasPII: true,
+    attributes: {
+      childId: {
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        additional: 'Child',
+        entityReferenceRole: 'composite',
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+        },
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+        label: 'Child',
+      },
+      schoolId: {
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        additional: 'School',
+        entityReferenceRole: 'aggregate',
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+        },
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+        label: 'School',
+      },
+      schoolClass: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Class',
+      },
+      start: {
+        dataType: 'date-only',
+        label: 'Start date',
+        description: 'The date a child joins a school',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      end: {
+        dataType: 'date-only',
+        label: 'End date',
+        description: 'The date of a child leaving the school',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      result: {
+        dataType: 'number',
+        label: 'Result',
+        viewComponent: 'DisplayPercentage',
+        editComponent: 'EditNumber',
+        validators: {
+          min: 0,
+          max: 100,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  Child: {
+    label: 'Participant',
+    labelPlural: 'Participants',
+    toStringAttributes: ['name'],
+    icon: 'child',
+    color: '#1565C0',
+    blockComponent: 'ChildBlock',
+    hasPII: true,
+    attributes: {
+      name: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Name',
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+        },
+      },
+      projectNumber: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Project Number',
+        labelShort: 'PN',
+        searchable: true,
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      dateOfBirth: {
+        dataType: 'date-with-age',
+        label: 'Date of birth',
+        labelShort: 'DoB',
+        anonymize: 'retain-anonymized',
+      },
+      center: {
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'center',
+        label: 'Center',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      gender: {
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        label: 'Gender',
+        additional: 'genders',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      admissionDate: {
+        dataType: 'date-only',
+        label: 'Admission',
+        anonymize: 'retain-anonymized',
+      },
+      status: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Status',
+      },
+      dropoutDate: {
+        dataType: 'date-only',
+        label: 'Dropout Date',
+        anonymize: 'retain-anonymized',
+      },
+      dropoutType: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Dropout Type',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      dropoutRemarks: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Dropout remarks',
+      },
+      photo: {
+        dataType: 'file',
+        label: 'Photo',
+        editComponent: 'EditPhoto',
+      },
+      phone: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Phone Number',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  RecurringActivity: {
+    toStringAttributes: ['title'],
+    label: 'Recurring Activity',
+    labelPlural: 'Recurring Activities',
+    color: '#00838F',
+    route: 'attendance/recurring-activity',
+    attributes: {
+      title: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Title',
+        validators: {
+          required: true,
+        },
+      },
+      type: {
+        label: 'Type',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'interaction-type',
+      },
+      participants: {
+        label: 'Participants',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'Child',
+      },
+      linkedGroups: {
+        label: 'Groups',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'School',
+      },
+      excludedParticipants: {
+        label: 'Excluded Participants',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'Child',
+      },
+      assignedTo: {
+        label: 'Assigned user(s)',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'User',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  Note: {
+    toStringAttributes: ['subject'],
+    label: 'Note',
+    labelPlural: 'Notes',
+    hasPII: true,
+    attributes: {
+      children: {
+        label: 'Children',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'Child',
+        entityReferenceRole: 'composite',
+        editComponent: 'EditAttendance',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      childrenAttendance: {
+        dataType: 'event-attendance-map',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      date: {
+        label: 'Date',
+        dataType: 'date-only',
+        defaultValue: {
+          mode: 'dynamic',
+          value: '$now',
+        },
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      subject: {
+        dataType: 'string',
+        label: 'Subject',
+      },
+      text: {
+        dataType: 'long-text',
+        label: 'Notes',
+      },
+      authors: {
+        label: 'SW',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'User',
+        defaultValue: {
+          mode: 'dynamic',
+          value: '$current_user',
+        },
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      category: {
+        label: 'Category',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'interaction-type',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      attachment: {
+        label: 'Attachment',
+        dataType: 'file',
+      },
+      relatesTo: {
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        additional: 'RecurringActivity',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      relatedEntities: {
+        label: 'Related Records',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        // by default no additional relatedEntities can be linked apart from children and schools, overwrite this in config to display (e.g. additional: "ChildSchoolRelation")
+        additional: undefined,
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      schools: {
+        label: 'Groups',
+        dataType: 'entity',
+        isArray: true,
+        additional: 'School',
+        entityReferenceRole: 'composite',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+      warningLevel: {
+        label: 'Status',
+        dataType: 'configurable-enum',
+        additional: 'warning-levels',
+        anonymize: 'retain',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+  // entity HistoricalEntityData is only used in very few clients
+  /* --> manually check & migrate instead of bloating up the config everywhere:
+    "123-kimue": "matching",
+    "ashayen": "matching",
+    "demo2": "matching",
+    "demo-health": "matching",
+    "helgo": "matching",
+    "sambodh": "matching",
+    "yojak-gsp": "matching"
+   */
+};