diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.html b/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.html
index 9854ac26dc3..36d78b09dfa 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.html
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.html
@@ -17,9 +17,17 @@
 					<span>{{column.text}}</span>
 				</label>
 			</div>
-			<div class="gf-form">
+			<div class="gf-form" ng-show="editor.canSetColumns">
 				<metric-segment segment="editor.addColumnSegment" get-options="editor.getColumnOptions()" on-change="editor.addColumn()"></metric-segment>
 			</div>
+			<div class="gf-form" ng-hide="editor.canSetColumns">
+				<label class="gf-form-label">
+					Auto
+					<info-popover mode="right-normal" ng-if="editor.columnsHelpMessage">
+						{{editor.columnsHelpMessage}}
+					</info-popover>
+				</label>
+			</div>
 		</div>
 	</div>
 
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.ts
index 9850d60c9ad..a4fd72ed6f2 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/table/editor.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ export class TablePanelEditorCtrl {
   fontSizes: any;
   addColumnSegment: any;
   getColumnNames: any;
+  canSetColumns: boolean;
+  columnsHelpMessage: string;
 
   /** @ngInject */
   constructor($scope, private $q, private uiSegmentSrv) {
@@ -24,8 +26,27 @@ export class TablePanelEditorCtrl {
     this.panel = this.panelCtrl.panel;
     this.transformers = transformers;
     this.fontSizes = ['80%', '90%', '100%', '110%', '120%', '130%', '150%', '160%', '180%', '200%', '220%', '250%'];
-
     this.addColumnSegment = uiSegmentSrv.newPlusButton();
+    this.updateTransformHints();
+  }
+
+  updateTransformHints() {
+    this.canSetColumns = false;
+    this.columnsHelpMessage = '';
+
+    switch (this.panel.transform) {
+      case "timeseries_aggregations": {
+        this.canSetColumns = true;
+        break;
+      }
+      case "json": {
+        this.canSetColumns = true;
+        break;
+      }
+      case "table": {
+        this.columnsHelpMessage = "Columns and their order are determined by the data query";
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   getColumnOptions() {
@@ -57,6 +78,7 @@ export class TablePanelEditorCtrl {
       this.panel.columns.push({text: 'Avg', value: 'avg'});
     }
 
+    this.updateTransformHints();
     this.render();
   }