diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 2900ccf8e..65c2ae4dd 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import Chart from 'chart.js';
 import isEqual from 'lodash/isEqual';
 import find from 'lodash/find';
-
+import keyBy from 'lodash/keyBy';
 
 class ChartComponent extends React.Component {
   static getLabelAsKey = d => d.label;
@@ -160,36 +160,35 @@ class ChartComponent extends React.Component {
     let currentDatasets = (this.chartInstance.config.data && this.chartInstance.config.data.datasets) || [];
     const nextDatasets = data.datasets || [];
 
-    // use the key provider to work out which series have been added/removed/changed
-    const currentDatasetKeys = currentDatasets.map(this.props.datasetKeyProvider);
-    const nextDatasetKeys = nextDatasets.map(this.props.datasetKeyProvider);
-    const newDatasets = nextDatasets.filter(d => currentDatasetKeys.indexOf(this.props.datasetKeyProvider(d)) === -1);
-
-    // process the updates (via a reverse for loop so we can safely splice deleted datasets out of the array
-    for (let idx = currentDatasets.length - 1; idx >= 0; idx -= 1) {
-      const currentDatasetKey = this.props.datasetKeyProvider(currentDatasets[idx]);
-      if (nextDatasetKeys.indexOf(currentDatasetKey) === -1) {
-        // deleted series
-        currentDatasets.splice(idx, 1);
+    const currentDatasetsIndexed = keyBy(
+      currentDatasets,
+      this.props.datasetKeyProvider
+    );
+
+    // We can safely replace the dataset array, as long as we retain the _meta property
+    // on each dataset.
+    this.chartInstance.config.data.datasets = nextDatasets.map(next => {
+      const current =
+        currentDatasetsIndexed[this.props.datasetKeyProvider(next)];
+      if (current && current.type === next.type) {
+        // The data array must be edited in place. As chart.js adds listeners to it.
+        current.data.splice(next.data.length);
+        next.data.forEach((point, pid) => {
+          current.data[pid] = next.data[pid];
+        });
+        const { data, ...otherProps } = next;
+        // Merge properties. Notice a weakness here. If a property is removed
+        // from next, it will be retained by current and never disappears.
+        // Workaround is to set value to null or undefined in next.
+        return {
+          ...current,
+          ...otherProps
+        };
       } else {
-        const retainedDataset = find(nextDatasets, d => this.props.datasetKeyProvider(d) === currentDatasetKey);
-        if (retainedDataset) {
-          // update it in place if it is a retained dataset
-          currentDatasets[idx].data.splice(retainedDataset.data.length);
-          retainedDataset.data.forEach((point, pid) => {
-            currentDatasets[idx].data[pid] = retainedDataset.data[pid];
-          });
-          const {data, ...otherProps} = retainedDataset;
-          currentDatasets[idx] = {
-            data: currentDatasets[idx].data,
-            ...currentDatasets[idx],
-            ...otherProps
-          };
-        }
+        return next;
       }
-    }
-    // finally add any new series
-    newDatasets.forEach(d => currentDatasets.push(d));
+    });
+
     const { datasets, ...rest } = data;
 
     this.chartInstance.config.data = {
diff --git a/stories/UpdatingChart.js b/stories/UpdatingChart.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7817a3b29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stories/UpdatingChart.js
@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { Bar } from 'react-chartjs-2';
+import { storiesOf } from '@kadira/storybook';
+
+const srcData = [
+  {
+    year: 2015,
+    data: [
+      536531,
+      1017273,
+      1496702,
+      1882366,
+      2228939,
+      2515784,
+      2753399,
+      2966478,
+      3236838,
+      3613068,
+      4047828,
+      4547209
+    ],
+    color: 'hsla(50,100%,59.21569%,1)'
+  },
+  {
+    year: 2016,
+    data: [
+      551503,
+      1057792,
+      1521903,
+      1908192,
+      2191201,
+      2412114,
+      2634171,
+      2900548,
+      3159543,
+      3552987,
+      4052115,
+      4553624
+    ],
+    color: 'hsla(104,46.15384%,54.11765%,1)'
+  },
+  {
+    year: 2017,
+    data: [
+      546988,
+      1031054,
+      1526958,
+      1929360,
+      2219497,
+      2472468,
+      2654013,
+      2876660,
+      3125501,
+      3464636,
+      3911575,
+      3976944
+    ],
+    color: 'hsla(191,100%,36.66667%,1)'
+  }
+];
+
+const options = {
+  responsive: true,
+  tooltips: {
+    mode: 'label'
+  },
+  elements: {
+    line: {
+      fill: false,
+      lineTension: 0
+    }
+  },
+  scales: {
+    yAxes: [
+      {
+        tics: { min: 0 }
+      }
+    ]
+  },
+  legend: {
+    display: true,
+    position: 'bottom',
+    reverse: true,
+    onClick: null
+  }
+};
+
+storiesOf('Updating chart Example', module).add('Line & Bar', () => {
+  const labels = [
+    'January',
+    'February',
+    'March',
+    'April',
+    'May',
+    'June',
+    'July',
+    'August',
+    'September',
+    'October',
+    'November',
+    'December'
+  ];
+
+  const Chart = ({ data }) => {
+    const config = {
+      labels: labels,
+      datasets: data.map((series, idx, arr) => {
+        let { year, data, color } = series;
+        return {
+          id: year,
+          type: idx < arr.length - 1 ? 'line' : 'bar',
+          label: year,
+          data: data,
+          backgroundColor: color,
+          borderColor: color
+        };
+      })
+    };
+    return <Bar data={config} options={options} />;
+  };
+
+  class SelectAndChart extends React.Component {
+    constructor() {
+      super();
+      this.state = { data: srcData.map(s => ({ ...s, selected: true })) };
+    }
+
+    toggleYear(year) {
+      this.setState(state => {
+        return {
+          data: state.data.map(s => ({
+            ...s,
+            selected: year === s.year ? !s.selected : s.selected
+          }))
+        };
+      });
+    }
+
+    render() {
+      return (
+        <div>
+          <Chart data={this.state.data.filter(series => series.selected)} />
+          <Select data={this.state.data} toggle={this.toggleYear.bind(this)} />
+        </div>
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
+  const Select = ({ data, toggle }) => {
+    return (
+      <div>
+        {data.map(({ year, selected }) => (
+          <div key={year}>
+            <input
+              type="checkbox"
+              checked={selected}
+              onChange={toggle.bind(null, year)}
+            />
+            <label htmlFor={year}>{year}</label>
+          </div>
+        ))}
+      </div>
+    );
+  };
+
+  return <SelectAndChart />;
+});
diff --git a/stories/index.js b/stories/index.js
index 9eee53ae1..7a0ff4c76 100644
--- a/stories/index.js
+++ b/stories/index.js
@@ -4,4 +4,4 @@ import { storiesOf, action, linkTo } from '@kadira/storybook';
 import './Welcome';
 import './StockExamples';
 import './MixLineBar';
-
+import './UpdatingChart';