diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
index a1bf27df43..65456327c0 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
@@ -26,11 +26,11 @@ tk.freeze(serverTime)
 
 describe.each([
   ["lucene", undefined],
-  ["sqs", undefined],
-  [DatabaseName.POSTGRES, getDatasource(DatabaseName.POSTGRES)],
-  [DatabaseName.MYSQL, getDatasource(DatabaseName.MYSQL)],
-  [DatabaseName.SQL_SERVER, getDatasource(DatabaseName.SQL_SERVER)],
-  [DatabaseName.MARIADB, getDatasource(DatabaseName.MARIADB)],
+  // ["sqs", undefined],
+  // [DatabaseName.POSTGRES, getDatasource(DatabaseName.POSTGRES)],
+  // [DatabaseName.MYSQL, getDatasource(DatabaseName.MYSQL)],
+  // [DatabaseName.SQL_SERVER, getDatasource(DatabaseName.SQL_SERVER)],
+  // [DatabaseName.MARIADB, getDatasource(DatabaseName.MARIADB)],
 ])("/api/:sourceId/search (%s)", (name, dsProvider) => {
   const isSqs = name === "sqs"
   const isLucene = name === "lucene"
@@ -268,6 +268,14 @@ describe.each([
           name: "single user",
           single_user: JSON.stringify(globalUsers[0]),
         },
+        {
+          name: "deprecated single user, session user",
+          deprecated_single_user: JSON.stringify([currentUser]),
+        },
+        {
+          name: "deprecated single user",
+          deprecated_single_user: JSON.stringify([globalUsers[0]]),
+        },
         {
           name: "multi user",
           multi_user: JSON.stringify(globalUsers),
@@ -314,7 +322,7 @@ describe.each([
         },
         deprecated_single_user: {
           name: "deprecated_single_user",
-          type: FieldType.BB_REFERENCE_SINGLE,
+          type: FieldType.BB_REFERENCE,
           subtype: BBReferenceFieldSubType.USER,
           constraints: {
             type: "array",
@@ -424,6 +432,17 @@ describe.each([
       ])
     })
 
+    it("should match a deprecated single user row by the session user id", async () => {
+      await expectQuery({
+        equal: { deprecated_single_user: "{{ [user]._id }}" },
+      }).toContainExactly([
+        {
+          name: "deprecated single user, session user",
+          deprecated_single_user: [{ _id: config.getUser()._id }],
+        },
+      ])
+    })
+
     // TODO(samwho): fix for SQS
     !isSqs &&
       it("should match the session user id in a multi user field", async () => {
@@ -510,6 +529,26 @@ describe.each([
       ])
     })
 
+    it("should match the session user id and a user table row id using helpers, user binding and a static user id. (deprecated single user)", async () => {
+      await expectQuery({
+        oneOf: {
+          deprecated_single_user: [
+            "{{ default [user]._id '_empty_' }}",
+            globalUsers[0]._id,
+          ],
+        },
+      }).toContainExactly([
+        {
+          name: "deprecated single user, session user",
+          deprecated_single_user: [{ _id: config.getUser()._id }],
+        },
+        {
+          name: "deprecated single user",
+          deprecated_single_user: [{ _id: globalUsers[0]._id }],
+        },
+      ])
+    })
+
     it("should resolve 'default' helper to '_empty_' when binding resolves to nothing", async () => {
       await expectQuery({
         oneOf: {
@@ -525,6 +564,22 @@ describe.each([
         },
       ])
     })
+
+    it("should resolve 'default' helper to '_empty_' when binding resolves to nothing (deprecated single user)", async () => {
+      await expectQuery({
+        oneOf: {
+          deprecated_single_user: [
+            "{{ default [user]._idx '_empty_' }}",
+            globalUsers[0]._id,
+          ],
+        },
+      }).toContainExactly([
+        {
+          name: "deprecated single user",
+          deprecated_single_user: [{ _id: globalUsers[0]._id }],
+        },
+      ])
+    })
   })
 
   describe.each([FieldType.STRING, FieldType.LONGFORM])("%s", () => {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/utilities/schema.ts b/packages/server/src/utilities/schema.ts
index 2dff1acb5c..4f0feb3c93 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/utilities/schema.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/utilities/schema.ts
@@ -139,8 +139,10 @@ export function parse(rows: Rows, schema: TableSchema): Rows {
           ? new Date(columnData).toISOString()
           : columnData
       } else if (columnType === FieldType.BB_REFERENCE) {
-        const parsedValues =
-          (!!columnData && parseCsvExport<{ _id: string }[]>(columnData)) || []
+        let parsedValues: { _id: string }[] = columnData || []
+        if (columnData) {
+          parsedValues = parseCsvExport<{ _id: string }[]>(columnData)
+        }
 
         parsedRow[columnName] = parsedValues?.map(u => u._id)
       } else if (columnType === FieldType.BB_REFERENCE_SINGLE) {