diff --git a/src/columns/ColTypeNumeric.cpp b/src/columns/ColTypeNumeric.cpp
index 1fa4b95c7..dded90ca9 100644
--- a/src/columns/ColTypeNumeric.cpp
+++ b/src/columns/ColTypeNumeric.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,16 @@
 
 #include <cmake.h>
 #include <ColTypeNumeric.h>
+#include <Context.h>
+#include <Eval.h>
+#include <Variant.h>
+#include <Filter.h>
+#include <Dates.h>
+#include <text.h>
+#include <i18n.h>
+
+extern Context context;
+extern Task& contextTask;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 ColumnTypeNumeric::ColumnTypeNumeric ()
@@ -51,7 +61,31 @@ void ColumnTypeNumeric::render (
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void ColumnTypeNumeric::modify (Task& task, const std::string& value)
 {
-  task.set (_name, value);
+  // Try to evaluate 'value'.  It might work.
+  Variant evaluatedValue;
+  try
+  {
+    Eval e;
+    e.addSource (domSource);
+    e.addSource (namedDates);
+    contextTask = task;
+    e.evaluateInfixExpression (value, evaluatedValue);
+  }
+
+  catch (...)
+  {
+    evaluatedValue = Variant (value);
+  }
+
+  std::string label = "  MODIFICATION ";
+  context.debug (label + _name + " <-- '" + evaluatedValue.get_string () + "' <-- '" + value + "'");
+
+  // If the result is not readily convertible to a numeric value,
+  // then this is an error.
+  if (evaluatedValue.type () == Variant::type_string)
+              throw format (STRING_UDA_NUMERIC, evaluatedValue.get_string ());
+
+  task.set (_name, evaluatedValue);
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////