diff --git a/src/core/common/utils/dotize.spec.ts b/src/core/common/utils/dotize.spec.ts
index def82ef2c..fe7366fcc 100644
--- a/src/core/common/utils/dotize.spec.ts
+++ b/src/core/common/utils/dotize.spec.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ it("converts nested properties", () => {
   };
   const output = dotize(input);
 
-  expect(output).toEqual({
+  expect(output).toStrictEqual({
     a: "property",
     "can.be": "nested",
     "can.really.deeply": "sometimes",
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ it("converts properties with dates", () => {
   const input = { a: now, can: { be: now } };
   const output = dotize(input);
 
-  expect(output).toEqual({
+  expect(output).toStrictEqual({
     a: now,
     "can.be": now,
   });
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ it("converts array properties when enabled", () => {
   };
   const output = dotize(input);
 
-  expect(output).toEqual({
+  expect(output).toStrictEqual({
     "a[0].property": "with",
     "a[0].an": "array",
     "a[1].value[0].sometimes": "nested",
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ it("does not converts array properties when disabled", () => {
   };
   const output = dotize(input, { ignoreArrays: true });
 
-  expect(output).toEqual({
+  expect(output).toStrictEqual({
     "other.times": "not",
   });
 });
@@ -61,7 +61,22 @@ it("does not converts array properties when disabled", () => {
 it("does convert array properties properly", () => {
   expect(
     dotize({ wordlist: { banned: ["banned"] } }, { embedArrays: true })
-  ).toEqual({
+  ).toStrictEqual({
     "wordlist.banned": ["banned"],
   });
 });
+
+it("does exclude undefined properties by default", () => {
+  expect(dotize({ test: { is: undefined, a: 1 } })).toStrictEqual({
+    "test.a": 1,
+  });
+});
+
+it("does include undefined properties when requested", () => {
+  expect(
+    dotize({ test: { is: undefined, a: 1 } }, { includeUndefined: true })
+  ).toStrictEqual({
+    "test.a": 1,
+    "test.is": undefined,
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/core/common/utils/dotize.ts b/src/core/common/utils/dotize.ts
index 7cdd96f17..4b9c30f69 100644
--- a/src/core/common/utils/dotize.ts
+++ b/src/core/common/utils/dotize.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import { isArray, isNull, isNumber, isPlainObject, isString } from "lodash";
+import {
+  isArray,
+  isNull,
+  isNumber,
+  isPlainObject,
+  isString,
+  isUndefined,
+} from "lodash";
 
 function isObject(obj: any): obj is Record<string, any> {
   return isPlainObject(obj);
@@ -12,13 +19,23 @@ function deriveKey(property: string, prefix?: string) {
   return property;
 }
 
-function reduce(
-  result: Record<string, any>,
-  obj: Record<string, any> | number | null | string,
-  ignoreArrays: boolean,
-  embedArrays: boolean,
-  prefix?: string
-) {
+interface ReduceOptions {
+  result: Record<string, any>;
+  obj: Record<string, any> | number | null | string;
+  ignoreArrays: boolean;
+  embedArrays: boolean;
+  includeUndefined: boolean;
+  prefix?: string;
+}
+
+function reduce({
+  result,
+  obj,
+  ignoreArrays,
+  embedArrays,
+  includeUndefined,
+  prefix,
+}: ReduceOptions) {
   if (prefix) {
     if (isNumber(obj) || isString(obj) || isNull(obj)) {
       result[prefix] = obj;
@@ -36,24 +53,38 @@ function reduce(
       const key = deriveKey(property, prefix);
 
       if (isPlainObject(value)) {
-        reduce(result, value, ignoreArrays, embedArrays, key);
+        reduce({
+          result,
+          obj: value,
+          ignoreArrays,
+          embedArrays,
+          includeUndefined,
+          prefix: key,
+        });
       } else if (isArray(value)) {
         if (!ignoreArrays) {
           if (embedArrays) {
             result[key] = value;
           } else {
             value.forEach((item, index) => {
-              reduce(
+              reduce({
                 result,
-                item,
+                obj: item,
                 ignoreArrays,
                 embedArrays,
-                `${key}[${index}]`
-              );
+                includeUndefined,
+                prefix: `${key}[${index}]`,
+              });
             });
           }
         }
       } else {
+        // If the underlying value is undefined and we aren't including
+        // undefined elements, then continue.
+        if (!includeUndefined && isUndefined(value)) {
+          continue;
+        }
+
         result[key] = value;
       }
     }
@@ -74,9 +105,19 @@ export interface DotizeOptions {
    * without recusing the dotize algorithm to it.
    */
   embedArrays?: boolean;
+
+  /**
+   * includeUndefined if true, will include undefined values in the result.
+   */
+  includeUndefined?: boolean;
 }
 
 export const dotize = (
   obj: Record<string, any>,
-  { ignoreArrays = false, embedArrays = false }: DotizeOptions = {}
-): Record<string, any> => reduce({}, obj, ignoreArrays, embedArrays);
+  {
+    ignoreArrays = false,
+    embedArrays = false,
+    includeUndefined = false,
+  }: DotizeOptions = {}
+): Record<string, any> =>
+  reduce({ result: {}, obj, ignoreArrays, embedArrays, includeUndefined });
diff --git a/src/core/server/models/story/index.ts b/src/core/server/models/story/index.ts
index c71107f1e..31f83e12a 100644
--- a/src/core/server/models/story/index.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/models/story/index.ts
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ export async function retrieveManyStoriesByURL(
 
 export type UpdateStoryInput = Omit<
   Partial<Story>,
-  "id" | "tenantID" | "createdAt"
+  "id" | "tenantID" | "closedAt" | "createdAt"
 >;
 
 export async function updateStory(
diff --git a/src/core/server/services/mongodb/index.ts b/src/core/server/services/mongodb/index.ts
index 71877d0a8..d3552eb28 100644
--- a/src/core/server/services/mongodb/index.ts
+++ b/src/core/server/services/mongodb/index.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ export async function createMongoClient(config: Config): Promise<MongoClient> {
   try {
     return await MongoClient.connect(config.get("mongodb"), {
       useNewUrlParser: true,
+      ignoreUndefined: true,
     });
   } catch (err) {
     throw new InternalError(err, "could not connect to mongodb");