diff --git a/R/data.table.R b/R/data.table.R
index a989538b1..04584e10b 100644
--- a/R/data.table.R
+++ b/R/data.table.R
@@ -521,6 +521,58 @@ replace_dot_alias = function(e) {
   list(GForce=GForce, jsub=jsub, jvnames=jvnames)
 }
 
+# Helper function to process SDcols
+.processSDcols = function(SDcols_sub, SDcols_missing, x, jsub, by, enclos = parent.frame(), bynames = character(0L)) {
+  names_x = names(x)
+  allbyvars = intersect(all.vars(by), names_x)
+  usesSD = ".SD" %chin% all.vars(jsub)
+  if (!usesSD) {
+    return(NULL)
+  }
+  if (SDcols_missing) {
+    ansvars = sdvars = setdiff(unique(names_x), union(by, allbyvars))
+    ansvals = match(ansvars, names_x)
+    return(list(ansvars = ansvars, sdvars = sdvars, ansvals = ansvals))
+  }
+  sub.result = SDcols_sub
+  if (sub.result %iscall% ':' && length(sub.result) == 3L) {
+    return(NULL)
+  }
+  if (sub.result %iscall% c("!", "-") && length(sub.result) == 2L) {
+    negate_sdcols = TRUE
+    sub.result = sub.result[[2L]]
+  } else negate_sdcols = FALSE
+  if (sub.result %iscall% "patterns") {
+    .SDcols = eval_with_cols(sub.result, names_x)
+  } else {
+    .SDcols = eval(sub.result, enclos)
+  }
+  if (!is.character(.SDcols) && !is.numeric(.SDcols) && !is.logical(.SDcols)) {
+    return(NULL)
+  }
+  if (anyNA(.SDcols))
+    stopf(".SDcols missing at the following indices: %s", brackify(which(is.na(.SDcols))))
+  if (is.character(.SDcols)) {
+    idx = .SDcols %chin% names_x
+    if (!all(idx))
+      stopf("Some items of .SDcols are not column names: %s", toString(.SDcols[!idx]))
+    ansvars = sdvars = .SDcols
+    ansvals = match(ansvars, names_x)
+  } else if (is.numeric(.SDcols)) {
+      ansvals = as.integer(.SDcols)
+      if (length(unique(sign(.SDcols))) > 1L) stopf(".SDcols is numeric but has both +ve and -ve indices")
+      if (any(idx <- abs(.SDcols) > ncol(x) | abs(.SDcols) < 1L)) stopf(".SDcols is numeric but out of bounds [1, %d] at: %s", ncol(x), brackify(which(idx)))
+    ansvals = if (negate_sdcols) setdiff(seq_along(names(x)), c(.SDcols, which(names(x) %chin% bynames))) else as.integer(.SDcols)
+    ansvars = sdvars = names_x[ansvals]
+  } else if (is.logical(.SDcols)) {
+    if (length(.SDcols) != length(names_x))
+      stopf(".SDcols is a logical vector of length %d but there are %d columns", length(.SDcols), length(names_x))
+    ansvals = which(.SDcols)
+    ansvars = sdvars = names_x[ansvals]
+  }
+  list(ansvars = ansvars, sdvars = sdvars, ansvals = ansvals)
+}
+
 "[.data.table" = function(x, i, j, by, keyby, with=TRUE, nomatch=NA, mult="all", roll=FALSE, rollends=if (roll=="nearest") c(TRUE,TRUE) else if (roll>=0.0) c(FALSE,TRUE) else c(TRUE,FALSE), which=FALSE, .SDcols, verbose=getOption("datatable.verbose"), allow.cartesian=getOption("datatable.allow.cartesian"), drop=NULL, on=NULL, env=NULL, showProgress=getOption("datatable.showProgress", interactive()))
 {
   # ..selfcount <<- ..selfcount+1  # in dev, we check no self calls, each of which doubles overhead, or could
@@ -1413,10 +1465,28 @@ replace_dot_alias = function(e) {
           while(colsub %iscall% "(") colsub = as.list(colsub)[[-1L]]
           # fix for R-Forge #5190. colsub[[1L]] gave error when it's a symbol.
           # NB: _unary_ '-', not _binary_ '-' (#5826). Test for '!' length-2 should be redundant but low-cost & keeps code concise.
-          if (colsub %iscall% c("!", "-") && length(colsub) == 2L) {
-            negate_sdcols = TRUE
-            colsub = colsub[[2L]]
-          } else negate_sdcols = FALSE
+          try_processSDcols = !(colsub %iscall% c("!", "-") && length(colsub) == 2L) && !(colsub %iscall% ':') && !(colsub %iscall% 'patterns')
+          if (try_processSDcols) {
+            sdcols_result = .processSDcols(
+              SDcols_sub = colsub,
+              SDcols_missing = FALSE,
+              x = x,
+              jsub = jsub,
+              by = substitute(by),
+              enclos = parent.frame()
+            )
+            if (!is.null(sdcols_result)) {
+              ansvars = sdvars = sdcols_result$ansvars
+              ansvals = sdcols_result$ansvals
+            } else {
+              try_processSDcols = FALSE
+            }
+          }
+          if (!try_processSDcols) {
+            if (colsub %iscall% c("!", "-") && length(colsub) == 2L) {
+              negate_sdcols = TRUE
+              colsub = colsub[[2L]]
+            } else negate_sdcols = FALSE
           # fix for #1216, make sure the parentheses are peeled from expr of the form (((1:4)))
           while(colsub %iscall% "(") colsub = as.list(colsub)[[-1L]]
           if (colsub %iscall% ':' && length(colsub)==3L && !is.call(colsub[[2L]]) && !is.call(colsub[[3L]])) {
@@ -1465,6 +1535,7 @@ replace_dot_alias = function(e) {
             ansvals = chmatch(ansvars, names_x)
           }
         }
+      }
         # fix for long standing FR/bug, #495 and #484
         allcols = c(names_x, xdotprefix, names_i, idotprefix)
         non_sdvars = setdiff(intersect(av, allcols), c(bynames, ansvars))
diff --git a/R/groupingsets.R b/R/groupingsets.R
index 885a64830..e31284831 100644
--- a/R/groupingsets.R
+++ b/R/groupingsets.R
@@ -29,6 +29,17 @@ cube.data.table = function(x, j, by, .SDcols, id = FALSE, label = NULL, ...) {
     stopf("Argument 'id' must be a logical scalar.")
   if (missing(j))
     stopf("Argument 'j' is required")
+  # Implementing NSE in cube using the helper, .processSDcols
+  jj = substitute(j)
+ sdcols_result = .processSDcols(SDcols_sub = substitute(.SDcols), SDcols_missing = missing(.SDcols), x = x, jsub = jj, by = by, enclos = parent.frame())
+ if (is.null(sdcols_result)) {
+   .SDcols = NULL
+ } else {
+   ansvars = sdcols_result$ansvars
+   sdvars = sdcols_result$sdvars
+   ansvals = sdcols_result$ansvals
+   .SDcols = sdvars
+ }
   # generate grouping sets for cube - power set: http://stackoverflow.com/a/32187892/2490497
   n = length(by)
   keepBool = sapply(2L^(seq_len(n)-1L), function(k) rep(c(FALSE, TRUE), times=k, each=((2L^n)/(2L*k))))
diff --git a/inst/tests/tests.Rraw b/inst/tests/tests.Rraw
index 443487c6a..95dcbb867 100644
--- a/inst/tests/tests.Rraw
+++ b/inst/tests/tests.Rraw
@@ -11114,6 +11114,36 @@ test(1750.34,
                            character(0)),
                id = TRUE)
 )
+test(1750.35,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = c("color","year","status"), id=TRUE, .SDcols=patterns("value")),
+  groupingsets(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = c("color","year","status"), .SDcols = "value", 
+                sets = list(c("color","year","status"),
+                            c("color","year"),
+                            c("color","status"),
+                            "color",
+                            c("year","status"),
+                            "year",
+                            "status",
+                            character(0)),
+                id = TRUE)
+)
+test(1750.36,
+  names(cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = "color",
+             .SDcols = -c(1L, 2L, 3L), id = TRUE)),
+  c("grouping", "color", "amount", "value")
+)
+test(1750.37,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = "year", .SDcols = c(TRUE, FALSE)),
+  error = "\\.SDcols is a logical vector of length"
+)
+test(1750.38,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, mean), by = "color", .SDcols = c(FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, FALSE), id=TRUE)[grouping==0L, .(color, amount)],
+  dt[, lapply(.SD, mean), by = "color", .SDcols = "amount"]
+)
+test(1750.39,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = "color", .SDcols = c(1, 99)),
+  error = "out of bounds"
+)
 # grouping sets with integer64
 if (test_bit64) {
   set.seed(26)
@@ -11159,6 +11189,27 @@ if (test_bit64) {
 }
 # end Grouping Sets
 
+# extra cube tests
+test(1750.49,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = "year", .SDcols = c(NA_character_, "amount")),
+  error = "\\.SDcols missing at the following indices: \\[1\\]"
+)
+test(1750.50,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = "year", .SDcols = c(4L, 5L), id=TRUE)[grouping==0L, .(year, amount, value)],
+  dt[, lapply(.SD, sum), by = "year", .SDcols = c("amount", "value")]
+)
+test(1750.51,
+  data.table:::.processSDcols(quote(a:b), FALSE, dt, quote(lapply(.SD, sum)), "color"),
+  NULL
+)
+test(1750.52,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = "year", .SDcols = c(1L, -2L)),
+  error = "\\.SDcols is numeric but has both \\+ve and -ve indices"
+)
+test(1750.53,
+  cube(dt, j = lapply(.SD, sum), by = "year", .SDcols = c("amount", "nonexistent")),
+  error = "Some items of .SDcols are not column names: nonexistent"
+)
 # for completeness, added test for NA problem to close #1837.
 DT = data.table(x=NA)
 test(1751.1, capture.output(fwrite(DT, verbose=FALSE)), c("x",""))
@@ -13085,7 +13136,10 @@ test(1956.3, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = NA_real_], error = 'missing at the following')
 test(1956.4, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = 2L], error = 'out of bounds.*1.*1.*at')
 test(1956.5, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = 'b'], error = 'not column names')
 test(1956.6, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = 3i], error = '.SDcols should be column numbers or names')
-
+test(1956.7, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = -c(1L, NA_integer_)], error = 'missing at the following')
+test(1956.8, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = 1:-1], error = 'both.*ve and.*ve')
+test(1956.9, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = 1:99], error = 'out of bounds')
+test(1956.91, DT[, .SD, .SDcols = -c("a", "nonexistent")], error = 'not column names')
 # added brackify to utils for #3116
 test(1957.1, brackify(1:3), '[1, 2, 3]')
 test(1957.2, brackify(1:11), "[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ...]")