diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/panel_model.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/panel_model.ts
index b7e8a68c722..6aded0da1d7 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/panel_model.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/panel_model.ts
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ const mustKeepProps: { [str: string]: boolean } = {
 const defaults: any = {
   gridPos: { x: 0, y: 0, h: 3, w: 6 },
   datasource: null,
-  targets: [{}],
+  targets: [{ refId: 'A' }],
   cachedPluginOptions: {},
   transparent: false,
 };
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ export class PanelModel {
   collapsed?: boolean;
   panels?: any;
   soloMode?: boolean;
-  targets: any[];
+  targets: DataQuery[];
   datasource: string;
   thresholds?: any;
 
@@ -118,6 +118,18 @@ export class PanelModel {
 
     // defaults
     _.defaultsDeep(this, _.cloneDeep(defaults));
+    // queries must have refId
+    this.ensureQueryIds();
+  }
+
+  ensureQueryIds() {
+    if (this.targets) {
+      for (const query of this.targets) {
+        if (!query.refId) {
+          query.refId = this.getNextQueryLetter();
+        }
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   getOptions(panelDefaults) {
@@ -243,7 +255,7 @@ export class PanelModel {
   addQuery(query?: Partial<DataQuery>) {
     query = query || { refId: 'A' };
     query.refId = this.getNextQueryLetter();
-    this.targets.push(query);
+    this.targets.push(query as DataQuery);
   }
 
   getNextQueryLetter(): string {
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/specs/panel_model.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/specs/panel_model.test.ts
index 36bb8d6297e..89976fa275a 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/specs/panel_model.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/specs/panel_model.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@ describe('PanelModel', () => {
       model = new PanelModel({
         type: 'table',
         showColumns: true,
+        targets: [
+          {refId: 'A'},
+          {noRefId: true}
+        ]
       });
     });
 
@@ -20,6 +24,10 @@ describe('PanelModel', () => {
       expect(model.showColumns).toBe(true);
     });
 
+    it('should add missing refIds', () => {
+      expect(model.targets[1].refId).toBe('B');
+    });
+
     it('getSaveModel should remove defaults', () => {
       const saveModel = model.getSaveModel();
       expect(saveModel.gridPos).toBe(undefined);