diff --git a/pkg/models/dashboard_queries.go b/pkg/models/dashboard_queries.go
index f0b470acb19..5f3338f00a2 100644
--- a/pkg/models/dashboard_queries.go
+++ b/pkg/models/dashboard_queries.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ func GetUniqueDashboardDatasourceUids(dashboard *simplejson.Json) []string {
 
 	for _, panelObj := range dashboard.Get("panels").MustArray() {
 		panel := simplejson.NewFromAny(panelObj)
-		uid := panel.Get("datasource").Get("uid").MustString()
+		uid := GetDataSourceUidFromJson(panel)
 
 		// if uid is for a mixed datasource, get the datasource uids from the targets
 		if uid == "-- Mixed --" {
@@ -44,8 +44,11 @@ func GroupQueriesByPanelId(dashboard *simplejson.Json) map[int64][]*simplejson.J
 		for _, queryObj := range panel.Get("targets").MustArray() {
 			query := simplejson.NewFromAny(queryObj)
 
+			// if query target has no datasource, set it to have the datasource on the panel
 			if _, ok := query.CheckGet("datasource"); !ok {
-				query.Set("datasource", panel.Get("datasource"))
+				uid := GetDataSourceUidFromJson(panel)
+				datasource := map[string]interface{}{"type": "public-ds", "uid": uid}
+				query.Set("datasource", datasource)
 			}
 
 			panelQueries = append(panelQueries, query)
@@ -61,13 +64,8 @@ func GroupQueriesByDataSource(queries []*simplejson.Json) (result [][]*simplejso
 	byDataSource := make(map[string][]*simplejson.Json)
 
 	for _, query := range queries {
-		dataSourceUid, err := query.GetPath("datasource", "uid").String()
-
-		if err != nil {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		byDataSource[dataSourceUid] = append(byDataSource[dataSourceUid], query)
+		uid := GetDataSourceUidFromJson(query)
+		byDataSource[uid] = append(byDataSource[uid], query)
 	}
 
 	for _, queries := range byDataSource {
@@ -76,3 +74,14 @@ func GroupQueriesByDataSource(queries []*simplejson.Json) (result [][]*simplejso
 
 	return
 }
+
+func GetDataSourceUidFromJson(query *simplejson.Json) string {
+	uid := query.Get("datasource").Get("uid").MustString()
+
+	// before 8.3 special types could be sent as datasource (expr)
+	if uid == "" {
+		uid = query.Get("datasource").MustString()
+	}
+
+	return uid
+}
diff --git a/pkg/models/dashboard_queries_test.go b/pkg/models/dashboard_queries_test.go
index afa160515ab..553c58a6c37 100644
--- a/pkg/models/dashboard_queries_test.go
+++ b/pkg/models/dashboard_queries_test.go
@@ -20,6 +20,37 @@ const (
   "schemaVersion": 35
 }`
 
+	dashboardWithTargetsWithNoDatasources = `
+{
+  "panels": [
+    {
+      "id": 2,
+      "datasource": {
+          "type": "postgres",
+          "uid": "abc123"
+      },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "go_goroutines{job=\"$job\"}",
+          "interval": "",
+          "legendFormat": "",
+          "refId": "A"
+        },
+        {
+          "exemplar": true,
+          "expr": "query2",
+          "interval": "",
+          "legendFormat": "",
+          "refId": "B"
+        }
+      ],
+      "title": "Panel Title",
+      "type": "timeseries"
+    }
+  ],
+  "schemaVersion": 35
+}`
+
 	dashboardWithQueries = `
 {
   "panels": [
@@ -256,6 +287,24 @@ func TestGetUniqueDashboardDatasourceUids(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestGroupQueriesByPanelId(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("can extract queries from dashboard with panel datasource string that has no datasource on panel targets", func(t *testing.T) {
+		json, err := simplejson.NewJson([]byte(oldStyleDashboard))
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		queries := GroupQueriesByPanelId(json)
+
+		panelId := int64(2)
+		queriesByDatasource := GroupQueriesByDataSource(queries[panelId])
+		require.Len(t, queriesByDatasource[0], 1)
+	})
+	t.Run("can extract queries from dashboard with panel json datasource that has no datasource on panel targets", func(t *testing.T) {
+		json, err := simplejson.NewJson([]byte(dashboardWithTargetsWithNoDatasources))
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		queries := GroupQueriesByPanelId(json)
+
+		panelId := int64(2)
+		queriesByDatasource := GroupQueriesByDataSource(queries[panelId])
+		require.Len(t, queriesByDatasource[0], 2)
+	})
 	t.Run("can extract no queries from empty dashboard", func(t *testing.T) {
 		json, err := simplejson.NewJson([]byte(`{"panels": {}}`))
 		require.NoError(t, err)
@@ -321,7 +370,10 @@ func TestGroupQueriesByPanelId(t *testing.T) {
 		query, err := queries[2][0].MarshalJSON()
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.JSONEq(t, `{
-            "datasource": "_yxMP8Ynk",
+            "datasource": {
+				"uid": "_yxMP8Ynk",
+				"type": "public-ds"
+			},
             "exemplar": true,
             "expr": "go_goroutines{job=\"$job\"}",
             "interval": "",