diff --git a/packages/grafana-runtime/src/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx b/packages/grafana-runtime/src/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx
index aac2f9ee304..25e577d6712 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-runtime/src/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx
+++ b/packages/grafana-runtime/src/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ export interface PanelDataErrorViewProps {
   data: PanelData;
   needsTimeField?: boolean;
   needsNumberField?: boolean;
+  needsStringField?: boolean;
   // suggestions?: VisualizationSuggestion[]; <<< for sure optional
 }
 
diff --git a/public/app/features/panel/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx b/public/app/features/panel/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx
index d838257fcf0..4520cc1ea09 100644
--- a/public/app/features/panel/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/panel/components/PanelDataErrorView.tsx
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ export function PanelDataErrorView(props: PanelDataErrorViewProps) {
 }
 
 function getMessageFor(
-  { data, message, needsNumberField, needsTimeField }: PanelDataErrorViewProps,
+  { data, message, needsNumberField, needsTimeField, needsStringField }: PanelDataErrorViewProps,
   dataSummary: PanelDataSummary
 ): string {
   if (message) {
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ function getMessageFor(
     return 'No data';
   }
 
+  if (needsStringField && !dataSummary.hasStringField) {
+    return 'Data is missing a string field';
+  }
+
   if (needsNumberField && !dataSummary.hasNumberField) {
     return 'Data is missing a number field';
   }
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx
index b83a75d155f..4e63d277b7e 100755
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx
@@ -5,16 +5,17 @@ import { measureText, TooltipPlugin, UPLOT_AXIS_FONT_SIZE, useTheme2 } from '@gr
 import { BarChartOptions } from './types';
 import { BarChart } from './BarChart';
 import { prepareGraphableFrames } from './utils';
+import { PanelDataErrorView } from '@grafana/runtime';
 
 interface Props extends PanelProps<BarChartOptions> {}
 
 /**
  * @alpha
  */
-export const BarChartPanel: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({ data, options, width, height, timeZone }) => {
+export const BarChartPanel: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({ data, options, width, height, timeZone, id }) => {
   const theme = useTheme2();
 
-  const { frames, warn } = useMemo(() => prepareGraphableFrames(data?.series, theme, options), [data, theme, options]);
+  const frames = useMemo(() => prepareGraphableFrames(data?.series, theme, options), [data, theme, options]);
   const orientation = useMemo(() => {
     if (!options.orientation || options.orientation === VizOrientation.Auto) {
       return width < height ? VizOrientation.Horizontal : VizOrientation.Vertical;
@@ -48,12 +49,8 @@ export const BarChartPanel: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({ data, options, w
     return options.tooltip;
   }, [options.tooltip, options.stacking]);
 
-  if (!frames || warn) {
-    return (
-      <div className="panel-empty">
-        <p>{warn ?? 'No data found in response'}</p>
-      </div>
-    );
+  if (!frames) {
+    return <PanelDataErrorView panelId={id} data={data} needsStringField={true} needsNumberField={true} />;
   }
 
   return (
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts
index 94f35220d91..7e83c878d6e 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ describe('BarChart utils', () => {
   describe('prepareGraphableFrames', () => {
     it('will warn when there is no data in the response', () => {
       const result = prepareGraphableFrames([], createTheme(), { stacking: StackingMode.None } as any);
-      expect(result.warn).toEqual('No data in response');
+      expect(result).toBeNull();
     });
 
     it('will warn when there is no string field in the response', () => {
@@ -158,8 +158,7 @@ describe('BarChart utils', () => {
         ],
       });
       const result = prepareGraphableFrames([df], createTheme(), { stacking: StackingMode.None } as any);
-      expect(result.warn).toEqual('Bar charts requires a string field');
-      expect(result.frames).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(result).toBeNull();
     });
 
     it('will warn when there are no numeric fields in the response', () => {
@@ -170,8 +169,7 @@ describe('BarChart utils', () => {
         ],
       });
       const result = prepareGraphableFrames([df], createTheme(), { stacking: StackingMode.None } as any);
-      expect(result.warn).toEqual('No numeric fields found');
-      expect(result.frames).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(result).toBeNull();
     });
 
     it('will convert NaN and Infinty to nulls', () => {
@@ -181,9 +179,9 @@ describe('BarChart utils', () => {
           { name: 'value', values: [-10, NaN, 10, -Infinity, +Infinity] },
         ],
       });
-      const result = prepareGraphableFrames([df], createTheme(), { stacking: StackingMode.None } as any);
+      const frames = prepareGraphableFrames([df], createTheme(), { stacking: StackingMode.None } as any)!;
 
-      const field = result.frames![0].fields[1];
+      const field = frames[0].fields[1];
       expect(field!.values.toArray()).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       Array [
         -10,
@@ -205,21 +203,23 @@ describe('BarChart utils', () => {
         ],
       });
 
-      const resultAsc = prepareGraphableFrames([frame], createTheme(), {
+      const framesAsc = prepareGraphableFrames([frame], createTheme(), {
         legend: { sortBy: 'Min', sortDesc: false },
-      } as any);
-      expect(resultAsc.frames![0].fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
-      expect(resultAsc.frames![0].fields[1].name).toBe('a');
-      expect(resultAsc.frames![0].fields[2].name).toBe('c');
-      expect(resultAsc.frames![0].fields[3].name).toBe('b');
+      } as any)!;
 
-      const resultDesc = prepareGraphableFrames([frame], createTheme(), {
+      expect(framesAsc[0].fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
+      expect(framesAsc[0].fields[1].name).toBe('a');
+      expect(framesAsc[0].fields[2].name).toBe('c');
+      expect(framesAsc[0].fields[3].name).toBe('b');
+
+      const framesDesc = prepareGraphableFrames([frame], createTheme(), {
         legend: { sortBy: 'Min', sortDesc: true },
-      } as any);
-      expect(resultDesc.frames![0].fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
-      expect(resultDesc.frames![0].fields[1].name).toBe('b');
-      expect(resultDesc.frames![0].fields[2].name).toBe('c');
-      expect(resultDesc.frames![0].fields[3].name).toBe('a');
+      } as any)!;
+
+      expect(framesDesc[0].fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
+      expect(framesDesc[0].fields[1].name).toBe('b');
+      expect(framesDesc[0].fields[2].name).toBe('c');
+      expect(framesDesc[0].fields[3].name).toBe('a');
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts
index f9d70febe08..a3ffd2448a9 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts
@@ -298,24 +298,20 @@ export function prepareGraphableFrames(
   series: DataFrame[],
   theme: GrafanaTheme2,
   options: BarChartOptions
-): { frames?: DataFrame[]; warn?: string } {
+): DataFrame[] | null {
   if (!series?.length) {
-    return { warn: 'No data in response' };
+    return null;
   }
 
   const frames: DataFrame[] = [];
   const firstFrame = series[0];
 
   if (!firstFrame.fields.some((f) => f.type === FieldType.string)) {
-    return {
-      warn: 'Bar charts requires a string field',
-    };
+    return null;
   }
 
   if (!firstFrame.fields.some((f) => f.type === FieldType.number)) {
-    return {
-      warn: 'No numeric fields found',
-    };
+    return null;
   }
 
   const legendOrdered = isLegendOrdered(options.legend);
@@ -384,7 +380,7 @@ export function prepareGraphableFrames(
     });
   }
 
-  return { frames };
+  return frames;
 }
 
 export const isLegendOrdered = (options: VizLegendOptions) => Boolean(options?.sortBy && options.sortDesc !== null);