diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.test.ts
index 5194233f54a..38cc91bf462 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.test.ts
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ describe('dashboard exporter v1', () => {
     expect(exported.templating.list[0].datasource.uid).toBe('${DS_GFDB}');
   });
 
-  it('do not expose datasource name and id in a in a template variable of type datasource', async () => {
+  it('templateize datasource uid in a datasource variable that is used in a panel', async () => {
     const dashboard: Dashboard = {
       title: 'My dashboard',
       revision: 1,
@@ -159,6 +159,10 @@ describe('dashboard exporter v1', () => {
           type: 'timeseries',
           title: 'My panel title',
           gridPos: { x: 0, y: 0, w: 1, h: 1 },
+          datasource: {
+            type: 'prometheus',
+            uid: '${ds_var}',
+          },
         },
       ],
       templating: {
@@ -172,7 +176,7 @@ describe('dashboard exporter v1', () => {
             hide: 0,
             includeAll: false,
             multi: false,
-            name: 'query1',
+            name: 'ds_var',
             options: [],
             query: 'prometheus',
             refresh: 1,
@@ -188,7 +192,11 @@ describe('dashboard exporter v1', () => {
     });
     const exported = (await makeExportableV1(dashboardModel)) as DashboardJson;
     const value = exported?.templating?.list ? exported?.templating?.list[0].current : '';
-    expect(value).toEqual({});
+    expect(value).toEqual({
+      selected: true,
+      text: '',
+      value: '${DS_GFDB}',
+    });
   });
 
   it('replaces datasource ref in library panel', async () => {
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.ts
index 785cb8dd529..01a2ea9736b 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/scene/export/exporters.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { buildPanelKind } from 'app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers'
 import { DashboardModel } from 'app/features/dashboard/state/DashboardModel';
 import { PanelModel, GridPos } from 'app/features/dashboard/state/PanelModel';
 import { getLibraryPanel } from 'app/features/library-panels/state/api';
-import { variableRegex } from 'app/features/variables/utils';
+import { variableRegexExec } from 'app/features/variables/utils';
 import { dispatch } from 'app/store/store';
 
 import { isPanelModelLibraryPanel } from '../../../library-panels/guard';
@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ export async function makeExportableV1(dashboard: DashboardModel) {
     variableLookup[variable.name] = variable;
   }
 
+  const datasourceVariableRefNameMap: { [key: string]: string } = {};
+
   const templateizeDatasourceUsage = (obj: any, fallback?: DataSourceRef) => {
     if (obj.datasource === undefined) {
       obj.datasource = fallback;
@@ -120,11 +122,11 @@ export async function makeExportableV1(dashboard: DashboardModel) {
     let datasourceVariable: any = null;
 
     const datasourceUid: string | undefined = datasource?.uid;
-    const match = datasourceUid && variableRegex.exec(datasourceUid);
+    const match = datasourceUid && variableRegexExec(datasourceUid);
+    let varName: string | undefined;
 
-    // ignore data source properties that contain a variable
     if (match) {
-      const varName = match[1] || match[2] || match[4];
+      varName = match[1] || match[2] || match[4];
       datasourceVariable = variableLookup[varName];
       if (datasourceVariable && datasourceVariable.current) {
         datasource = datasourceVariable.current.value;
@@ -146,14 +148,10 @@ export async function makeExportableV1(dashboard: DashboardModel) {
           version: ds.meta.info.version || '1.0.0',
         };
 
-        // if used via variable we can skip templatizing usage
-        if (datasourceVariable) {
-          return;
-        }
-
         const libraryPanel = obj.libraryPanel;
         const libraryPanelSuffix = !!libraryPanel ? '-for-library-panel' : '';
         let refName = 'DS_' + ds.name.replace(' ', '_').toUpperCase() + libraryPanelSuffix.toUpperCase();
+        const templatedUid = '${' + refName + '}';
 
         datasources[refName] = {
           name: refName,
@@ -174,7 +172,14 @@ export async function makeExportableV1(dashboard: DashboardModel) {
           };
         }
 
-        obj.datasource = { type: ds.meta.id, uid: '${' + refName + '}' };
+        // if it panel or query is relying on a datasource variable
+        // skip templating datasource uid but save the reference so we can set datasource variable's current prop
+        if (datasourceVariable && varName) {
+          datasourceVariableRefNameMap[varName] = '${' + refName + '}';
+          return;
+        }
+
+        obj.datasource = { type: ds.meta.id, uid: templatedUid };
       });
   };
 
@@ -240,7 +245,16 @@ export async function makeExportableV1(dashboard: DashboardModel) {
         variable.refresh =
           variable.refresh !== VariableRefresh.never ? variable.refresh : VariableRefresh.onDashboardLoad;
       } else if (variable.type === 'datasource') {
-        variable.current = {};
+        const templateizedUID = datasourceVariableRefNameMap[variable.name];
+        if (templateizedUID) {
+          variable.current = {
+            text: '',
+            value: templateizedUID,
+            selected: true,
+          };
+        } else {
+          variable.current = {};
+        }
       } else if (variable.type === 'adhoc') {
         await templateizeDatasourceUsage(variable);
       }
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardFormV2.tsx b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardFormV2.tsx
index 0882b80310f..ed2e5760a49 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardFormV2.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardFormV2.tsx
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export const ImportDashboardFormV2 = ({
 
           return (
             <Field
-              label={input.label}
+              label={input.pluginId}
               description={input.description}
               key={input.pluginId}
               invalid={!!errors[dataSourceOption]}
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ export const ImportDashboardFormV2 = ({
                         [input.pluginId]: {
                           uid: ds.uid,
                           type: ds.type,
+                          name: ds.name,
                         },
                       }));
                     }}
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardOverviewV2.tsx b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardOverviewV2.tsx
index 21a7f9c7e3d..9f87a602d3f 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardOverviewV2.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/v2schema/ImportDashboardOverviewV2.tsx
@@ -98,16 +98,24 @@ export function ImportDashboardOverviewV2() {
             }
           }
         } else if (variable.kind === 'DatasourceVariable') {
-          return {
-            ...variable,
-            spec: {
-              ...variable.spec,
-              current: {
-                text: '',
-                value: '',
-              },
-            },
-          };
+          const dsType = variable.spec.pluginId;
+          if (dsType) {
+            if (form[`datasource-${dsType}`]) {
+              const ds = form[`datasource-${dsType}`];
+              return {
+                ...variable,
+                spec: {
+                  ...variable.spec,
+                  current: {
+                    // @ts-ignore
+                    text: ds.name,
+                    // @ts-ignore
+                    value: ds.uid,
+                  },
+                },
+              };
+            }
+          }
         }
         return variable;
       }),
diff --git a/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/components/ImportDashboardForm.tsx b/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/components/ImportDashboardForm.tsx
index b82be13a823..69a5a2e34b1 100644
--- a/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/components/ImportDashboardForm.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/components/ImportDashboardForm.tsx
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ export const ImportDashboardForm = ({
           const current = watchDataSources ?? [];
           return (
             <Field
-              label={input.label}
+              label={input.pluginId}
               description={input.description}
               key={dataSourceOption}
               invalid={errors.dataSources && !!errors.dataSources[index]}
diff --git a/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/state/actions.ts b/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/state/actions.ts
index 2f3e278ff7a..22b2dbde567 100644
--- a/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/state/actions.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/manage-dashboards/state/actions.ts
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ export async function processV2DatasourceInput(
     dataSourceInput = {
       name: datasource.name,
       label: datasource.name,
-      info: `Select a ${datasource.name} data source`,
+      info: `Select a ${datasource.type} data source`,
       value: datasource.uid,
       type: InputType.DataSource,
       pluginId: datasource.meta?.id,