diff --git a/pkg/services/dashboards/dashboards.go b/pkg/services/dashboards/dashboards.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a5d3c3a4766
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/services/dashboards/dashboards.go
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package dashboards
+
+import (
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/bus"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/models"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/alerting"
+	"time"
+)
+
+type Repository interface {
+	SaveDashboard(*SaveDashboardItem) error
+}
+
+type SaveDashboardItem struct {
+	TitleLower string
+	OrgId      int64
+	Folder     string
+	ModTime    time.Time
+	UserId     int64
+	Message    string
+	Overwrite  bool
+	Dashboard  *models.Dashboard
+}
+
+func SaveDashboard(json *SaveDashboardItem) error {
+	dashboard := json.Dashboard
+
+	if dashboard.Title == "" {
+		return models.ErrDashboardTitleEmpty
+	}
+
+	validateAlertsCmd := alerting.ValidateDashboardAlertsCommand{
+		OrgId:     json.OrgId,
+		Dashboard: dashboard,
+	}
+
+	if err := bus.Dispatch(&validateAlertsCmd); err != nil {
+		return models.ErrDashboardContainsInvalidAlertData
+	}
+
+	cmd := models.SaveDashboardCommand{
+		Dashboard: dashboard.Data,
+		Message:   json.Message,
+		OrgId:     json.OrgId,
+		Overwrite: json.Overwrite,
+	}
+
+	if !json.ModTime.IsZero() {
+		cmd.UpdatedAt = json.ModTime
+	}
+
+	err := bus.Dispatch(&cmd)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	alertCmd := alerting.UpdateDashboardAlertsCommand{
+		OrgId:     json.OrgId,
+		Dashboard: cmd.Result,
+	}
+
+	if err := bus.Dispatch(&alertCmd); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/file_reader.go b/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/file_reader.go
index d417a73f0da..08dbca81373 100644
--- a/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/file_reader.go
+++ b/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/file_reader.go
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ package dashboard
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/alerting"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/dashboards"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ func (fr *fileReader) walkFolder() error {
 
 		if err == models.ErrDashboardNotFound {
 			fr.log.Debug("saving new dashboard", "file", path)
-			return fr.saveDashboard(dash)
+			return dashboards.SaveDashboard(dash)
 		}
 
 		if err != nil {
@@ -109,11 +109,11 @@ func (fr *fileReader) walkFolder() error {
 		}
 
 		fr.log.Debug("no dashboard in cache. loading dashboard from disk into database.", "file", path)
-		return fr.saveDashboard(dash)
+		return dashboards.SaveDashboard(dash)
 	})
 }
 
-func (fr *fileReader) readDashboardFromFile(path string) (*DashboardJson, error) {
+func (fr *fileReader) readDashboardFromFile(path string) (*dashboards.SaveDashboardItem, error) {
 	reader, err := os.Open(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -139,44 +139,3 @@ func (fr *fileReader) readDashboardFromFile(path string) (*DashboardJson, error)
 
 	return dash, nil
 }
-
-func (fr *fileReader) saveDashboard(json *DashboardJson) error {
-	dashboard := json.Dashboard
-
-	if dashboard.Title == "" {
-		return models.ErrDashboardTitleEmpty
-	}
-
-	validateAlertsCmd := alerting.ValidateDashboardAlertsCommand{
-		OrgId:     json.OrgId,
-		Dashboard: dashboard,
-	}
-
-	if err := bus.Dispatch(&validateAlertsCmd); err != nil {
-		return models.ErrDashboardContainsInvalidAlertData
-	}
-
-	cmd := models.SaveDashboardCommand{
-		Dashboard: dashboard.Data,
-		Message:   "Dashboard created from file.",
-		OrgId:     json.OrgId,
-		Overwrite: true,
-		UpdatedAt: json.ModTime,
-	}
-
-	err := bus.Dispatch(&cmd)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	alertCmd := alerting.UpdateDashboardAlertsCommand{
-		OrgId:     json.OrgId,
-		Dashboard: cmd.Result,
-	}
-
-	if err := bus.Dispatch(&alertCmd); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/types.go b/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/types.go
index 24e31ac9f0a..9480092f262 100644
--- a/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/types.go
+++ b/pkg/services/provisioning/dashboard/types.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package dashboard
 
 import (
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/components/simplejson"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/dashboards"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
@@ -18,42 +19,34 @@ type DashboardsAsConfig struct {
 	Options  map[string]interface{} `json:"options" yaml:"options"`
 }
 
-type DashboardJson struct {
-	TitleLower string
-	OrgId      int64
-	Folder     string
-	ModTime    time.Time
-	Dashboard  *models.Dashboard
-}
-
 type dashboardCache struct {
 	mutex      *sync.Mutex
-	dashboards map[string]*DashboardJson
+	dashboards map[string]*dashboards.SaveDashboardItem
 }
 
 func newDashboardCache() *dashboardCache {
 	return &dashboardCache{
-		dashboards: map[string]*DashboardJson{},
+		dashboards: map[string]*dashboards.SaveDashboardItem{},
 		mutex:      &sync.Mutex{},
 	}
 }
 
-func (dc *dashboardCache) addCache(key string, json *DashboardJson) {
+func (dc *dashboardCache) addCache(key string, json *dashboards.SaveDashboardItem) {
 	dc.mutex.Lock()
 	defer dc.mutex.Unlock()
 	dc.dashboards[key] = json
 }
 
-func (dc *dashboardCache) getCache(key string) (*DashboardJson, bool) {
+func (dc *dashboardCache) getCache(key string) (*dashboards.SaveDashboardItem, bool) {
 	dc.mutex.Lock()
 	defer dc.mutex.Unlock()
 	v, exist := dc.dashboards[key]
 	return v, exist
 }
 
-func createDashboardJson(data *simplejson.Json, lastModified time.Time, cfg *DashboardsAsConfig) (*DashboardJson, error) {
+func createDashboardJson(data *simplejson.Json, lastModified time.Time, cfg *DashboardsAsConfig) (*dashboards.SaveDashboardItem, error) {
 
-	dash := &DashboardJson{}
+	dash := &dashboards.SaveDashboardItem{}
 	dash.Dashboard = models.NewDashboardFromJson(data)
 	dash.TitleLower = strings.ToLower(dash.Dashboard.Title)
 	dash.ModTime = lastModified