diff --git a/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql.go b/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql.go
index 14fa101147b..9c8c4d3520d 100644
--- a/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql.go
+++ b/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql.go
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ func (t *mssqlQueryResultTransformer) TransformQueryError(logger log.Logger, err
 	// ref https://github.com/denisenkom/go-mssqldb/blob/045585d74f9069afe2e115b6235eb043c8047043/tds.go#L904
 	if strings.HasPrefix(strings.ToLower(err.Error()), "unable to open tcp connection with host") {
 		logger.Error("Query error", "error", err)
-		return sqleng.ErrConnectionFailed.Errorf("failed to connect to server - %s", t.userError)
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to connect to server - %s", t.userError)
 	}
 
 	return err
diff --git a/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql_test.go b/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql_test.go
index cfdb0dea313..df9e2f3903c 100644
--- a/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql_test.go
+++ b/pkg/tsdb/mssql/mssql_test.go
@@ -1313,23 +1313,23 @@ func TestMSSQL(t *testing.T) {
 func TestTransformQueryError(t *testing.T) {
 	transformer := &mssqlQueryResultTransformer{}
 
-	randomErr := fmt.Errorf("random error")
-
-	tests := []struct {
-		err         error
-		expectedErr error
-	}{
-		{err: fmt.Errorf("Unable to open tcp connection with host 'localhost:5000': dial tcp: connection refused"), expectedErr: sqleng.ErrConnectionFailed},
-		{err: fmt.Errorf("unable to open tcp connection with host 'localhost:5000': dial tcp: connection refused"), expectedErr: sqleng.ErrConnectionFailed},
-		{err: randomErr, expectedErr: randomErr},
-	}
-
 	logger := backend.NewLoggerWith("logger", "mssql.test")
 
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		resultErr := transformer.TransformQueryError(logger, tc.err)
-		assert.ErrorIs(t, resultErr, tc.expectedErr)
-	}
+	t.Run("Should not return a connection error", func(t *testing.T) {
+		err := fmt.Errorf("Unable to open tcp connection with host 'localhost:5000': dial tcp: connection refused")
+		resultErr := transformer.TransformQueryError(logger, err)
+		errorText := resultErr.Error()
+		assert.NotEqual(t, err, resultErr)
+		assert.NotContains(t, errorText, "Unable to open tcp connection with host")
+		assert.Contains(t, errorText, "failed to connect to server")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("Should return a non-connection error unmodified", func(t *testing.T) {
+		err := fmt.Errorf("normal error")
+		resultErr := transformer.TransformQueryError(logger, err)
+		assert.Equal(t, err, resultErr)
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, resultErr)
+	})
 }
 
 func TestGenerateConnectionString(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine.go b/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine.go
index 30863093299..d8c0b3cba0d 100644
--- a/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine.go
+++ b/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine.go
@@ -21,14 +21,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend/gtime"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend/log"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/setting"
-	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/util/errutil"
 )
 
 // MetaKeyExecutedQueryString is the key where the executed query should get stored
 const MetaKeyExecutedQueryString = "executedQueryString"
 
-var ErrConnectionFailed = errutil.Internal("sqleng.connectionError")
-
 // SQLMacroEngine interpolates macros into sql. It takes in the Query to have access to query context and
 // timeRange to be able to generate queries that use from and to.
 type SQLMacroEngine interface {
@@ -112,7 +109,7 @@ func (e *DataSourceHandler) TransformQueryError(logger log.Logger, err error) er
 	var opErr *net.OpError
 	if errors.As(err, &opErr) {
 		logger.Error("Query error", "err", err)
-		return ErrConnectionFailed.Errorf("failed to connect to server - %s", e.userError)
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to connect to server - %s", e.userError)
 	}
 
 	return e.queryResultTransformer.TransformQueryError(logger, err)
diff --git a/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine_test.go b/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine_test.go
index 9231e8eb4e8..ede504534a7 100644
--- a/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine_test.go
+++ b/pkg/tsdb/sqleng/sql_engine_test.go
@@ -400,28 +400,32 @@ func TestSQLEngine(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	})
 
-	t.Run("Should handle connection errors", func(t *testing.T) {
-		randomErr := fmt.Errorf("random error")
-
-		tests := []struct {
-			err                                   error
-			expectedErr                           error
-			expectQueryResultTransformerWasCalled bool
-		}{
-			{err: &net.OpError{Op: "Dial", Err: fmt.Errorf("inner-error")}, expectedErr: ErrConnectionFailed, expectQueryResultTransformerWasCalled: false},
-			{err: randomErr, expectedErr: randomErr, expectQueryResultTransformerWasCalled: true},
+	t.Run("Should not return raw connection errors", func(t *testing.T) {
+		err := net.OpError{Op: "Dial", Err: fmt.Errorf("inner-error")}
+		transformer := &testQueryResultTransformer{}
+		dp := DataSourceHandler{
+			log:                    backend.NewLoggerWith("logger", "test"),
+			queryResultTransformer: transformer,
 		}
+		resultErr := dp.TransformQueryError(dp.log, &err)
+		assert.False(t, transformer.transformQueryErrorWasCalled)
+		errorText := resultErr.Error()
+		assert.NotEqual(t, err, resultErr)
+		assert.NotContains(t, errorText, "inner-error")
+		assert.Contains(t, errorText, "failed to connect to server")
+	})
 
-		for _, tc := range tests {
-			transformer := &testQueryResultTransformer{}
-			dp := DataSourceHandler{
-				log:                    backend.NewLoggerWith("logger", "test"),
-				queryResultTransformer: transformer,
-			}
-			resultErr := dp.TransformQueryError(dp.log, tc.err)
-			assert.ErrorIs(t, resultErr, tc.expectedErr)
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.expectQueryResultTransformerWasCalled, transformer.transformQueryErrorWasCalled)
+	t.Run("Should return non-connection errors unmodified", func(t *testing.T) {
+		err := fmt.Errorf("normal error")
+		transformer := &testQueryResultTransformer{}
+		dp := DataSourceHandler{
+			log:                    backend.NewLoggerWith("logger", "test"),
+			queryResultTransformer: transformer,
 		}
+		resultErr := dp.TransformQueryError(dp.log, err)
+		assert.True(t, transformer.transformQueryErrorWasCalled)
+		assert.Equal(t, err, resultErr)
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, resultErr)
 	})
 }