diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts
index 12ee69e9f69..605cb307c82 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2.ts
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ export function getAnnotationQueryKind(annotationQuery: AnnotationQuery): string
   }
 }
 
-function getDefaultDataSourceRef(): DataSourceRef | undefined {
+export function getDefaultDataSourceRef(): DataSourceRef | undefined {
   // we need to return the default datasource configured in the BootConfig
   const defaultDatasource = config.bootData.settings.defaultDatasource;
 
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.test.ts
index 24074a3f845..f7c5c66328b 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.test.ts
@@ -9,12 +9,72 @@ import {
   AnnoKeyUpdatedBy,
   AnnoKeyUpdatedTimestamp,
 } from 'app/features/apiserver/types';
+import { getDefaultDataSourceRef } from 'app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2';
 import { DashboardDataDTO, DashboardDTO } from 'app/types';
 
-import { getPanelQueries, ResponseTransformers } from './ResponseTransformers';
+import { getDefaultDatasource, getPanelQueries, ResponseTransformers } from './ResponseTransformers';
 import { DashboardWithAccessInfo } from './types';
 
+jest.mock('@grafana/runtime', () => ({
+  ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime'),
+  config: {
+    ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime').config,
+    bootData: {
+      ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime').config.bootData,
+      settings: {
+        ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime').config.bootData.settings,
+        datasources: {
+          PromTest: {
+            uid: 'xyz-abc',
+            name: 'PromTest',
+            id: 'prometheus',
+            meta: {
+              id: 'prometheus',
+              name: 'PromTest',
+              type: 'datasource',
+            },
+            isDefault: true,
+            apiVersion: 'v2',
+          },
+          '-- Grafana --': {
+            uid: 'grafana',
+            name: '-- Grafana --',
+            id: 'grafana',
+            meta: {
+              id: 'grafana',
+              name: '-- Grafana --',
+              type: 'datasource',
+            },
+            isDefault: false,
+          },
+        },
+
+        defaultDatasource: 'PromTest',
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}));
+
 describe('ResponseTransformers', () => {
+  describe('getDefaultDataSource', () => {
+    it('should return prometheus as default', () => {
+      expect(getDefaultDatasource()).toEqual({
+        apiVersion: 'v2',
+        uid: 'PromTest',
+        type: 'prometheus',
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('getDefaultDataSourceRef', () => {
+    it('should return prometheus as default', () => {
+      expect(getDefaultDataSourceRef()).toEqual({
+        uid: 'PromTest',
+        type: 'prometheus',
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('v1 -> v2 transformation', () => {
     it('should transform DashboardDTO to DashboardWithAccessInfo<DashboardV2Spec>', () => {
       const dashboardV1: DashboardDataDTO = {
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.ts
index a5d454bbdf3..1f46a08b280 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/ResponseTransformers.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   AnnoKeyUpdatedBy,
   AnnoKeyUpdatedTimestamp,
 } from 'app/features/apiserver/types';
+import { getDefaultDataSourceRef } from 'app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformSceneToSaveModelSchemaV2';
 import { transformCursorSyncV2ToV1 } from 'app/features/dashboard-scene/serialization/transformToV1TypesUtils';
 import {
   transformCursorSynctoEnum,
@@ -226,6 +227,11 @@ function getElementsFromPanels(panels: Panel[]): [DashboardV2Spec['elements'], D
 
   // iterate over panels
   for (const p of panels) {
+    // FIXME: for now we should skip row panels
+    if (p.type === 'row') {
+      continue;
+    }
+
     const queries = getPanelQueries(
       (p.targets as unknown as DataQuery[]) || [],
       p.datasource || getDefaultDatasource()
@@ -291,20 +297,23 @@ function getElementsFromPanels(panels: Panel[]): [DashboardV2Spec['elements'], D
 }
 
 function getDefaultDatasourceType() {
-  const datasources = config.datasources;
-  // find default datasource in datasources
-  return Object.values(datasources).find((ds) => ds.isDefault)!.type;
+  // if there is no default datasource, return 'grafana' as default
+  return getDefaultDataSourceRef()?.type ?? 'grafana';
 }
 
-function getDefaultDatasource(): DataSourceRef {
-  const datasources = config.datasources;
+export function getDefaultDatasource(): DataSourceRef {
+  const configDefaultDS = getDefaultDataSourceRef() ?? { type: 'grafana', uid: '-- Grafana --' };
+
+  if (configDefaultDS.uid && !configDefaultDS.apiVersion) {
+    // get api version from config
+    const dsInstance = config.bootData.settings.datasources[configDefaultDS.uid];
+    configDefaultDS.apiVersion = dsInstance.apiVersion ?? undefined;
+  }
 
-  // find default datasource in datasources
-  const defaultDs = Object.values(datasources).find((ds) => ds.isDefault)!;
   return {
-    apiVersion: defaultDs.apiVersion,
-    type: defaultDs.type,
-    uid: defaultDs.uid,
+    apiVersion: configDefaultDS.apiVersion,
+    type: configDefaultDS.type,
+    uid: configDefaultDS.uid,
   };
 }
 
@@ -407,7 +416,8 @@ function getVariables(vars: VariableModel[]): DashboardV2Spec['variables'] {
         variables.push(dv);
         break;
       default:
-        throw new Error(`Variable transformation not implemented: ${v.type}`);
+        // do not throw error, just log it
+        console.error(`Variable transformation not implemented: ${v.type}`);
     }
   }
   return variables;
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v0.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v0.test.ts
index c21e103bb10..82d82ecc0d3 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v0.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v0.test.ts
@@ -88,12 +88,14 @@ const saveDashboardResponse = {
   },
 };
 jest.mock('@grafana/runtime', () => ({
+  ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime'),
   getBackendSrv: () => ({
     get: () => mockDashboardDto,
     put: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(saveDashboardResponse),
     post: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(saveDashboardResponse),
   }),
   config: {
+    ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime').config,
     buildInfo: {
       version: '11.5.0-test-version-string',
     },
diff --git a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v2.test.ts b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v2.test.ts
index ec0d744a307..d9420a36b37 100644
--- a/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v2.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/dashboard/api/v2.test.ts
@@ -27,10 +27,13 @@ const mockDashboardDto: DashboardWithAccessInfo<DashboardV2Spec> = {
 };
 
 jest.mock('@grafana/runtime', () => ({
+  ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime'),
   getBackendSrv: () => ({
     get: () => mockDashboardDto,
   }),
-  config: {},
+  config: {
+    ...jest.requireActual('@grafana/runtime').config,
+  },
 }));
 
 jest.mock('app/features/live/dashboard/dashboardWatcher', () => ({