diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/AdHocVariableEditor.tsx b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/AdHocVariableEditor.tsx
index c3e46a37f72..387de6bb027 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/AdHocVariableEditor.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/AdHocVariableEditor.tsx
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ export class AdHocVariableEditorUnConnected extends PureComponent<Props> {
     const { variable, editor } = this.props;
     const dataSources = editor.extended?.dataSources ?? [];
     const infoText = editor.extended?.infoText ?? null;
-    const options = dataSources.map((ds) => ({ label: ds.text, value: { uid: ds.value } }));
-    const value = options.find((o) => o.value === variable.datasource) ?? options[0];
+    const options = dataSources.map((ds) => ({ label: ds.text, value: ds.value }));
+    const value = options.find((o) => o.value?.uid === variable.datasource?.uid) ?? options[0];
 
     return (
       <VerticalGroup spacing="xs">
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.test.ts b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.test.ts
index 1ce5180a386..b65e3a58621 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { DataSourcePluginMeta, DataSourceSelectItem } from '@grafana/data';
+import { DataSourceInstanceSettings, DataSourcePluginMeta } from '@grafana/data';
 
 import { variableAdapters } from '../adapters';
 import { createAdHocVariableAdapter } from './adapter';
@@ -22,14 +22,14 @@ import { changeVariableEditorExtended, setIdInEditor } from '../editor/reducer';
 import { adHocBuilder } from '../shared/testing/builders';
 import { locationService } from '@grafana/runtime';
 
-const getMetricSources = jest.fn().mockReturnValue([]);
+const getList = jest.fn().mockReturnValue([]);
 const getDatasource = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({});
 
 locationService.partial = jest.fn();
 jest.mock('app/features/plugins/datasource_srv', () => ({
   getDatasourceSrv: jest.fn(() => ({
     get: getDatasource,
-    getMetricSources,
+    getList,
   })),
 }));
 
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ describe('adhoc actions', () => {
   describe('when initAdHocVariableEditor is dispatched', () => {
     it('then correct actions are dispatched', async () => {
       const datasources = [
-        { ...createDatasource('default', true), value: null },
+        { ...createDatasource('default', true, true), value: null },
         createDatasource('elasticsearch-v1'),
         createDatasource('loki', false),
         createDatasource('influx'),
@@ -359,19 +359,19 @@ describe('adhoc actions', () => {
         createDatasource('elasticsearch-v7'),
       ];
 
-      getMetricSources.mockRestore();
-      getMetricSources.mockReturnValue(datasources);
+      getList.mockRestore();
+      getList.mockReturnValue(datasources);
 
       const tester = reduxTester<RootReducerType>()
         .givenRootReducer(getRootReducer())
         .whenActionIsDispatched(initAdHocVariableEditor());
 
       const expectedDatasources = [
-        { text: '', value: '' },
-        { text: 'default (default)', value: null },
-        { text: 'elasticsearch-v1', value: 'elasticsearch-v1' },
-        { text: 'influx', value: 'influx' },
-        { text: 'elasticsearch-v7', value: 'elasticsearch-v7' },
+        { text: '', value: {} },
+        { text: 'default (default)', value: { uid: 'default', type: 'default' } },
+        { text: 'elasticsearch-v1', value: { uid: 'elasticsearch-v1', type: 'elasticsearch-v1' } },
+        { text: 'influx', value: { uid: 'influx', type: 'influx' } },
+        { text: 'elasticsearch-v7', value: { uid: 'elasticsearch-v7', type: 'elasticsearch-v7' } },
       ];
 
       tester.thenDispatchedActionsShouldEqual(
@@ -438,12 +438,14 @@ function createAddVariableAction(variable: VariableModel, index = 0) {
   return addVariable(toVariablePayload(identifier, data));
 }
 
-function createDatasource(name: string, selectable = true): DataSourceSelectItem {
+function createDatasource(name: string, selectable = true, isDefault = false): DataSourceInstanceSettings {
   return {
     name,
-    value: name,
     meta: {
       mixed: !selectable,
     } as DataSourcePluginMeta,
-  };
+    isDefault,
+    uid: name,
+    type: name,
+  } as DataSourceInstanceSettings;
 }
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.ts b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.ts
index 9c90cadf5f1..2781dfb0e11 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/actions.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
 import { AdHocVariableFilter, AdHocVariableModel } from 'app/features/variables/types';
 import { variableUpdated } from '../state/actions';
 import { isAdHoc } from '../guard';
-import { DataSourceRef } from '@grafana/data';
+import { DataSourceRef, getDataSourceRef } from '@grafana/data';
 
 export interface AdHocTableOptions {
   datasource: DataSourceRef;
@@ -111,19 +111,20 @@ export const changeVariableDatasource = (datasource?: DataSourceRef): ThunkResul
 };
 
 export const initAdHocVariableEditor = (): ThunkResult<void> => (dispatch) => {
-  const dataSources = getDatasourceSrv().getMetricSources();
+  const dataSources = getDatasourceSrv().getList({ metrics: true, variables: false });
   const selectable = dataSources.reduce(
-    (all: Array<{ text: string; value: string | null }>, ds) => {
+    (all: Array<{ text: string; value: DataSourceRef | null }>, ds) => {
       if (ds.meta.mixed) {
         return all;
       }
 
-      const text = ds.value === null ? `${ds.name} (default)` : ds.name;
-      all.push({ text: text, value: ds.value });
+      const text = ds.isDefault ? `${ds.name} (default)` : ds.name;
+      const value = getDataSourceRef(ds);
+      all.push({ text, value });
 
       return all;
     },
-    [{ text: '', value: '' }]
+    [{ text: '', value: {} }]
   );
 
   dispatch(
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/adapter.ts b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/adapter.ts
index 10adfce70b7..4ce13f78376 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/adapter.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/adapter.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import { cloneDeep } from 'lodash';
+import { getDataSourceSrv } from '@grafana/runtime';
+import { getDataSourceRef } from '@grafana/data';
 
 import { AdHocVariableModel } from '../types';
 import { dispatch } from '../../../store/store';
@@ -8,6 +10,7 @@ import { adHocVariableReducer, initialAdHocVariableModelState } from './reducer'
 import { AdHocVariableEditor } from './AdHocVariableEditor';
 import { setFiltersFromUrl } from './actions';
 import * as urlParser from './urlParser';
+import { isAdHoc, isLegacyAdHocDataSource } from '../guard';
 
 const noop = async () => {};
 
@@ -35,5 +38,24 @@ export const createAdHocVariableAdapter = (): VariableAdapter<AdHocVariableModel
       const filters = variable?.filters ?? [];
       return urlParser.toUrl(filters);
     },
+    beforeAdding: (model) => {
+      if (!isAdHoc(model)) {
+        return model;
+      }
+
+      if (!isLegacyAdHocDataSource(model.datasource)) {
+        return model;
+      }
+
+      const ds = getDataSourceSrv().getInstanceSettings(model.datasource);
+      if (!ds) {
+        return model;
+      }
+
+      const clone = cloneDeep(model);
+      clone.datasource = getDataSourceRef(ds);
+
+      return { ...clone };
+    },
   };
 };
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/reducer.ts b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/reducer.ts
index 9b63e82d479..50cafae936a 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/reducer.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/adhoc/reducer.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-import { AdHocVariableFilter, AdHocVariableModel, initialVariableModelState } from 'app/features/variables/types';
-import { getInstanceState, VariablePayload, initialVariablesState, VariablesState } from '../state/types';
 import { createSlice, PayloadAction } from '@reduxjs/toolkit';
+import { DataSourceRef } from '@grafana/data';
+
+import { AdHocVariableFilter, AdHocVariableModel, initialVariableModelState } from 'app/features/variables/types';
+import { getInstanceState, initialVariablesState, VariablePayload, VariablesState } from '../state/types';
 
 export interface AdHocVariabelFilterUpdate {
   index: number;
@@ -8,7 +10,7 @@ export interface AdHocVariabelFilterUpdate {
 }
 export interface AdHocVariableEditorState {
   infoText: string;
-  dataSources: Array<{ text: string; value: string }>;
+  dataSources: Array<{ text: string; value: DataSourceRef | null }>;
 }
 
 export const initialAdHocVariableModelState: AdHocVariableModel = {
diff --git a/public/app/features/variables/guard.ts b/public/app/features/variables/guard.ts
index bb42a3a1e42..95443a793e5 100644
--- a/public/app/features/variables/guard.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/variables/guard.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   DataQueryResponse,
   DataSourceApi,
   DataSourceJsonData,
+  DataSourceRef,
   MetricFindValue,
   StandardVariableQuery,
   StandardVariableSupport,
@@ -59,6 +60,14 @@ function hasObjectProperty(model: VariableModel, property: string): model is Var
   return withProperty.hasOwnProperty(property) && typeof withProperty[property] === 'object';
 }
 
+export function isLegacyAdHocDataSource(datasource: null | DataSourceRef | string): datasource is string {
+  if (datasource === null) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  return typeof datasource === 'string';
+}
+
 interface DataSourceWithLegacyVariableSupport<
   TQuery extends DataQuery = DataQuery,
   TOptions extends DataSourceJsonData = DataSourceJsonData