diff --git a/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.test.ts b/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.test.ts
index 05ca95b1adfe2..e5e9b2d83faf7 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.test.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { DataViewMissingIndices } from '../lib';
 
 const createFieldsFetcher = () =>
   ({
-    getFieldsForWildcard: jest.fn(async () => ({ fields: [], indices: [] })),
+    getFieldsForWildcard: jest.fn(async () => ({ fields: [], indices: ['test'] })),
   } as any as IDataViewsApiClient);
 
 const fieldFormats = fieldFormatsMock;
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ describe('IndexPatterns', () => {
     remove: jest.fn(),
   } as any as UiSettingsCommon;
   const indexPatternObj = { id: 'id', version: 'a', attributes: { title: 'title' } };
-  const onMissingIndices = jest.fn();
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     jest.clearAllMocks();
@@ -114,7 +113,6 @@ describe('IndexPatterns', () => {
       apiClient,
       fieldFormats,
       onNotification: () => {},
-      onMissingIndices,
       onError: () => {},
       onRedirectNoIndexPattern: () => {},
       getCanSave: () => Promise.resolve(true),
@@ -127,7 +125,6 @@ describe('IndexPatterns', () => {
       apiClient,
       fieldFormats,
       onNotification: () => {},
-      onMissingIndices,
       onError: () => {},
       onRedirectNoIndexPattern: () => {},
       getCanSave: () => Promise.resolve(false),
@@ -225,7 +222,20 @@ describe('IndexPatterns', () => {
     expect((await indexPatterns.get(id)).fields.length).toBe(1);
   });
 
-  test('missing indices triggering onMissingIndices fn', async () => {
+  test('existing indices, so dataView.matchedIndices.length equals 1 ', async () => {
+    const id = '1';
+    setDocsourcePayload(id, {
+      id: 'foo',
+      version: 'foo',
+      attributes: {
+        title: 'something',
+      },
+    });
+    const dataView = await indexPatterns.get(id);
+    expect(dataView.matchedIndices.length).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  test('missing indices, so dataView.matchedIndices.length equals 0 ', async () => {
     const id = '1';
     setDocsourcePayload(id, {
       id: 'foo',
@@ -237,8 +247,8 @@ describe('IndexPatterns', () => {
     apiClient.getFieldsForWildcard = jest.fn().mockImplementation(async () => {
       throw new DataViewMissingIndices('Catch me if you can!');
     });
-    await indexPatterns.get(id);
-    expect(onMissingIndices).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const dataView = await indexPatterns.get(id);
+    expect(dataView.matchedIndices.length).toBe(0);
   });
 
   test('savedObjectCache pre-fetches title, type, typeMeta', async () => {
diff --git a/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.ts b/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.ts
index abfcd5d5f83ac..afccfdcee79fc 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/data_views/common/data_views/data_views.ts
@@ -103,11 +103,6 @@ export interface DataViewsServiceDeps {
    * Handler for service notifications
    */
   onNotification: OnNotification;
-  /**
-   * Handler triggered when there are no indices
-   * @param error Error object
-   */
-  onMissingIndices?: (error: Error) => void;
   /**
    * Handler for service errors
    */
@@ -308,11 +303,6 @@ export class DataViewsService {
    * @param key used to indicate uniqueness of the notification
    */
   private onNotification: OnNotification;
-  /**
-   * Handler triggered when there are no indices
-   * @param error Error object
-   */
-  private onMissingIndices?: (error: Error) => void;
   /*
    * Handler for service errors
    * @param error notification content in toast format
@@ -339,7 +329,6 @@ export class DataViewsService {
       apiClient,
       fieldFormats,
       onNotification,
-      onMissingIndices,
       onError,
       getCanSave = () => Promise.resolve(false),
       getCanSaveAdvancedSettings,
@@ -350,7 +339,6 @@ export class DataViewsService {
     this.fieldFormats = fieldFormats;
     this.onNotification = onNotification;
     this.onError = onError;
-    this.onMissingIndices = onMissingIndices;
     this.getCanSave = getCanSave;
     this.getCanSaveAdvancedSettings = getCanSaveAdvancedSettings;
 
@@ -594,7 +582,7 @@ export class DataViewsService {
       await this.refreshFieldsFn(dataView);
     } catch (err) {
       if (err instanceof DataViewMissingIndices) {
-        this.onMissingIndices?.(err);
+        // not considered an error, check dataView.matchedIndices.length to be 0
       } else {
         this.onError(
           err,
@@ -644,7 +632,7 @@ export class DataViewsService {
       return { fields: this.fieldArrayToMap(updatedFieldList, fieldAttrs), indices };
     } catch (err) {
       if (err instanceof DataViewMissingIndices) {
-        this.onMissingIndices?.(err);
+        // not considered an error, check dataView.matchedIndices.length to be 0
         return {};
       }
       if (!displayErrors) {
@@ -805,12 +793,13 @@ export class DataViewsService {
         const fieldsAndIndices = await this.initFromSavedObjectLoadFields({
           savedObjectId: savedObject.id,
           spec,
+          displayErrors,
         });
         fields = fieldsAndIndices.fields;
         indices = fieldsAndIndices.indices;
       } catch (err) {
         if (err instanceof DataViewMissingIndices) {
-          this.onMissingIndices?.(err);
+          // not considered an error, check dataView.matchedIndices.length to be 0
         } else {
           this.onError(
             err,