diff --git a/superset-frontend/src/features/databases/DatabaseModal/index.tsx b/superset-frontend/src/features/databases/DatabaseModal/index.tsx
index 8474cde2af6..bd9a26084af 100644
--- a/superset-frontend/src/features/databases/DatabaseModal/index.tsx
+++ b/superset-frontend/src/features/databases/DatabaseModal/index.tsx
@@ -823,13 +823,19 @@ const DatabaseModal: FunctionComponent<DatabaseModalProps> = ({
     [onChange, handleClearValidationErrors],
   );
 
-  const getBlurValidation = useCallback(() => {
+  const getBlurValidation = useCallback(async () => {
     const currentDbSnapshot = JSON.stringify(db);
     if (currentDbSnapshot === lastValidatedDbSnapshotRef.current) {
-      return Promise.resolve([]);
+      return [];
     }
-    lastValidatedDbSnapshotRef.current = currentDbSnapshot;
-    return getValidation(db);
+    const result = await getValidation(db);
+    // Only cache after a request that produced a usable response. ``null``
+    // signals an unexpected/network failure, in which case we leave the
+    // snapshot untouched so the next blur retries.
+    if (result !== null) {
+      lastValidatedDbSnapshotRef.current = currentDbSnapshot;
+    }
+    return result;
   }, [db, getValidation]);
 
   const onClose = () => {
diff --git a/superset-frontend/src/views/CRUD/hooks.ts b/superset-frontend/src/views/CRUD/hooks.ts
index b7dae7a1e4f..4cb9e9f9c97 100644
--- a/superset-frontend/src/views/CRUD/hooks.ts
+++ b/superset-frontend/src/views/CRUD/hooks.ts
@@ -909,7 +909,7 @@ export function useDatabaseValidation() {
           setIsValidating(false);
           setHasValidated(true);
         }
-        return {};
+        return null;
       }
     },
     [setValidationErrors],