diff --git a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/actions.js b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/actions.js
index 93c4afe75c4c..0edbe2f7ee48 100644
--- a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/actions.js
+++ b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/actions.js
@@ -85,8 +85,12 @@ export function fetchQueryResults(query) {
       success(results) {
         dispatch(querySuccess(query, results));
       },
-      error() {
-        dispatch(queryFailed(query, 'Failed at retrieving results from the results backend'));
+      error(err) {
+        let msg = 'Failed at retrieving results from the results backend';
+        if (err.responseJSON && err.responseJSON.error) {
+          msg = err.responseJSON.error;
+        }
+        dispatch(queryFailed(query, msg));
       },
     });
   };
diff --git a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/HighlightedSql.jsx b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/HighlightedSql.jsx
index a3ae2f2cee88..e649125facc5 100644
--- a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/HighlightedSql.jsx
+++ b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/HighlightedSql.jsx
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { Well } from 'react-bootstrap';
 import SyntaxHighlighter from 'react-syntax-highlighter';
 import { github } from 'react-syntax-highlighter/dist/styles';
 import ModalTrigger from '../../components/ModalTrigger';
@@ -45,11 +44,9 @@ class HighlightedSql extends React.Component {
     const props = this.props;
     let shownSql = props.shrink ? this.shrinkSql(props.sql) : props.sql;
     return (
-      <Well>
-        <SyntaxHighlighter language="sql" style={github}>
-          {shownSql}
-        </SyntaxHighlighter>
-      </Well>);
+      <SyntaxHighlighter language="sql" style={github}>
+        {shownSql}
+      </SyntaxHighlighter>);
   }
   generateModal() {
     const props = this.props;
diff --git a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/QueryTable.jsx b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/QueryTable.jsx
index 04c6b79ac338..9637c5d05c27 100644
--- a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/QueryTable.jsx
+++ b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/QueryTable.jsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import React from 'react';
 
 import moment from 'moment';
 import { Table } from 'reactable';
-import { Label, ProgressBar } from 'react-bootstrap';
+import { Label, ProgressBar, Well } from 'react-bootstrap';
 import Link from './Link';
 import VisualizeModal from './VisualizeModal';
 import ResultSet from './ResultSet';
@@ -107,7 +107,9 @@ class QueryTable extends React.PureComponent {
         </div>
       );
       q.sql = (
-        <HighlightedSql sql={q.sql} rawSql={q.executedSql} shrink maxWidth={60} />
+        <Well>
+          <HighlightedSql sql={q.sql} rawSql={q.executedSql} shrink maxWidth={60} />
+        </Well>
       );
       if (q.resultsKey) {
         q.output = (
diff --git a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/ResultSet.jsx b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/ResultSet.jsx
index 847d33a07df3..003d0745dac0 100644
--- a/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/ResultSet.jsx
+++ b/superset/assets/javascripts/SqlLab/components/ResultSet.jsx
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ class ResultSet extends React.PureComponent {
         </Button>
       );
     }
-    return (<Alert bsStyle="warning">The query returned no data</Alert>);
+    return <Alert bsStyle="warning">The query returned no data</Alert>;
   }
 }
 ResultSet.propTypes = propTypes;
diff --git a/superset/assets/spec/javascripts/sqllab/HighlightedSql_spec.jsx b/superset/assets/spec/javascripts/sqllab/HighlightedSql_spec.jsx
index 042f40786a44..6fb91051f0b9 100644
--- a/superset/assets/spec/javascripts/sqllab/HighlightedSql_spec.jsx
+++ b/superset/assets/spec/javascripts/sqllab/HighlightedSql_spec.jsx
@@ -24,9 +24,9 @@ describe('HighlightedSql', () => {
   it('renders two SyntaxHighlighter in modal', () => {
     const wrapper = mount(
       <HighlightedSql sql={sql} rawSql="SELECT * FORM foo" shrink maxWidth={5} />);
-    const well = wrapper.find('.well');
-    expect(well).to.have.length(1);
-    well.simulate('click');
+    const pre = wrapper.find('pre');
+    expect(pre).to.have.length(1);
+    pre.simulate('click');
     const modalBody = mount(wrapper.state().modalBody);
     expect(modalBody.find(SyntaxHighlighter)).to.have.length(2);
   });
diff --git a/superset/sql_lab.py b/superset/sql_lab.py
index 1bb1d0b73404..6eb251e3b3d5 100644
--- a/superset/sql_lab.py
+++ b/superset/sql_lab.py
@@ -87,6 +87,9 @@ def handle_error(msg):
         session.commit()
         raise Exception(query.error_message)
 
+    if store_results and not results_backend:
+        handle_error("Results backend isn't configured.")
+
     # Limit enforced only for retrieving the data, not for the CTA queries.
     superset_query = sql_parse.SupersetQuery(executed_sql)
     if not superset_query.is_select() and not database.allow_dml:
@@ -169,7 +172,7 @@ def handle_error(msg):
     payload['query'] = query.to_dict()
     payload = json.dumps(payload, default=utils.json_iso_dttm_ser)
 
-    if store_results and results_backend:
+    if store_results:
         key = '{}'.format(uuid.uuid4())
         logging.info("Storing results in results backend, key: {}".format(key))
         results_backend.set(key, zlib.compress(payload))
diff --git a/superset/views.py b/superset/views.py
index 85fe9a11d286..c12ffcbf70b6 100755
--- a/superset/views.py
+++ b/superset/views.py
@@ -2009,7 +2009,7 @@ def warm_up_cache(self):
                     models.SqlaTable.table_name == table_name)
             ).first()
             if not table:
-                json_error_response(__(
+                return json_error_response(__(
                     "Table %(t)s wasn't found in the database %(d)s",
                     t=table_name, s=db_name), status=404)
             slices = session.query(models.Slice).filter_by(
@@ -2326,6 +2326,9 @@ def cached_key(self, key):
     @log_this
     def results(self, key):
         """Serves a key off of the results backend"""
+        if not results_backend:
+            return json_error_response("Results backend isn't configured")
+
         blob = results_backend.get(key)
         if blob:
             json_payload = zlib.decompress(blob)
@@ -2335,7 +2338,7 @@ def results(self, key):
             mydb = session.query(models.Database).filter_by(id=db_id).one()
 
             if not self.database_access(mydb):
-                json_error_response(
+                return json_error_response(
                     get_database_access_error_msg(mydb.database_name))
 
             return Response(