When I updated the ‘Filter Criteria’ of a fully functioning DVWP through SharePoint designer I was presented with the following error:
The server returned a non-specific error when trying to get data from the data source. Check the format and content of your query and try again. If the problem persists, contact the server administrator.
Took me a while to figure it out. This is what caused it and how to fix it:
When you create a DWVP, SPDesigner adds a parameter called ListID and assigns it the GUID value of the list. I’m sure that you know that in order to make a DVWP ‘portable’ you need to replace ‘ListID’ with ‘ListName’ and the GUID value with the name of the list. This doesn’t break the DVWP’s functionality and lets you use in on any site that has a list with the same name and columns.
However, if you try to edit the filter condition of this ‘portable’ DVWP from the DVWP’s common task pane you’re bound to encounter the above error. The way to recover is to change back ListName to ListID and assign it the GUID value of the list. Once this is done you can make the filter changes and SPDesigner will automatically refresh the DVWP with the correct items. Once you’re satisfied with the query make the DVWP ‘portable’ like you initially did and add it to your site.