diff --git a/app/models/merge_request.rb b/app/models/merge_request.rb
index 158cef642e1488d261c7d300943c5750a8a4a98b..9de5636d9003c46649d656316c8422d7aab6d340 100644
--- a/app/models/merge_request.rb
+++ b/app/models/merge_request.rb
@@ -173,9 +173,9 @@ def merge_request_diff
   after_update :clear_memoized_shas
   after_update :reload_diff_if_branch_changed
   after_save :keep_around_commit, unless: :importing?
+  after_save :save_merge_data_changes
   after_commit :ensure_metrics!, on: [:create, :update], unless: :importing?
   after_commit :expire_etag_cache, unless: :importing?
-  after_commit :save_merge_data_changes
 
   after_find :preload_branches
 
@@ -2757,7 +2757,7 @@ def clear_merge_params(param_keys)
   end
 
   def update_merge_ref_sha(sha)
-    with_merge_data_sync(
+    with_single_transaction_merge_data_sync(
       -> { update_column(:merge_ref_sha, sha) },
       -> do
         # update_column only works if the record is already saved.
@@ -2771,7 +2771,7 @@ def update_merge_ref_sha(sha)
   end
 
   def update_merge_jid(jid)
-    with_merge_data_sync(
+    with_single_transaction_merge_data_sync(
       -> { update_column(:merge_jid, jid) },
       -> do
         # update_column only works if the record is already saved.
@@ -2792,6 +2792,7 @@ def ensure_merge_data
     # id may not have been set if the merge_request got saved after the initial
     #   ensure_merge_data so we need to set merge_request_id here if it is not already set.
     record.merge_request_id ||= id
+    record.project_id ||= target_project_id
     record
   end
 
@@ -2838,6 +2839,22 @@ def with_merge_data_sync(merge_request_block, merge_data_block)
     end
   end
 
+  def with_single_transaction_merge_data_sync(merge_request_block, merge_data_block)
+    if dual_write_to_merge_data_ff_enabled?
+      result = nil
+      ensure_merge_data
+
+      ApplicationRecord.transaction do
+        result = merge_request_block.call
+        merge_data_block.call
+      end
+
+      result
+    else
+      merge_request_block.call
+    end
+  end
+
   def save_merge_data_changes
     return unless dual_write_to_merge_data_ff_enabled?
     return unless merge_data&.changed?
@@ -2845,13 +2862,8 @@ def save_merge_data_changes
     # id is set when merge_request gets saved so we need to manually
     #   set merge_request_id here if it is not already set.
     merge_data.merge_request_id ||= id
+    merge_data.project_id ||= target_project_id
     merge_data.save!
-
-  rescue StandardError => e
-    Gitlab::ErrorTracking.track_exception(e,
-      message: "Failed to save MergeData",
-      merge_request_id: id
-    )
   end
 
   def dual_write_to_merge_data_ff_enabled?
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff.json b/spec/fixtures/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff.json
index 5489330fc1df0bbdcb6fc1559d8bd1ceff0409a5..a1ea901cc19f44a7785c5f9c23577f174ac5428d 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff.json
+++ b/spec/fixtures/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "merge_request_123456789": {
+  "merge_request_12345678": {
     "files": {
       "file_a.rb": [
         {
diff --git a/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb b/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb
index 97be76a51abd9725dbf483643433daa7e6c63cc4..a2a8ca51612532a8e0995da9f22b7314e02e15dc 100644
--- a/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb
@@ -3785,7 +3785,7 @@ def set_compare(merge_request)
 
   describe '#find_codequality_mr_diff_reports' do
     let(:project) { create(:project, :repository) }
-    let(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, :with_codequality_mr_diff_reports, source_project: project, id: 123456789) }
+    let(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, :with_codequality_mr_diff_reports, source_project: project, id: 12345678) }
     let(:pipeline) { merge_request.head_pipeline }
 
     subject(:mr_diff_report) { merge_request.find_codequality_mr_diff_reports }
@@ -8049,17 +8049,13 @@ def transition!
             allow(merge_data).to receive(:save!).and_raise(StandardError)
           end
 
-          it 'saves merge_status on merge_requests and logs the error' do
-            expect(Gitlab::ErrorTracking)
-              .to receive(:track_exception)
-              .with(
-                instance_of(StandardError),
-                message: "Failed to save MergeData",
-                merge_request_id: merge_request.id
-              )
-
-            merge_request.mark_as_preparing!
-            expect(merge_request.reload.merge_status).to eq('preparing')
+          it 'raises exception and does not save merge_status on both merge_requests and merge_data' do
+            expect do
+              merge_request.mark_as_preparing!
+            end.to raise_error(StandardError)
+
+            expect(merge_request.reload.merge_status).to eq(merge_status)
+            expect(merge_data.merge_status).to eq(merge_status)
           end
         end
       end
@@ -8178,27 +8174,14 @@ def transition!
         end
 
         shared_examples 'handles merge_data save failure' do
-          it 'saves merge_request and logs errors if merge_data save fails' do
+          it 'raises exception and does not save merge_request if merge_data save fails' do
             allow_any_instance_of(MergeRequests::MergeData).to receive(:save!).and_raise(StandardError)
 
-            expect(Gitlab::ErrorTracking)
-              .to receive(:track_exception)
-              .with(
-                instance_of(StandardError),
-                hash_including(
-                  message: "Failed to save MergeData",
-                  merge_request_id: be_present
-                )
-              )
-
             expect do
               perform_action
-            end.to change { MergeRequest.count }.by(1)
+            end.to raise_error(StandardError)
+              .and not_change { MergeRequest.count }
               .and not_change { MergeRequests::MergeData.count }
-
-            merge_request.reload
-            expect(merge_request.persisted?).to be_truthy
-            expect(merge_request.merge_data).to be_nil
           end
         end
 
@@ -8256,7 +8239,7 @@ def perform_action
         end
 
         context 'via update' do
-          let(:merge_request) do
+          let!(:merge_request) do
             described_class.create!(
               title: 'Test MR',
               source_project: project,
@@ -8422,8 +8405,8 @@ def perform_action
             merge_request.public_send(method_name, value)
 
             expect(merge_request.read_attribute(attribute)).to eq(value)
-            expect(merge_data.read_attribute(attribute)).to eq(value)
             expect(merge_data.persisted?).to be_truthy
+            expect(merge_data.read_attribute(attribute)).to eq(value)
           end
         end
 
@@ -8441,22 +8424,12 @@ def perform_action
         end
 
         context 'when an exception occurs during merge_data update' do
-          it 'logs the error and still saves merge_request' do
+          it 'raises the error and does not save merge_request' do
             allow(merge_data).to receive(:update_column).and_raise(StandardError)
 
-            expect(Gitlab::ErrorTracking)
-              .to receive(:track_exception)
-              .with(
-                instance_of(StandardError),
-                hash_including(
-                  message: "Failed to sync MergeData",
-                  merge_request_id: be_present
-                )
-              )
-
-            merge_request.public_send(method_name, value)
+            expect { merge_request.public_send(method_name, value) }.to raise_error(StandardError)
 
-            expect(merge_request.reload.read_attribute(attribute)).to eq(value)
+            expect(merge_request.reload.read_attribute(attribute)).not_to eq(value)
             expect(merge_data.reload.read_attribute(attribute)).to be_nil
           end
         end
diff --git a/spec/presenters/ci/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff_presenter_spec.rb b/spec/presenters/ci/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff_presenter_spec.rb
index f4f0990240d06403eff603004f6d118e4b35a742..18b4223c99e5293424cc41cb550aca0e6ab9decf 100644
--- a/spec/presenters/ci/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff_presenter_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/presenters/ci/pipeline_artifacts/code_quality_mr_diff_presenter_spec.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 RSpec.describe Ci::PipelineArtifacts::CodeQualityMrDiffPresenter, feature_category: :code_quality do
   let(:pipeline_artifact) { create(:ci_pipeline_artifact, :with_codequality_mr_diff_report) }
-  let(:merge_request) { double(id: 123456789, new_paths: filenames) }
+  let(:merge_request) { double(id: 12345678, new_paths: filenames) }
 
   subject(:presenter) { described_class.new(pipeline_artifact) }
 
diff --git a/spec/services/ci/generate_codequality_mr_diff_report_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/ci/generate_codequality_mr_diff_report_service_spec.rb
index c33b182e9a9a8ab96411ce112fe63a94c028707e..c981596b9672059b90ed808046b5448e5f53f422 100644
--- a/spec/services/ci/generate_codequality_mr_diff_report_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/ci/generate_codequality_mr_diff_report_service_spec.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
     subject { service.execute(base_pipeline, head_pipeline) }
 
     context 'when head pipeline has codequality mr diff report' do
-      let!(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, :with_codequality_mr_diff_reports, source_project: project, id: 123456789) }
+      let!(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, :with_codequality_mr_diff_reports, source_project: project, id: 12345678) }
       let!(:service) { described_class.new(project, nil, id: merge_request.id) }
       let!(:head_pipeline) { merge_request.head_pipeline }
       let!(:base_pipeline) { nil }