diff --git a/lib/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehavior.js b/lib/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehavior.js
index 8689d2ad..ce3d0d96 100644
--- a/lib/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehavior.js
+++ b/lib/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehavior.js
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ import inherits from 'inherits';
 
 import CommandInterceptor from 'diagram-js/lib/command/CommandInterceptor';
 
-import { is } from '../../../util/ModelUtil';
+import {
+  getBusinessObject,
+  is
+} from '../../../util/ModelUtil';
 
 import { isAny } from '../util/ModelingUtil';
 
@@ -20,9 +23,9 @@ export default function DataStoreBehavior(
 
   commandStack.registerHandler('dataStore.updateContainment', UpdateSemanticParentHandler);
 
-  function getFirstParticipant() {
+  function getFirstParticipantWithProcessRef() {
     return elementRegistry.filter(function(element) {
-      return is(element, 'bpmn:Participant');
+      return is(element, 'bpmn:Participant') && getBusinessObject(element).processRef;
     })[0];
   }
 
@@ -35,7 +38,7 @@ export default function DataStoreBehavior(
   function updateDataStoreParent(dataStore, newDataStoreParent) {
     var dataStoreBo = dataStore.businessObject || dataStore;
 
-    newDataStoreParent = newDataStoreParent || getFirstParticipant();
+    newDataStoreParent = newDataStoreParent || getFirstParticipantWithProcessRef();
 
     if (newDataStoreParent) {
       var newDataStoreParentBo = newDataStoreParent.businessObject || newDataStoreParent;
diff --git a/test/spec/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehavior.empty-pool.bpmn b/test/spec/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehavior.empty-pool.bpmn
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a3a13064
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/spec/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehavior.empty-pool.bpmn
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<bpmn:definitions xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:bpmn="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" id="Definitions_1" targetNamespace="http://bpmn.io/schema/bpmn" exporter="Camunda Modeler" exporterVersion="1.15.0-dev" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL BPMN20.xsd">
+  <bpmn:collaboration id="Collaboration">
+    <bpmn:participant id="Participant" />
+    <bpmn:participant id="Participant_2" processRef="Process_2" />
+  </bpmn:collaboration>
+  <bpmn:process id="Process_2" isExecutable="false" />
+  <bpmndi:BPMNDiagram id="BPMNDiagram_1">
+    <bpmndi:BPMNPlane id="BPMNPlane_1" bpmnElement="Collaboration">
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Participant_di" bpmnElement="Participant" isHorizontal="false">
+        <dc:Bounds x="42" y="46" width="600" height="250" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+      <bpmndi:BPMNShape id="Participant_066vvzt_di" bpmnElement="Participant_2">
+        <dc:Bounds x="42" y="514" width="600" height="250" />
+      </bpmndi:BPMNShape>
+    </bpmndi:BPMNPlane>
+  </bpmndi:BPMNDiagram>
+</bpmn:definitions>
diff --git a/test/spec/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehaviorSpec.js b/test/spec/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehaviorSpec.js
index 1a50c65f..74c3d890 100644
--- a/test/spec/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehaviorSpec.js
+++ b/test/spec/features/modeling/behavior/DataStoreBehaviorSpec.js
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ describe('features/modeling/behavior - data store', function() {
     }));
 
 
-    it('should create DataStoreReference on sub process', inject(function(elementRegistry, modeling, bpmnjs) {
+    it('should create DataStoreReference on sub process', inject(function(elementRegistry, modeling) {
 
       // give
       var subProcessElement = elementRegistry.get('SubProcess'),
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ describe('features/modeling/behavior - data store', function() {
     }));
 
 
-    it('should create DataStoreReference on collaboration', inject(function(elementRegistry, modeling, bpmnjs) {
+    it('should create DataStoreReference on collaboration', inject(function(elementRegistry, modeling) {
 
       // give
       var collaborationElement = elementRegistry.get('Collaboration'),
@@ -95,6 +95,41 @@ describe('features/modeling/behavior - data store', function() {
       expect(dataStoreReference.dataStoreRef).not.to.exist;
     }));
 
+
+    describe('empty pool', function() {
+
+      var processDiagramXML = require('./DataStoreBehavior.empty-pool.bpmn');
+
+      beforeEach(bootstrapModeler(processDiagramXML, { modules: testModules }));
+
+      it('should create DataStoreReference on collaboration if first participant is an empty pool',
+        inject(function(elementRegistry, modeling) {
+
+          // give
+          var collaboration = elementRegistry.get('Collaboration'),
+              participantWithProcess = elementRegistry.get('Participant_2').businessObject;
+
+          // when
+          var dataStoreShape = modeling.createShape(
+            { type: 'bpmn:DataStoreReference' },
+            { x: 420, y: 370 },
+            collaboration
+          );
+
+          var dataStoreReference = dataStoreShape.businessObject;
+
+          // then
+          // reference correctly wired
+          expect(dataStoreReference.$parent).to.exist;
+          expect(dataStoreReference.$parent).to.eql(participantWithProcess.processRef);
+          expect(participantWithProcess.processRef.flowElements).to.contain(dataStoreReference);
+
+          // no actual data store created
+          expect(dataStoreReference.dataStoreRef).not.to.exist;
+        })
+      );
+    });
+
   });
 
 
@@ -105,7 +140,7 @@ describe('features/modeling/behavior - data store', function() {
     beforeEach(bootstrapModeler(processDiagramXML, { modules: testModules }));
 
 
-    it('should move DataStoreReference to Participant', inject(function(elementRegistry, modeling, bpmnjs) {
+    it('should move DataStoreReference to Participant', inject(function(elementRegistry, modeling) {
 
       // give
       var participantElement = elementRegistry.get('Participant'),
@@ -123,7 +158,7 @@ describe('features/modeling/behavior - data store', function() {
 
 
     it('should move DataStoreReference from partipant to Collaboration keeping parent particpant', inject(
-      function(elementRegistry, modeling, bpmnjs) {
+      function(elementRegistry, modeling) {
 
         // give
         var collaborationElement = elementRegistry.get('Collaboration'),
@@ -143,7 +178,7 @@ describe('features/modeling/behavior - data store', function() {
 
 
     it('should move DataStoreReference from subprocess to Collaboration keeping parent particpant', inject(
-      function(elementRegistry, modeling, bpmnjs) {
+      function(elementRegistry, modeling) {
 
         // give
         var collaborationElement = elementRegistry.get('Collaboration'),
@@ -163,7 +198,7 @@ describe('features/modeling/behavior - data store', function() {
 
 
     it('should move without changing parent', inject(
-      function(elementRegistry, modeling, bpmnjs) {
+      function(elementRegistry, modeling) {
 
         // give
         var collaborationElement = elementRegistry.get('Collaboration'),