SharePoint Site Column on PowerApps Form

[kayleegoose]

I created a site column, because that has been my workaround for lookup columns to different sites, because nothing can ever be easy. 

I tried to create a PowerApps form, but the site column does not show on the form.

Here's the structure: 

Internal Site collection contains a list of Offices. 

Site Column is lookup column for Offices. 

Created list on Subsite of internal site collection. 

I wanted to do this so I can maintain ONE list of Offices across the company if there are ever new offices or offices close. 

For the love of god, why can't we just create lookup columns that span the entire site? Why might I have to buy some third party software to be able to accomplish this? 

[bdc604]

Yep, just ran into this problem myself. I don't think the new devs even now what a site column is for... I mean, they thought ppl were creating subsites solely for navigation reasons.

Their answer of course will be to stop making subsites, and start making side sites. Maybe they'll suggest replicating entire lists across all of these side sites. Very efficient!

Or maybe they think SharePoint is for hosting the company newsletter. They don't seem to have any clue about structured business data, or if they do, have the talent left in house to implement. I suggest throwing your thoughts into that black hole they call UserVoice, might make it on to the 20 year roadmap.

[Shanescows · Accepted solution]

Hi @kayleegoose here is a video on how I handle Lookups in PowerApps. I hope it helps. I have not tried Site Columns before. Been a long time since I used those. 🙂 

[bdc604]

Shanecows video perfectly addresses this issue in detail, gotta go watch his other videos now to see what I’m missing out on.

[bdc604]

Question tho: any changes to the source list will not flow down to records using this method? Is it not just copying the text value displayed in the lookup / dropdown and saving that into any new records?

[Shanescows]

My method is just using the ID so if you change the source metadata but leave the ID then your changes will flow down. Unless I am miss understanding the question. 

[Andy_Tuke]

I've just hit this one for the first time, it looks like site columns in SharePoint lists arent supported by PowerApps at the moment.  I was trying to do exactly the same as the original poster and create a central 'Customer' list with look up columns used in multiple places in subsites.  The only solution i can think of at the moment is to let PowerApps manage all the logic and simply hold the ID of the source in a number field of the column.  

[johandezeeuw]

Dear Shane - I have looked at your video which is super usefull!

I can follow and create a dropdown from a list on another site (used as site column in my main list).

My issue is that once I want to amend the "update" function, the SharePoint (site) column is not visible to the list where I want to update the data to?

Am I doing something wrong?

[neds]

Shane - just watched the video and great job - fun too!  I think the concern is not in the Power App itself but in previously entered data stored as text in the main sharepoint list.  If I change an item in the refered list (but not the ID) then the updated field or column value will work in power apps, but the old items in the main list will not get updated as they are simply stored as text values and not linked list to list?

[Anonymous]

I also learned a lot from Shane's video, but this is still a partial solution for us.  Our unique Id for the lookup list item is actually a GUID, so if I store that in the referencing list, it means I can't see a meaningful value in the list view (as opposed to the form) where multiple list items show up.  I also can't filter or sort on something that makes sense to the user.  The only solution I see is to copy what would normally be associated lookup fields on the Site Column.  As neds pointed out, if the source list changes for any of these, I'll be out of synch.

I don't know of a way to tailor the list view to address this.  Any ideas?