SharePoint Update Item is removing unspecified values

[Anonymous]

I have a Flow that is updating some status fields in SharePoint after an approval. Unfortunately, the Update Item step is removing all values in SharePoint for the columns that I don't specify in the Flow. This hasn't been the default behavior for any other Flow I've done. Does anyone know what might be different about this Flow for this to happen?

This is a huge pain since now I have to add the values from the Get Items step for each and every column to make sure the data is persistent.

[Anonymous]

This is definitely not the behavior I have seen.  Could you please post a screenshot of your Flow?  You need to pay attention to the default values of the columns from SharePoint as I've seen sometimes that mess with things.  In your update action, you are saying that if you leave a column value blank but the item has valid existing properties that it removes them?  

[v-zhos-msft]

Hi @Anonymous ,

It seems when you use the 'Update' action to update an item if you leaving a field blank, the field will change to blank after the updating.

Could you please share a screenshot of your flow's configuration?

There is a similar case of yours, please take a reference:

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Building-Flows/Update-SharePoint-Item-Fields-left-blank-in-the-action-are/m-p/306305#M32446

Best Regards,

Community Support Team _ Zhongys

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[Anonymous]

So I've found that as soon as I create the update item it takes a number of columns and adds them to the patch code. I'm only trying to update the two status columns. See the code below I copied from "peek code". I'm also attaching screenshots of the flow configuration. The first screenshot is the Flow configuration. The other three screenshots are what shows up for a Flow that has ran "successfully". I checked other SharePoint Update Item actions from other Flows and they don't demonstrate this behavior. I can't figure out if it's related to the SharePoint list, or the Flow, or something else.

{

"inputs": {

"host": {

"connection": {

"name": "@parameters('$connections')['shared_sharepointonline']['connectionId']"

}

},

"method": "patch",

"body": {

"Title": "",

"Current_x0020_Status": "Pending OSA Approval",

"Extension_x0020_Status": "",

"ID_x0020_Number": "",

"College": "",

"Current_x0020_Program": "",

"Admitted_x0020_Class": "",

"Current_x0020_Class": "",

"Current_x0020_User": "",

"OSA_x0020_Approval_x0020_Status": "Pending OSA Review",

"Registrar_x0020_Ticket_x0020_Num": "",

"Return_x0020_Status": "",

"Approver_x0027_s_x0020_Name": "",

"Approver_x0027_s_x0020_Title": "",

"Extension_x0020_Approver_x0027_s": "",

"Extension_x0020_Approver_x0027_s0": "",

"Email_x0020_Distribution_x0020_L": "",

"Course_x0020_Title": "",

"Units": "",

"Return_x0020_Approver_x0027_s_x0": "",

"Return_x0020_Approver_x0027_s_x00": "",

"Extension_x0020_Approval_x0020_S": "",

"Return_x0020_Approval_x0020_Stat": "",

"Course_x0020_Term": "",

"Course_x0020_Subject_x002f_Numbe": "",

"Title_x0020_of_x0020_Course": "",

"Course_x0020_Units": "",

"Class_x0020_Description": "",

"Request_x0020_Iteration": ""

},

"path": "/datasets/@{encodeURIComponent(encodeURIComponent('https://westernu.sharepoint.com/sites/comp/statuschange'))}/tables/@{encodeURIComponent(encodeURICom...'])}",

"queries": {

"view": "82b7cfd9-de05-4c0b-8b11-1f1cd4d2a74e"

},

"authentication": "@parameters('$authentication')"

},

"metadata": {

"flowSystemMetadata": {

"swaggerOperationId": "PatchItem"

}

}

}

[Anonymous]

I believe I have resolved the issue. It appears to be an issue with columns created as required and InfoPath keeping that orginal config.

When looking at the "peek code" it included a number of columns, even though they weren't required and had no default value. I believe the columns were originally created as required in SharePoint. Even though this was changed it was still reflecting in Flow. To fix this I just deleted all the columns in SP and recreated them with the same name. It was working as intended until I did a data refresh in the InfoPath form. After the data refresh all the columns were again showing as part of the "peek code" of columns that would be over-ridden in the Flow SharePoint Update Item action.

Now I'm working on deleting the affected columns and creating new columns with different names altogether that are not required from the beginning. I've tested with one columns and so far it is looks good, even after InfoPath data refresh.

[v-zhos-msft]

Hi @Anonymous ,

I am glad to hear that your issue was successfully resolved.

If there is anything else we can do for you, please feel free to post in the forum.

Best Regards,

Community Support Team _ Zhongys

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.