How to get Filter results to show all columns in Teams Dataverse

[Ichinova]

In my App OnStart, I set a variable based on the results of a filter statement. 

Set(Requests,Filter('Travel - Requests', 'Created By'.'Primary Email' = CurrentUser.Email));

At this time I can look at the table Requests and see all the columns from the Travel - Requests table. 

Later I do a simple Patch where I update a single column of a record, then I re-run the above Set statement, but this time Requests only shows the GUIDs of the rows. It has the correct number of rows still. It's just that it doesn't return any of my columns. I know I can do ShowColumns, but I have at least 25 columns and I think when I use show columns it switches to using the internal name everywhere (ex: cr245_requeststatus) which is a total pain. It looks like there used to be a setting to "Explicit Column Selection", but it doesn't look like this setting is there in Teams Dataverse. 

What are my options here? 

[poweractivate · Accepted solution]

From the details you provided, it sounds like you might be encountering an unusual behavior in Power Apps when dealing with Microsoft Teams' built-in version of Dataverse.

If the column data disappears after performing a Patch operation, you could be encountering a known issue or limitation with Power Apps and/or Dataverse for Teams. 

Here are some troubleshooting steps you can take:

1. Refresh: Try using the Refresh function before re-running the Set command. This might help in updating the data source.

Patch('Travel - Requests', {Your Patch Operation});
Refresh('Travel - Requests');
Set(Requests, Filter('Travel - Requests', 'Created By'.'Primary Email' = CurrentUser.Email));

2. ClearCollect: As an alternative, try using ClearCollect instead of Set. ClearCollect creates a local collection of data which can sometimes help avoid odd data behavior.

ClearCollect(Requests, Filter('Travel - Requests', 'Created By'.'Primary Email' = CurrentUser.Email));

If the issue persists, please provide some more details in case, and see if you can test on #3 as well even as a trial environment:
3. Try on the full version of Dataverse. The full version is typically referred to as "Microsoft Dataverse" or simply "Dataverse", while the version included with Teams is often called "Dataverse for Teams".

Microsoft Dataverse offers more features and capabilities than Dataverse for Teams, which is a more streamlined version designed specifically for use within Microsoft Teams.

If you're experiencing issues with Dataverse for Teams, testing your app with Microsoft Dataverse could be a worthwhile step. It could help you determine whether the issue is specific to Dataverse for Teams or if it's something that might be happening with Dataverse in general.

However, bear in mind that transitioning an app from Dataverse for Teams to Microsoft Dataverse may not be a straightforward process. They use different environments and have different capabilities. You may need to recreate or significantly modify your app to make it work in the full Dataverse environment.

Also, Dataverse has additional costs associated with it, while Dataverse for Teams is included as part of Microsoft Teams at no extra charge. You may want to consider these factors before making a final decision.

You may want to try it on a trial Dataverse, and with only recreating the specific part of the app that is problematic, and recreating a narrow set of mock data in the Dataverse trial, then seeing if that's indeed the problem first, before making a decision as to whether or not to purchase the whole Dataverse and move everything over to a full Dataverse. 

Check with your organization if you are allowed to do this, and it's possible you'll need to ask someone else with the proper privileges to do this for you. Then, have you (or them) follow these instructions to create a new trial environment with the full Dataverse on it (reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/create-environment)

a. After making sure this is allowed for you to do, try the following: as a Global Administrator or as someone who has the Environment Admin role Sign in to the Power Platform admin center at https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com as an admin (Dynamics 365 admin, Global admin, or Power Platform admin).

b. In the navigation pane, select Environments, and then select New.

c. Enter the following, and then select Save.

Name  -- The name of your environment.
Region  -- Choose a region for the environment.
Type  -- You can choose production or trial. You should try and choose Trial for now.
Purpose  -- A description of the environment.
Add a Dataverse data store -- Select Yes.

See if it helps @Ichinova 

[Ichinova · Accepted solution]

@poweractivate - Those are good suggestions. Especially with using ClearCollect. I was able to find a workaround by doing a Patch on all columns (instead of just the one I wanted to updated) before doing the Filter call. Now it correctly shows all columns in my Requests variable. I guess the way Power Apps determines which fields are being used is based on the last Patch call or something? For now this is working, but I'll keep your other suggestions in mind because I'll surely come across this limitation again. 

[Ichinova]

@poweractivate - I went back and updated my code to use ClearCollect and that seems to work better than Set. It is returning all my columns as expected. Thanks!