Description:
The new Virtual Table creation wizard has simplified the process of creating Virtual Tables from SQL or SharePoint for users. With this new feature, developers no longer need to spend time and effort writing plugins or code to establish connections with SQL Server and SharePoint. The process of creating Virtual Tables has been streamlined, allowing users to easily configure the necessary settings and parameters through an intuitive graphical user interface. This improvement not only saves developers time and effort, but also ensures that the process is accessible to a wider range of users with varying levels of technical expertise. Ultimately, this enhancement can contribute to increased efficiency and productivity within organizations that rely on the use of Virtual Tables.
What is Virtual Table:
A virtual table is designed to display data from an external source. Despite appearing as regular table rows to users, virtual tables source their data from an external database, such as an Azure SQL Database or SharePoint Lists. By utilizing virtual tables in Dataverse, creators can seamlessly incorporate data from external sources such as SQL and SharePoint without the need to migrate the data into Dataverse. These virtual tables behave like standard Dataverse tables, allowing creators to establish relationships between them and other tables within Dataverse. Additionally, creators can directly work with data from SQL within a model-driven app by leveraging virtual tables.
Steps:
There are 2 ways from which we can create Virtual Tables:
For SQL Server:
Azure SQL Table:
Steps to create Virtual Table from SQL Server:
- Navigate to make.powerapps.com. Select Table and click on New Table from external data.
- It will open New Table from external data wizard. Create/Update connection for SQL Server.
- It will navigate to connections in Power Platform.
- It will display various options to create connection to SQL Server.
- Choose 1 of them and fill required details.
- Once SQL Server Connection is created it will be displayed as follow:
- In Connection Details, Select Server Name and Database Name where table is present.
- In Data tab, it will display all tables present in SQL Database.
- In Configuration tab, it will show preview of Virtual table with Primary Field, Logical name and Fields/Columns. Click on Next and Finish.
- Virtual Table will get created in Dataverse.
For SharePoint:
SharePoint List:
Steps:
- Navigate to make.powerapps.com. Select Table and click on New Table from external data.
- Connection tab will ask for SharePoint connection. Select existing or create new SharePoint connection.
- Once connection is done, in Connection Details tab select SharePoint Url in which list has been created.
- Select SharePoint List on which table should get created.
- In Configuration tab, Preview table and Field/Column mappings. Click on Next and Finish.
- Virtual Table will get created.
Benefits:
- With the new Virtual Table creation wizard, developers no longer have to write plugins or code to create Virtual Tables from SQL Databases or SharePoint.
- Any changes made in the external data source are automatically updated in the Virtual Table, and vice versa.
- The new wizard streamlines the process of creating Virtual Tables, making it easier and requiring less time compared to the classic approach.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the new Virtual Table creation wizard offers an accessible and streamlined approach to creating Virtual Tables from SQL or SharePoint, eliminating the need for developers to write plugins or code. By simplifying the process and making it more user-friendly, this enhancement can save time and effort for developers, while increasing productivity and efficiency within organizations that rely on Virtual Tables. Overall, this improvement represents a significant step towards making data management and integration more efficient and accessible to a wider range of users.