Excel Online (business) Connector how to use in PowerApps

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Posted on by lmheimendinger

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@Mr-Dang-MSFT

I am rather stumped trying to use this connector in PowerApps. I was able to easily use if in Flow; all the required values just appeared. I tried cutting and pasting those values into a PowerApps expression but no luck. So I am asking the following questions:

How does one get values for string source,string drive, string file, etc.? GetDrives does not seem to be supported in PowerApps, e.g.
How does one use say GetTables (string source, string drive, string file, [internal][Optional]string $select) in PowerApps? Would it be used with ClearCollect() or a function that creates an arrary? Does this function return all rows of the Excel table?
To add a row in a table, would one use Patch() and GetTables (string source, string drive, string file, [internal][Optional]string $select)?

What would be most helpful is an example of how to access a table stored in a SharePoint library, in say a folder in thaet library. Additionally, how would such a table have one or more rows of new data added to it?

Thanks in advance. I have been stumped often in PowerApps but as often have hacked my way out or found a helfpful hint on a post or blog, but not this time.

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Mr-Dang-MSFT on at

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If I'm understanding this right, you had started your learning with the Excel Online (business) connector from Flow, and you'd like to transfer that knowledge to PowerApps.

In PowerApps, you would connect an Excel table through the OneDrive for Business connector (or Dropbox, Google Drive, or anywhere that can hold the xlsx file).

As you have mentioned, in PowerApps you could use:

ClearCollect(name of a collection, name of the table)

This brings in up to the first 500 records from the Excel table into PowerApps locally. Then you could reference the collection across the app. Note that collections are local to your device/browser.

You can also point controls that take tables such as dropdowns, comboboxes, galleries directly to the table. For instance, I could point a gallery's Items property to the table's name.

There's lots of examples of the Patch statement that I've answered in different contexts. You can try doing a search for mr-dang or Mr-Dang-MSFT with the word Patch. The general pattern is like this:

Patch(name of your table, record to update or a blank record, { column1: new value } )

Can you clarify which part of Patch you're wondering more about?

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lmheimendinger 260 on at

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My question is aimed at Excel Online (Business) connector not the OneDrive for Business connector. In the latter, when the connector is added, you specify the .xlsx file. In the former, the connector is just added with no additional information. However, a number of methods do appear when entering expressions. There is a document giving some information about them at Excel-Online-(Business).

Let me reference one of those methods, GetTables. Here is what PowerApps is asking as i try to use this method:
How do i determine the values for drive, file, source as shown in the PowerApps prompt? And, correspondingly, how do I get the table loaded for access? ClearCollect('ExcelOnline(Business)".GetTables(..) or something else?

In Flow it's dead bang easy. All of the options just show up as dymanic data. And yes, I did try copying those values and pasting them into the PowerApps expression, but all were rejected.

Maybe the overarching question I should be asking is: if I use OneDrive for Business connector, how can I get it to ALWAYS reference just one user's instance of that? Because that does not seem to work properly, I have switched to ExcelOnline(Business) connector, but of course am not getting that to work either.

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lmheimendinger 260 on at

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@Mr-Dang-MSFT

Hope you might be able to comment on my previous post, referring to ExcelOnline(Business). Still stumped.

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Mr-Dang-MSFT on at

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Hi @lmheimendinger,

I've not used the Excel connector in this way and I am testing it out. I am checking if this endpoint is flow-only.

Is there any reason why you are not using getting the Excel data through OneDrive?

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lmheimendinger 260 on at

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Yes. If a different user needs to modify the app it switches to that users one drive and that is not workable. It's easy but not what fits in to business model. Flow seems to be easy to use with excel online business connector but not with powerapps. It may turn out you will be the first successful user!

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Mr-Dang-MSFT on at

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@lmheimendinger, the Excel Online for Business connector is not meant for PowerApps. The OneDrive/DropBox/Google Drive connectors would be the way to access an xlsx file in PowerApps.

That being said, if you still want to use the Excel connector, you can run a flow and return its response into PowerApps.

Here's an example with another connector but the end is the still the same:

https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/return-an-array-from-flow-to-powerapps-response-method/

In PowerApps you'd connect the flow to a button and collect the response of the flow using something like this:

ClearCollect(collection_name,flow_name.Run())

You can name the collection anything you want.

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lmheimendinger 260 on at

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It shows up as a connector in PowerApps, so one would assume.... just sayin'.

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Mr-Dang-MSFT on at

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No worries @lmheimendinger, I'd already given the team a heads up 😊

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m3ngi3 725 on at

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Agree with @lmheimendinger. I saw this PowerApps connector and thought I could use it to connect to any Excel File anywhere by specifying the Source but no luck up until now.

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Community Power Pla... on at

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Thanks Mr. Dang.

I could apply the same technique that you have shown to get a table from excel online for business, and with some initial hiccups (as usual), I could get this to work.

It makes me wonder, as to why Microsoft has made it easier to get en excel table stored OneDrive, but havent provided an wasy way out to get the table data from excel online for business.

Much appreciate your help. Cheers !!

Rgds,
-RamP

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