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Update Item isn't working after the first update

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Posted on by S S

212 Season of Giving Solutions 2025

I was using a flow and Update Item but it worked once then when I edited the item again 30 minutes later, it didn't update the field. It said my change conflicted with another user (that would be me 30 minutes ago). That's why I resorted back to calculated columns but calculated columns only recognized the Yes value and not the then value.

Not sure why my calculated column does not recognize the 'then' response?

=IF([Status]>9/30/2025,"Yes","No")

Does any one know why my flow isn't working after the first time or why the calculated column isn't seeing the then response?

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Sam_Fawzi 904 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hey @SS-21042158-0,

Hope the explanation below helps you resolve the issue.

1. Why Update item only worked once / conflict error
What is happening
The sequence is typically:

The user edits a SharePoint list item.

A Power Automate flow triggers (e.g., When an item is modified) and performs Update item.

The user edits the item again later, but SharePoint shows a conflict such as:
“Your changes conflict with another user’s changes.”

This happens because SharePoint detects that the item was modified by the flow between the time the user opened the form and when they clicked Save again.
Cause 1: Concurrency / stale version issue
SharePoint versioning sees two writes:

User opens the form → Version N

Flow updates the item → Version N+1

User saves outdated form → Conflict

Fixes:

Close and reopen the list item before editing to avoid stale versions.

In the flow, use Get item immediately before Update item and only update the fields that need to change.

References:

Power Automate SharePoint connector:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/sharepoint-connector

Get item / Update item actions overview:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/sharepointonline/

Cause 2: The flow overwrites the user’s edits
If the flow triggers on item modified and immediately updates all fields:

It can overwrite user changes.

It may retrigger itself, causing looping or repeated updates.

Fixes:

Only update the necessary fields — avoid sending all fields into Update item.

Add a Condition so the flow updates only under specific circumstances (e.g., update only once, or only when a field is empty).

Reference:

Conditions and control actions in Power Automate:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/add-condition

Avoiding infinite loops with SharePoint triggers:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/sharepoint-trigger-introduction#preventing-infinite-loops

Short explanation you can use: That error occurs because the flow changed the item after you opened it. When you save, SharePoint sees a version conflict. Refresh the item before editing and make sure the flow retrieves the latest version and updates only the fields it owns.

2. Why the calculated column
=IF([Status]>9/30/2025,"Yes","No")
doesn’t work
Problem 1: SharePoint does not interpret 9/30/2025 as a date
In SharePoint calculated columns, a value like 9/30/2025 is treated as math:
9 ÷ 30 ÷ 2025
This results in a tiny number, which will never be greater than a Date/Time value.
You must use DATE() or DATEVALUE().
Correct formulas
If [Status] is a Date and Time column:
=IF([Status] > DATE(2025,9,30),"Yes","No")
or:
=IF([Status] > DATEVALUE("2025-09-30"),"Yes","No")
Problem 2: [Status] might not be a date column
If [Status] is a Choice/Text field, comparing it to a date will not work.

Confirm that [Status] is a Date and Time column.

References:

SharePoint calculated column formulas:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/general-development/column-formulas

SharePoint calculated column functions, including DATE and DATEVALUE:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/general-development/column-formulas#datevalue

Date column types in SharePoint:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/create-lists#create-a-date-and-time-column

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S S 212 Season of Giving Solutions 2025 on at

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@Sam_Fawzi Hi Sam, Thank you for looking into this. I understand what you're saying about users changes conflicting. I was mimicking what end users would do which is make changes too fast. I have it in data sheet view to make it easier for the end users but every time they leave a row, SharePoint tries to save changes. They won't close and reopen the list either so I may have to come up with another plan.

I filtered Get Items and put Update Item after Get Items

Still no joy.

Then when I changed the calculated column I get a conflict: =IF([Joint Staff Insider Threat Awareness (JS-US072)]>DATE(2025,9,30),"Yes","No")

Error Message:

Save Conflict.
Your changes conflict with those made concurrently by another user. If you want your changes to be applied, click Back in your Web browser, refresh the page, and resubmit your changes.

My plan now is to have the end user manually populate a Status column (Choice field: Current or Late), then I'll make my PBI report from there.

What I am doing though is reading up on the references that you sent me. I may have made an error somewhere. I'll go over your instructions and try again.

Thanks again for all your help. Much appreciated.

Respectfully,

Sharon

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Sam_Fawzi 904 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hey @ SS-21042158-0 / Sharon,

One more idea that may help before you fully switch to the manual Status field: try adding a short delay (e.g., 1 minute or more depends on your users behaviour) right after the trigger.
Because Grid View saves so frequently, the flow is often trying to update the item at the exact same time SharePoint is still committing the user’s edits. A delay gives SharePoint time to finish writing the latest version before the flow runs.
Something like:

When an item is modified

Delay — 1 minute

Get item (latest version)

Update item (only the fields the flow owns)

This doesn’t solve every concurrency issue, but it can significantly reduce the number of “conflict with another user” errors, especially in fast editing scenarios like grid view.
If you try it and still see conflicts, then the manual Status choice field is the safer long-term approach. let me know if you need help with this option.

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S S 212 Season of Giving Solutions 2025 on at

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@Sam_Fawzi Excellent idea. I will try that. Thanks!

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S S 212 Season of Giving Solutions 2025 on at

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@Sam_Fawzi I updated my flow and added the delay. I modified one item and the run history showed

Then when I resubmitted the flow, it ran successfully even past the second delay without issue

Unfortunately it still wanted me to resubmit the flow after the first Get Items. I'm going to keep working on this. I think its getting closer. Thank you. Your help is very much appreciated.

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S S 212 Season of Giving Solutions 2025 on at

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@Sam_Fawzi

It worked!! And I didn't have to resubmit the flow. I just waited and then later refreshed the SPO list and the updates appeared. THANK YOU

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Sam_Fawzi 904 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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He @S-21042158-0 /Sharon

Glad to hear it worked! Sometimes SharePoint takes a little while to sync changes, so a refresh usually does the trick. Thanks for confirming—it’s great that you didn’t have to resubmit the flow!

Have a great Day!

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