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Posted on by RS-29010719-0

I'm not sure if this topic fits into this forum, but I'll try my luck.

I've built a flow which takes daily swipes from a desktop based system and imports them into a SharePoint list. There will be one record per day per colleague, so approx 800 records per day. So it will be around 4000 records per week (taking into account days off). Each record which is imported is linked to a lookup list which contains each individuals line manager. What I was hoping to do is create a list view per department and limit access to managers within that department, however after some research it appears it's not possible to have View level permissions. My next thought is to assign item level permission to each record, giving only access to each individuals line manager. However, I believe anything over 3000 records of item level permissions can hamper performance. I'd only need 2 weeks worth of data at a time, before it gets archived, but this is still 8000 records in the system at any one time.

What are people's thoughts on the best way to proceed please?

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wolenberg_ 1,476 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello @RS-29010719-0 , You're right that SharePoint doesn’t support view-level permissions, and item-level permissions beyond ~5,000 unique scopes can severely impact performance. The best approach is to use filtered views with audience targeting or folder-based security, combined with archiving strategies to keep the list lean.

Recommended Strategy for Managing Departmental Access

1. Use Folder-Based Permissions

Instead of assigning permissions per item, organize your list into folders per department:

• Create folders like HR, Finance, Operations, etc.
• Set unique permissions on each folder for relevant managers
• Use Power Automate to route incoming records into the correct folder based on department

This reduces the number of unique permission scopes and improves performance.

2. Use Audience Targeting with Modern Views

If you're using SharePoint Online, enable audience targeting:

• Create views filtered by department
• Enable audience targeting on the list and views
• Assign Microsoft 365 groups or security groups to each audience

This doesn’t restrict access but hides irrelevant data, improving usability.

3. Archive Older Records

To keep the list performant:

• Use Power Automate to move records older than 2 weeks to an archive list or document library
• Archive lists can have relaxed permissions or be read-only

This keeps your active list under the 3,000–5,000 item threshold.

Summary

• Avoid item-level permissions for large lists
• Use folders with unique permissions or audience-targeted views
• Archive old records to keep the list lean
• Consider Power Apps for dynamic filtering and access control

Sources:

1. Microsoft Learn – Manage Permission Scopes in SharePoint

2. Connecting Software – SharePoint Permission Limits

3. Stack Overflow – SharePoint Item-Level Access Performance

If this helped or could help others in the community, feel free to give it a like or kudo — it helps surface useful answers for everyone!

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WarrenBelz 154,797 Most Valuable Professional on at

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Hi @RS-29010719-0,

I am not sure whether your question is about the Power Apps (the focus of this forum) or SharePoint view capability. If you are talking about SharePoint, then go with what @wolenberg_ has posted.

If Power Apps, you can certainly filter any number of records based on Single Line of Text fields such as Department and whether the user is a Manager. You can also make these in View Mode (read only) if you wish As an example, if you had a reference list with the Manager's Email, Department and a Text field Yes or No if a manager. At App OnStart
Set( gblUser, LookUp( ReferenceList, EmailAddress = User().Email ) )

You would then navigate to the view only if
gblUser.IsManager = "Yes"

Then the Gallery Filter
Filter( YourMainList, Department = gblUser.Department )

If you only wanted two weeks of data, you would put this also at App OnStart
Set( gbl2Weeks, Today() - 14 )

and then your Filter
Filter( YourMainList, Department = gblUser.Department && Created >= gbl2Weeks )

Although I mentioned any sized list, for performance reasons it is better to keep SP record numbers under 100- 150k (you can do less if you want), so probably archive anything over a year old.

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RS-29010719-0 69 on at

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@wolenberg_

Many thanks for the advice. I'm a bit unsure about the first section 'Folder-based permissions'. Currently all the data is dropping into 1 SharePoint list. Are you saying I'd have to create multiple lists, each one within it's own folder?

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wolenberg_ 1,476 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello,

In a SharePoint list, you can create folders just like in a document library. Each folder acts as a container for list items, and you can assign unique permissions to each folder.

So instead of creating separate lists for each department, you:

• Create folders like Finance, HR, IT, etc. inside your existing list
• Set folder-level permissions so only relevant managers can access their department’s folder
• Use Power Automate to route incoming records into the correct folder based on department

How to Set It Up

1. Enable Folders in Your List

• Go to your SharePoint list settings
• Under Advanced settings, set “Make ‘New Folder’ command available” to Yes

2. Create Folders for Each Department

• In the list view, click New > Folder
• Name folders by department (e.g., Operations, Sales, HR)

3. Assign Unique Permissions

• Click the folder’s ⋮ > Manage Access
• Stop inheriting permissions
• Grant access only to the relevant managers or groups

4. Route Items with Power Automate

• In your flow, use the Create item action
• Specify the folder path in the Folder Path field (e.g., Finance/)

Let me know if you’d like help building the folder-routing flow or setting up permissions. And if this helped or could help others in the community, feel free to give it a like or kudo — it helps surface useful answers for everyone!

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RS-29010719-0 69 on at

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@wolenberg_

That's great. I've set up 3 folders so far for testing & get myself familiar with working with folders.

When I've create them I just get blank rows, with a folder symbol at the end. Is this correct? How would users identify which folder they're clicking into?

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RS-29010719-0 69 on at

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@wolenberg_

I've found how to display the folder title by showing the title.

My first question about this method is - I was going to create a daily automation to email individual managers any swipe exceptions. Will it be possible for me to do this as a whole for the full SP list, or will I now have to create a separate flow for each folder within the list?

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RS-29010719-0 69 on at

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@wolenberg_

Thank you for your help with this. I've now set up 6 folders with individual permissions, so I'm now going to have to change my flow to get the data into the correct folders. Below is my flow. Essentially it brings in a spreadsheet, checks the existing records in the SP list, then decides if the record exists (if so update it) or if it's new (if so create a new record). I can change my import spreadsheet to include the department name to match the department folders I've created in the list.

I have a few questions:

When I'm checking if the item exists (Get Items) can I look at the list globally as opposed to looking in each folder individually?

When the flow moves past the condition to either add new or update, do I need to do 6 conditions depending on which folder the record should be moving to? Or is there a quicker way to do that?

How do I reference the folders within the flow, so the data drops into the correct folder?

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wolenberg_ 1,476 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi, Yes — you can check the list globally using Get items, and you don’t need 6 separate conditions. You can dynamically route records to folders using the Path field in the SharePoint actions. Here's how to streamline your flow.

Global Lookup with “Get items”
You do not need to query each folder separately. The Get items action searches the entire list, regardless of folder structure — as long as your filter logic is correct.

Use a filter like:

EmployeeID eq '12345'

This will return matching items across all folders.

Single Condition with Dynamic Folder Routing

Instead of 6 separate conditions, use one condition to check if the item exists, and then use a dynamic variable to route the record to the correct folder.
Example:

Add a column in your Excel file called Department

In your flow, set a variable:

Set variable: varFolderPath = Department

Use this in the Create item action:

Under Folder Path, enter:

/Lists/YourListName/varFolderPath/

You may need to use expression syntax like:

concat('/Lists/YourListName/', variables('varFolderPath'), '/')

This way, your flow automatically places each record in the correct folder based on the department.

Summary

Can I check globally?

✅ Yes, Get items searches all folders

Do I need 6 conditions?

❌ No, use one condition + dynamic folder path

How to reference folders?

Use Folder Path or REST API with FileDirRef

If this helped or could help others in the community, feel free to give it a like or kudo — it helps surface useful answers for everyone!

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RS-29010719-0 69 on at

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@wolenberg_ thank you. I'm a bit confused about adding folder path to the create item because there is no section to add a folder path. Am I missing something?

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wolenberg_ 1,476 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hey there, You're not missing anything — the standard “Create item” action in Power Automate for SharePoint lists does not expose a “Folder Path” field by default. To create items inside folders, you need to use a workaround like the SharePoint REST API or switch to a document library.

Unlike document libraries, SharePoint lists don’t expose folder paths directly in the “Create item” action. That’s why you don’t see a field to specify the folder. But folders do exist in lists, and you can target them using advanced methods.

Two Ways to Create Items in a List Folder

Option 1: Use “Send an HTTP Request to SharePoint”

This method gives you full control over where the item goes.

1. Add the “Send an HTTP request to SharePoint” action.
2. Use this configuration:

Method: POST URL: https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('YourList')/items Headers: Accept: application/json;odata=verbose Content-Type: application/json;odata=verbose Body: { "__metadata": { "type": "SP.Data.YourListItem" }, "Title": "Record Title", "Department": "Finance", "FileDirRef": "/sites/yoursite/Lists/YourList/Finance" }

Replace "Finance" with your folder name dynamically using a variable or expression.

This tells SharePoint to place the item inside the folder named Finance.

Option 2: Use a Document Library Instead

If your data structure allows it, consider switching to a document library:

• Document libraries do expose the “Folder Path” field in Power Automate.
• You can use the standard “Create file” or “Create item” actions and specify the folder directly.

This is simpler and more user-friendly if your data includes attachments or structured documents.

If this helped or could help others in the community, feel free to give it a like or kudo — it helps surface useful answers for everyone!

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