Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

The functions and operators that Power Apps Canvas has are very limited and often generate delegation warnings. Thinking about a better search experience, I thought about using the SharePoint search service, the one at the top of a site, list, or library. Can I use it from Power Apps Canvas or should I use a Power Automate flow? What action should I use? A guide please.

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Power Apps Pro Dev & ISV

The functionality that you need in your application should determine the data source that you would use.

Here is an explanation that should help in explaining what SharePoint really is

Understanding SharePoint Search Capabilities

SharePoint is a powerful platform for collaboration and content management, but it's important to remember that it is not designed to function as a traditional database. As a result, the search capabilities that are typically available in dedicated database systems might not be present when using SharePoint as a data source.

Why SharePoint Isn’t a Database

Content Management System (CMS): SharePoint is primarily a CMS, optimized for document storage, team collaboration, and workflow management. It is built to handle large volumes of unstructured data like documents and media files, rather than structured data which databases excel at.
Data Storage: While SharePoint does support lists and libraries that can store data, it does not offer the same level of indexing, querying, and transaction capabilities that you find in a relational database management system (RDBMS) like SQL Server or Oracle.
Query Performance: Databases are optimized for complex queries and can handle extensive search operations efficiently. SharePoint, on the other hand, is not built with the same optimizations, which can result in slower performance and more limited search functionalities.

Search Capabilities in SharePoint

Basic Filtering: SharePoint provides basic filtering and sorting options within lists and libraries, which are suitable for many day-to-day operations.
Search Index: SharePoint has a built-in search index that allows users to search for documents and items across sites. However, this search is more focused on content retrieval rather than complex data queries.

Alternatives and Workarounds

Power Automate: For more advanced search needs, you can use Power Automate to create workflows that interact with SharePoint data and perform more complex searches or updates.
Data Integration: Consider integrating SharePoint with a database for storing and querying structured data. You can use tools like Power Apps to create custom applications that leverage both SharePoint and a database backend.