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Why is a lookup field showing a datetime value on the web but it's really a guid?

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Posted on by RichardUchytil 173

I'm working with the Document Automation Kit Power App example.  It uses several Dataverse tables, a Power App and several Power Automate Flows.  In two of the tables, there is the field aib_DocumentAutomationProcessing which is defined as a lookup field.  The two tables have a relationship based on this field.

 

When I look at the table in the Power Apps website, the field shows a datetime (2023-07-28T20:49:44+00:00).  But when I run the flow and look at the data for the successful flow, the field value is a guid.  And when I load the tables into Power BI, these fields are guid's.

 

How are they displaying datetime when they are really a guid?

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Microsoft Dataverse with Power Apps
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  • Verified answer
    ChrisPiasecki Profile Picture
    ChrisPiasecki 6,422 Most Valuable Professional on at

    Hi @RichardUchytil,

     

    A Lookup control in the Power Apps user interface will show the primary name column of the table which is a text column. The document processing Solution is just populating a date in text format for those primary columns. The ID colum is always a Guid and that is what you're seeing in the flow or power BI probably, not the primary name column.

     

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  • RichardUchytil Profile Picture
    RichardUchytil 173 on at

    Gotcha.  It's just confusing when you look at the flow run, see the guid, but then look at the data and can't find that guid.  I realize Microsoft is probably trying to make it more friendly for non-developers, but it ends up making it more confusing for developers.

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