In this tutorial, Nate Halliwell from Pragmatic Works demonstrates how to clone Dataverse records directly within a Model-Driven app using Power FX. This feature is relatively new and can save users from relying on third-party tools or outdated Power Automate actions.
Many users have been asking for a way to clone records in Dataverse without third-party tools. Nate addresses this by using Power FX, a low-code formula language in Power Apps. This solution is especially useful since the "For a selected record" action in Power Automate has been deprecated.
To start, Nate uses a simple model-driven app with a Dataverse table named "YouTube Video Ideas." This table contains fields such as the video name, idea description, goal date, and status. The goal is to create a duplicate of these records without manually inputting the data again.
To enable the cloning feature, navigate to the left panel in the app, open the tree view, and select the page where you want to add the function. Then, select "Edit Command Bar" to customize the commands on that page.
Choose the "New Command" option and decide if you want to create a Power FX or JavaScript function. For this tutorial, Nate focuses on Power FX. This allows the addition of a custom button to clone records.
In the visibility section, configure the button to only appear when records are selected in the grid. Use the isEmpty function to show the button when at least one record is selected.
The next step is to write a Power FX formula using the Patch function. Nate uses a ForAll loop to iterate through the selected records, copying their details to create new entries in the table.
In the Patch function, the defaults command is used to create new records in the "YouTube Video Ideas" table. Nate demonstrates how to set the "video name" and "description" fields, using concatenation to indicate that the record is a clone.
After saving and publishing the changes, Nate tests the new functionality. With one or more records selected, the new button appears in the command bar, allowing users to clone records with a single click. The clone records are automatically created with the same data as the original, but with a new name indicating it is a clone.
This solution provides a simple and effective way to clone Dataverse records in a Model-Driven app. It eliminates the need for external tools and offers an easy-to-implement method using Power FX. This method can be especially useful for users working with multiple records or needing to create clones of complex tables with many fields.
By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, users can streamline their workflow and create clones of their Dataverse records with ease. The method Nate demonstrated is an excellent addition to any Power Apps developer's toolkit.
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