Power Apps: troubleshoot values that disappear after saving
Learn how to take advantage of your business data with Microsoft Dynamics 365 & Power Platform & Cross Technologies. My name is Sanjaya Prakash Pradhan and I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and
Power Apps makers can check form cards, refresh timing, formulas, and record selection when a saved value appears to disappear.
Key insights
- A form submits the values supplied by each data card’s Update property.
- SubmitForm runs asynchronously; handle completion in the form’s OnSuccess and OnFailure properties.
- Refresh retrieves current data, but calling it before a save completes can make the screen appear to revert.
- A changed record selection can make the app display a different record after saving.
Power Apps makers can troubleshoot values that appear to disappear after a save by checking what the form submits and what the app loads afterward. This applies to canvas apps that edit records in connected data sources such as SharePoint or Dataverse. Softchief Learn’s YouTube Short raises this Power Apps issue, but its supplied transcript does not describe the steps shown.
What it does
A save that appears successful does not guarantee that the screen is showing the saved value. The app might still display a cached copy, submit a different value than the one shown in an input, or select a different record after navigation. App formulas or another process can also change the record after the save.
In an edit form, SubmitForm validates the form and submits values returned by its data cards. Each card’s Update property tells the form which value to write. For a text input, that may be the control’s Text property; other column types can require a value with a different structure.
Who it is for and what you need
This troubleshooting applies to makers and developers maintaining canvas apps with edit forms and external data sources. The research notes name SharePoint, Dataverse, SQL Server, and Excel as examples. They do not specify a required license, plan, region, or rollout stage.
You need to inspect the form’s DataSource and Item properties, the affected card’s DataField and Update properties, and formulas that run around saving or navigation. The notes do not establish that every disappearing-value issue has the same cause.
How it works
- Check that the form’s Item property points to the record you intend to edit, and note that record’s identifier.
- Inspect the affected card’s DataField and Update properties. Confirm that Update refers to the intended control and returns the expected type of value.
- Call SubmitForm from the save action, then handle completion in the form’s OnSuccess and OnFailure properties. Do not assume the save has finished immediately after calling SubmitForm.
- Review Default, OnChange, OnVisible, OnSelect, and OnSuccess formulas for resets or assignments that might restore an older value. Check whether a refresh happens before the save completes.
- After a successful save, refresh the data source if the app needs to retrieve current values, and verify that the selected record has not changed.
Limitations and open questions
The supplied Short transcript is empty, so it does not confirm which cause or fix Softchief Learn discusses. No official Microsoft documentation URL was included in the supplied sources, so the background troubleshooting details cannot be independently linked here.
The research notes also identify concurrent updates from flows, integrations, or other users as possible causes, but do not provide a diagnostic procedure for each. Check the data source and related automation if the form configuration and app formulas do not explain the result.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Why does a Power Apps form show an old value after saving?
The app may be displaying stale data, loading another record, or running a formula that resets or overwrites the value. Check the form’s Item property, card Update property, and formulas around the save.
When should I use Refresh after SubmitForm?
SubmitForm is asynchronous, so handle completion in the form’s OnSuccess property. Refreshing before the save completes can make the screen appear to revert.
What does a data card’s Update property do?
It supplies the value that the form submits for that card. Confirm it refers to the intended input and returns a value in the format expected by the data source.