Can a PowerApps connection to an SQL Server database in a model-driven application be bidirectional?

1
votes

I'm currently going through PowerApps Model-driven application and I have Added a table connection to my Common Data Model and it seems to be working, if partially. If I make a manual modification to an item in my SQL Server DB, this modification is eventually reflected to my Common Data Model and of course my application. The problem is that the inverse, i.e. adding or modifying an item in my Common Data Model through my application does not seem to affect my SQL Server Database.

Am I missing Something? Is this connection unidirectional? Or is there some setting that would allow bidirectionality?

2
powerapps
wait, you confused the canvas app with model-driven, as the model-driven can be only CRM online, comes with bidirectional. Even canvas can be bidirectional. can you share some screenshot or blog url you are referring? - Arun Vinoth - MVP
Trust me I'm not confusing the two (But my explanation may not be clear enough). In my Common Data Model, I create a new Entity that I connected to an existing Table in my DB. I did this by going to my Entities, doing "Get Data" and then choosing "SQL Server database". From there I entered my DB credentials pressed Next. From there is chose my database tables -> Transform Data -> and did "Load to New entity". So that is what I mean by connecting Common Data Model to a DB. From there I connected to this new Entity in my model driven app, but now when I do a modify, the SQL DB is not updated. - Sebastien Lehoux

2 Answers

0
votes

If you are doing some LoB application to do CRUD operations on your database - then Common Data Model (CDM) is not the way to go. CDS for Apps or even a simple Canvas app can be built from your datasource using any of the available connectors (or custom connector API) to furnish CRUD operations. Read more

CDM is actually part of Open Data Initiative - Learn more

What are the expectations of a Common Data Model data consumer
In the Common Data Model ecosystem, data consumers are expected to read the metadata and data as the producer described and not to modify any data that consumer didn't also produce. If a data consumer wants to extend or modify the data from another data producer, the consumer then becomes a data producer and should follow the best practices of data producers.

What are the expectations of a Common Data Model data producer
In the Common Data Model ecosystem, data producers are expected to provide sufficient information for a data consumer to understand and parse the data files. A general principle is to make the metadata as rich as possible to simplify the experience for data consumers.

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With the Common Data Model, you can put your data into formats that represent concepts and activities that are commonly used and well understood. That way, you can query that data, reuse it, and interoperate with other businesses and apps that use the same format.

Both platforms that currently support the Common Data Model also offer data-integration experiences through Power Query Online that allow users to bring in data from a variety of sources, transform it if necessary, and then map it to standard entities in the Common Data Model or create custom entities. Power Query Online leverages the same visual, self-service data-prep experience as Power Query within Excel and Power BI Desktop, so existing users can ramp up quickly.

Read more

0
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Even i also wanted to implement the same scenario in my app. But did not find anything anywhere that help me do bi-directional update in SQL. As of now, it is one-way, SQL to Entity by using dataflow.

This would be great if supported by microsoft in Model driven app.