Understanding and Resolving SharePoint List View Threshold Errors

Ever faced challenges with large SharePoint lists and encountered the dreaded “list view threshold” error? Don’t fret! This comprehensive guide dives deep into understanding the root cause and provides effective solutions to overcome this hurdle. Should you require personalized assistance or further clarity, feel free to contact us.

Decoding the List View Threshold Error in SharePoint

It’s a known fact that SharePoint is proficient in managing vast amounts of data. However, complications arise when querying these voluminous lists. Among these complications, query delegation restrictions stand out, and the list view threshold values further exacerbate the situation for developers.

Real-life Scenario

Consider an ‘auto-populated’ application interfacing with a SharePoint list named “clients” containing a whopping 40,000 entries. Instead of displaying data, the gallery control spotlights an error, stating, “The attempted operation is prohibited because it exceeds the list view threshold”.

Root Cause

Tracing back to the crux, we discover that the gallery control’s formula attempts to sort and filter the list items by their title column, as illustrated below:

SortByColumns(Filter([@Client], 
                     StartsWith(Title, TextSearchBox1.Text)
               ), 
               "Title", 
               If(SortDescending1, Descending, Ascending)
)

Interestingly, setting the items attribute of the gallery control directly to the client list eliminates the error, enabling the correct display of the list data.

Zooming into the List View Threshold

What’s the essence of the “list view threshold”? Its primary role is to deter users from executing data queries that might overburden the server. SharePoint uses a SQL server database for data storage. When data retrieval is initiated from a SharePoint list via Power Apps, SharePoint solicits SQL Server for the data.

SQL Server’s optimal data retrieval hinges on indexes. Absence of proper indexes causes SQL Server to lock the base table during query execution, plummeting performance and concurrency. Consequently, other users are blocked from accessing the data during this lock period. The list view threshold aims to preemptively halt such data locks.

Filtering and Sorting Lists in Power Apps without Encountering Errors

By designating indexes on the requisite columns, this error can be averted in Power Apps. Establishing an index in SharePoint prompts the creation of a new SQL Server table, housing the index value for each list item. This configuration empowers SQL Server to handle queries referencing indexed values sans locking the entire list table.

To institute an index, one should proceed to the list settings page in SharePoint. The settings page reveals the total number of list items along with the default list view threshold value (5,000). Further down, a link directs to the ‘indexed columns’ page. Indexing necessary columns effectively banishes the ‘list view threshold’ error in Power Apps.

Wrapping Up

The list view threshold in SharePoint is a protective mechanism to stave off excessive server loads, potentially resulting in performance and concurrency issues. Addressing the ‘list view threshold’ error necessitates the strategic definition of indexes within SharePoint. Still feeling overwhelmed or uncertain? Remember, we’re just a click away! For professional guidance or technical assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.