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Synchronizing data by using change tracking is an essential aspect of developing solutions on the Microsoft Power Platform. Change tracking allows developers to track and capture the changes made to data within an application, enabling efficient synchronization and data management.
To use change tracking, you must enable it on the data source you want to track. The data source can be a Common Data Service (CDS) entity, a SQL Server database, or any system that supports change tracking. The process of enabling change tracking varies depending on the specific data source but generally involves configuring the appropriate settings or applying schema changes.
If you’re working with CDS entities, change tracking is available by default. Each entity in CDS has a “Modified On” field that automatically gets updated whenever a record is modified. You can leverage this field along with the built-in change tracking capabilities to identify the modified records efficiently. Additionally, you can specify the attributes that you want to track changes for, allowing granular control over the synchronization process.
For external systems, like databases or web services, you may need to configure change tracking explicitly. This involves setting up triggers or using APIs provided by the system to capture and track changes. For example, if you’re synchronizing data from an SQL Server database, you can enable change tracking on specific tables and retrieve the changes using SQL queries.
Power Automate provides a rich set of connectors that support change tracking out-of-the-box. To implement change tracking, you can create a flow that initiates the synchronization process. The flow can utilize connectors like SQL Server, SharePoint, Dynamics 365, or any other system that supports change tracking. By leveraging trigger conditions and filters, you can efficiently retrieve only the changed data and perform subsequent operations.
Once you’ve retrieved the changed data, you can perform various operations on it within the Power Platform, such as updating records in CDS, generating reports in Power BI, or triggering custom actions in Power Apps. By focusing only on the modified data, you can optimize performance and reduce unnecessary processing overhead.
Monitoring the change tracking process is crucial for maintaining data integrity and resolving issues promptly. Power Platform provides built-in monitoring capabilities, such as Power Automate run history and session logs, to track the execution and troubleshoot any errors or failures that may occur during data synchronization.
In conclusion, using change tracking to synchronize data in Microsoft Power Platform Developer is an effective approach. By leveraging the built-in capabilities and connectors, developers can efficiently track and process the changes made to data sources. This not only streamlines the integration process but also improves performance and reduces processing overhead. Incorporate change tracking into your Power Platform solutions to enhance data synchronization and management capabilities.
a) Power BI
b) Power Automate
c) Power Apps
d) Power Virtual Agents
Answer: c) Power Apps
a) Audit logs
b) Change tracking
c) Data connectors
d) Version control
Answer: b) Change tracking
Answer: False
a) SharePoint lists
b) SQL Server databases
c) Excel spreadsheets
d) Salesforce
Answer:
a) SharePoint lists
b) SQL Server databases
d) Salesforce
a) 5000 records
b) 10000 records
c) 50000 records
d) There is no limit
Answer: d) There is no limit
Answer: False
a) Timestamps
b) Unique identifiers
c) Hash values
d) Record version numbers
Answer: a) Timestamps
Answer: True
a) Power Automate
b) Power BI
c) Power Apps Maker Portal
d) Power Apps Admin Center
Answer: c) Power Apps Maker Portal
a) Create
b) Update
c) Delete
d) Retrieve
Answer: c) Delete
44 Replies to “Describe synchronizing data by using change tracking”
Feedback: The post is excellent but could use a few more practical case studies on change tracking.
Is change tracking available by default, or do we need to enable it?
You need to enable it for each entity that you want to track.
Correct. You can enable it through the entity settings in the Power Platform admin center.
Can change tracking be used in conjunction with other data integration tools?
Yes, it can be combined with tools like Power Automate or custom integrations via APIs.
Can we use change tracking for custom entities within Dataverse?
Yes, change tracking works with both standard and custom entities as long as it’s enabled for them.
For those who have implemented change tracking, what challenges did you face?
The main challenge was ensuring that all necessary entities had change tracking enabled.
Another challenge is handling the initial synchronization, which can be resource-intensive.
Does change tracking in the Dataverse support relationships between entities?
Yes, it does. It tracks changes at the entity level, including relationships.
Is it possible to disable change tracking once it’s been enabled?
Just keep in mind that historical changes won’t be tracked anymore after disabling it.
Yes, you can disable it, but you will lose the ability to track changes from that point forward.
How does change tracking handle deleted records?
It’s a very efficient way to manage deletions without having to query all records.
Deleted records are flagged, allowing you to capture deletions during synchronization.
Thanks for this comprehensive post!
Good overview on the usage of change tracking, very helpful for PL-400.
Can someone explain how change tracking works in Dataverse?
It’s really useful for incremental load scenarios.
Change tracking in Dataverse is done via the Change Tracking feature, which flags which records have been added, modified, or deleted.
I appreciate the detailed exploration of change tracking!
What are the performance implications of using change tracking?
Minimal if used correctly. It actually helps reduce the load by minimizing the data that needs to be synced.
Just make sure to monitor your system, especially during high transaction periods.
What is the primary benefit of using change tracking?
Saves bandwidth and improves performance.
It greatly optimizes data synchronization by only moving the changed data instead of the entire dataset.
Change tracking in PL-400 is quite intricate, but it definitely simplifies data synchronization across the Power Platform.
Absolutely. It helps ensure data consistency without heavy lifting.
The information on change tracking seems a bit sparse. Could use more examples.
For the PL-400 exam, does change tracking apply to both standard and custom connectors?
Change tracking is primarily a Dataverse feature, so it won’t directly apply to connectors. However, you can use it to optimize data flow before it hits the connector.
The PL-400 exam expects a good understanding of change tracking scenarios.
Definitely. It’s critical that you’re able to not just understand, but also implement solutions using change tracking.
Good read! Helped me understand change tracking better.
Is change tracking in PL-400 limited to any particular version of Power Platform?
Change tracking is available in Dataverse, which is a core component of the Power Platform, so you should have access to it as long as you’re using Dataverse.
How do we query changes captured by change tracking?
There are some examples in the Microsoft documentation that can help you understand the process.
You can use the RetrieveEntityChanges function to get the changes for an entity.