PowerTable sheets in Fabric Plan, is a no-code data app for managing dimensions, master and reference data, and business entities, stored and governed in Fabric SQL tables.
Here's a roundup of the latest updates, covering security, automation, data entry, tracking and everyday usability.
1. Security - Layered Up!
Protect sensitive data with security that builds in layers. Access starts at the database and narrows further in PowerTable, with flexible rules that adapt to how each organization defines who should see what.
Database security respected: Row-level security defined in the Fabric SQL database now holds in PowerTable. Each person sees only the rows the database allows them to see. PowerTable settings can narrow that access but never widen it.
Roles and policies for row-level security (Preview): Now define row-level access centrally and apply it across the sheets. RLS is built in layers: Rules -> Policies -> Roles -> Users. Central teams can be given bypass access. This feature is currently in preview.
2. Automation - Now Doing More!
Let every change set the next one in motion. New automation actions use the data entered in PowerTable to trigger further updates across Fabric items and databases, keeping connected systems in sync without manual effort:
Event Trigger actions: New Action - When an automation's trigger fires, it can run a Fabric notebook or pipeline, passing values from the record such as an ID, amount or status. Downstream processes start the moment the data is ready, with no manual handoffs.
Execute Stored Procedure: New Action - Run a stored procedure in the database directly from an automation, with values from the triggering record passed in as parameters.
3. Data Input - Opened Wider
More data, more ease to bring it in. PowerTable now provides greater flexibility at the point of entry:
Import multi-sheet Excel files: upload one Excel workbook, pick the sheets you need and create a table for each in a single step. Column data types are detected automatically and can be adjusted per table before creating them.
File attachments in forms: forms can now include attachment columns, so users can upload a supporting document, up to 5 MB, as they submit a record.
Bit/Boolean data type: New column datatype - Track yes/no flags such as Is Active or Approved, shown as a checkbox or a number.
4. Insights, Upgraded!
PowerTable now exposes more metrics and perspectives, making effort and workload easier to track:
Effort columns in Gantt: Display Total Logged Effort and Remaining Effort as read-only Derived columns, calculated automatically from time entries.
Additional KPIs in Resource summary bars: Logged Hours, Actual Utilization %, Work Variance and Work Performance join the existing KPIs. That brings the total to eight resource KPIs, which can be analysed by day, week, month, quarter or year.
Backlog pane: View, add and edit unscheduled tasks in a side pane in the Gantt, Resource and Calendar layouts, and schedule them by adding their dates.
5. Quicker Actions
The most common scheduling and restructuring actions are now right where you work:
Task path: Highlight a task's predecessors and successors in the Gantt, or only the driving and driven tasks, to see the impact of a delay at a glance.
Context menus across collaborative work layouts: Right-click a Gantt bar, Resource bar, Calendar event or Kanban card to manage, delete, reschedule or convert a record to a milestone.
Insert and convert milestones: Add a milestone from Insert Row, or turn an existing task into one from the context menu, in the Gantt, Resource and Calendar layouts.
Reschedule Task: Move a task forward or backward by days, weeks or months from the context menu, skipping weekends and holidays and respecting dependencies.
Make and promote subtasks: Restructure the Gantt hierarchy (ID-Parent ID based) from the row context menu by making a task a subtask or promoting it up a level.
6. Usability Upgrades
In the pursuit of a more intuitive, personalized and collaborative experience, PowerTable now includes the following updates:
Link to sheet: Copy and share a link to a specific PowerTable sheet, so anyone who opens it lands directly on that sheet.
Default locale for dates and numbers: Show dates and numbers in each user’s regional format, including date order, separators, time format and time zone, or set one fixed format for everyone.
Formula editor: Write formulas faster with suggestions, syntax guidance and ready-to-fill templates as you type. An expanded editor adds indentation, color coding, a searchable function browser and clear error messages.
That's the latest from PowerTable. Grab a table, try something new, and watch this space for what's next.
