Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

As announced in the 2023 Power Apps Release Wave 2, Microsoft plans to phase out classic calculated columns in favor of the new Formula columns.
In our Model-Driven Apps, we have many columns currently defined as Calculated columns. Migrating these to Formula columns could require significant effort, given the volume and complexity.
I'm reaching out to see how other organizations have approached this transition.

How did your team handle the migration?
Any best practices / Tools or lessons learned you'd be willing to share?
Were there any challenges or surprises we should prepare for?

Appreciate any advice or experience you can share!

Categories:

Using Apps Using Formulas

Hi @EagleCa Response from ChatGPT:

🔧 How Teams Have Handled the Migration
1. Audit and Inventory First
Most successful transitions start with a comprehensive inventory:

Use tools like XrmToolBox (e.g., Attribute Usage Inspector or Metadata Document Generator) to extract metadata for all Calculated and Rollup columns.
Export details into Excel to review column names, entities, formulas, and dependencies.

2. Prioritize High-Impact Columns
Due to volume, not everything needs immediate conversion.

Focus first on columns actively used in business logic, views, forms, or workflows.
Leave low-impact or archival fields for later or as part of broader data cleanup.

3. Recreate as Formula Columns
For each Calculated column:

Create a new Formula column with the same logic. The Power Fx syntax often mirrors what's used in canvas apps, but there are key differences—be ready to adapt formulas.
Deactivate or remove the classic calculated column after validating the new column works.

✅ Best Practices and Lessons Learned
✅ Understand the Differences in Formula Behavior

Formula columns use Power Fx, which gives you more power and consistency—but it's not a 1:1 mapping from calculated columns.
Time zone handling and null propagation may behave differently. Test date/time calculations carefully.

✅ Use Solutions for Packaging

Always make changes in a managed solution layer to track and migrate changes between environments.
Keep formulas in source control (e.g., in ALM pipelines using tools like Power Platform CLI).

✅ Test Thoroughly

Validate not just the field value but also downstream dependencies: views, business rules, workflows, custom JavaScript.
Look out for unexpected recalculations or performance hits, especially on large tables.

✅ Communicate with Stakeholders

Especially where formulas affect UI or business logic, ensure that business users or owners are part of validation.

⚠️ Challenges and Gotchas
⚠️ No Bulk Migration Tool (Yet)
As of now, there's no official Microsoft tool to mass-convert Calculated columns to Formula columns. Each one must be manually reviewed and migrated.
📝 Some users have developed internal scripts using the Dataverse Web API and Power Platform CLI to semi-automate column creation.
⚠️ Limited Formula Column Support in Some Tools

As of early 2025, Formula columns may not behave consistently in classic workflows, dataflows, or SSRS reports. Always check compatibility before replacing critical columns.

⚠️ Performance Considerations

Formula columns are calculated on-the-fly (like Canvas Power Fx formulas). On large datasets or with complex formulas, they may impact performance in views or exports.

🛠 Recommended Tools

Tool	Purpose
XrmToolBox - Metadata Document Generator	Export list of all calculated fields
Power Platform CLI	Automate solution extraction & metadata comparison
ALM Accelerator for Power Platform	Governance & deployment pipelines
Formula Column Documentation	Keep a shared internal wiki or repo with Power Fx logic and usage notes

📌 Summary

Step	Action
1️⃣	Inventory all current calculated columns
2️⃣	Prioritize by business impact
3️⃣	Migrate and test formulas using Power Fx
4️⃣	Decommission legacy calculated columns gradually
5️⃣	Monitor performance and user feedback

Would suggest once to check with Microsoft via creating support ticket with them.

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Thanks,
ANB