ColumnNames and Column functions

2025-06-19

Applies to: Canvas apps Cards Copilot Studio Model-driven apps Power Platform CLI Dataverse functions

Retrieves column names and values from a dynamic value.

Description

The ColumnNames function returns the names of all columns from a dynamic record, returning a table with all the names from that record.

The Column function returns the value of a property from a dynamic record with the given column name. The value is returned as a dynamic value.

The ColumnNames and Column functions return errors if the dynamic value doesn't represent a record (that is, if it represents a table or a scalar or primitive value).

Syntax

ColumnNames( DynamicRecord )

DynamicRecord – Required. A dynamic value that represents a record.

Column( DynamicRecord, ColumnName )

DynamicRecord – Required. A dynamic value that represents a record.
ColumnName - Required. The name of the column to be retrieved from the given record.

Examples

Accessing field values

Given the following JSON string in a variable named JsonString

{ "name": "Seattle", "population": 737000 }

The following formula returns a single-column table with a Value column containing the following values: "name", "population":
```
ColumnNames( ParseJSON( JsonString ) )
```
The following formula returns the number 737000:
```
Value( Column( ParseJSON( JsonString ), "population" ) )
```
- Notice that this is similar to the . operator for dynamic records, but the column name doesn't have to be known beforehand.

The following formula returns the text value "name: Seattle, population: 737000":

With(
    { untyped: ParseJSON( JsonString ) },
    Concat(
        ColumnNames( untyped ),
        $"{Value}: {Column( untyped, Value )}",
        ", "))

Blanks

Given the following JSON string in a variable named JsonString

{ "text": "text value" , "number": 567, "empty": null }

Attempting to access nonexisting fields returns Blank(). The following formula returns true:
```
IsBlank( Column( ParseJSON( JsonString ), "does not exist" ) )
```
JSON null values are considered Blank(). The following formula returns true:
```
IsBlank( Column( ParseJSON( JsonString ), "empty" ) )
```

Nonrecords

Calling the Column or ColumnNames functions with dynamic values that don't represent records return an error. All of those expressions below are erroneous:

Formula	Reason for error
ColumnNames( ParseJSON ( "[1, 2, 3]" ) )	Dynamic value represents an array
Column( ParseJSON ( "23.45" ), "Value" )	Dynamic value represents a number
ColumnNames( ParseJSON ( """hello""" ) )	Dynamic value represents a text
Column( ParseJSON ( "{""a"":false}" ).a, "a" )	Dynamic value represents a boolean value

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