Managing Parent-Child Data In Sharepoint Without Infopath

The Problem with Managing Hierarchical Data

Tracking and organizing hierarchical records in SharePoint can be challenging without the right tools. Relational data that has parent-child relationships, like organizational charts or product categories, quickly becomes difficult to manage as it scales. SharePoint list functionality alone lacks effective ways to connect records into broader hierarchies.

Attempting to manage hierarchical data solely with default SharePoint tools leads to issues like orphaned records, broken inheritance, and costly inefficiencies. Parent items may be deleted without removing references in child items, list relationship columns fail to update records properly, and manual data management blocks adoption.

Alternatives to InfoPath for Parent-Child Data

While InfoPath used to be the go-to tool for managing parent-child data in SharePoint, viable options exist post-InfoPath. Combining native and custom solutions allows for robust hierarchy management without costly third party tools.

Lookup Columns for Basic Parent-Child Relationships

When hierarchy depth is limited, lookup columns can associate child items to parent records. This creates basic parent-child linking suitable for small organizational structures. However, lookup relationships are static and lack the ability to adapt as items move within a hierarchy.

Event Receivers to Enforce Data Integrity

By attaching event receiver code to list forms, business logic can be enforced when creating or editing records. When a parent item is modified or deleted, event receivers can trigger actions like updating or removing child item references. This helps maintain linkage integrity.

Custom List Forms to Improve User Experience

Using PowerApps or InfoPath replacement tools like Nintex or SharePoint Framework, custom hierarchies list forms can be built. These tools allow for master/detail views, conditional formatting based on context, and integrated visualization for trees.

Building a Custom Hierarchy Manager

For large, complex hierarchy management, custom tools are necessary for managing sharePoint parent-child data. By combining metadata, CAML queries, and jurisdictional loading, robust solutions are possible without costly development.

Representing the Hierarchy with Managed Metadata

Managed metadata term sets provide the backbone for representing hierarchical structures in SharePoint lists. The term store relationships mirror product categories, org charts, and more. Term changes then cascade to associated list items.

Handling Recursion with CAML Queries

To load child items in context, CAML queries can recursively work through parent-child metadata relationships. Dynamic CAML builds usable hierarchies for display and navigation regardless of depth. Fields like Indent allow visual representation.

Dynamic Loading of Child Items

Through filtered choice fields or PowerApps connections, child items can load dynamically based on context. Hiding unnecessary items reduces cognitive load. Large hierarchies also load faster by just showing relevant children.

Maintaining the Hierarchy Over Time

An effective hierarchy manager requires governance over time as organizational structures inevitably change. Through workflows, automation, and optimization, hierarchies can adapt and perform despite ongoing edits.

Allowing Safe Edits of Parent-Child Links

When updating relationship columns or managed metadata links, business logic should validate changes to prevent orphan records. By checking for valid parents before clearing old links, hierarchies maintain integrity.

Automating Hierarchy Updates with Workflows

editorial changes to parent records should cascade updates to children. Workflows initialize repetitive tasks like updating metadata, rebuilding indexes, or synchronizing libraries to keep consistency.

Optimizing for Performance at Scale

Large, active hierarchies require planning to maintain responsive UIs. Pagination, indexing, caching, and background processing keep solutions performant. Tree view limits, external data sources, and throttling ensure stability.

Securing Hierarchical Data Access

Permissions often need granular control for hierarchical data access. Both hierarchy-wide and item-level security allows personalized access while restricting sensitive information.

Breaking Inheritance and Creating Fine-Grained Permissions

Unique permissions should apply separately from parent sites when appropriate. Custom groups assigned to nodes/branches enables nuanced access to tree data otherwise unavailable.

Hiding Parts of Hierarchy Based on Permissions

Clients lacking permissions to nodes deeper in the hierarchy only need to access relevant branches. Hiding inaccessible items simplifies their view to authorized areas.

Troubleshooting Access Denied Errors

When hierarchy security results in access errors, check user permissions at both parent and child levels. Narrow down failure points through inheritance to identify misconfigurations for remediation.

Conclusion

In the absence of InfoPath, SharePoint designers can still create advanced solutions for managing parent-child hierarchical data. While no single out-of-box feature handles complex organizational structures, the combination of lookup columns, events, metadata, CAML, and custom forms allows robust, secure hierarchy management equal to InfoPath capabilities.

For additional information on structuring and deploying hierarchy solutions without InfoPath, consult the following Microsoft resources:

• Manage lookup columns – https://learn.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dev/general-development/working-with-lookup-columns
• SharePoint event receivers – https://docs.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dev/general-development/create-event-receiver
• Metadata-driven solutions – https://docs.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dev/general-development/create-and-manage-metadata
• CAML query options – https://docs.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dev/general-development/how-to-use-caml-query
• Power Platform form customization – https://learn.microsoft.com/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/customize-sharepoint-form