I have a data set, which could be stored either as a SharePoint list or in Dataverse. The data contains the following fields:
I would like to show this data in a 2D table, where each row is a unique combination of CatA and Cat B, and each column is a unique combination of CatX and CatY. Each intersection (cell) indicates Yes or No (a boolean). Initially, the data table or list will be empty. When opening the App, the user will be given a few rows with some CatA/CatB combinations, and have the option to insert a new column with the CatX/CatY combination of their choice (via a pair of dropdown controls). They can then specify Yes/No in each cell of the matrix (via checkbox, toggle, or similar). The user can add as many columns as they whish, each with a unique combination of CatX/CatY. In practice though, it is expected they will never exceed 10 columns.
I am at the stage of discovering Power Apps and exploring the options offered. I am investigating wether a Canvas App or a Data-Driven App would fit better. I am also investigating which controls would work best and how to design them.
One option I can see for a Canvas App is to use a Gallery that will look like a table with 10 columns, and hide the columns not in use. For each column, the gallery shows a checkbox. I have however thought that the gallery control binds well with 1-dimensional data tables, but not natively with 2-dimensional tables, so a lot of wiring would be required in the background.
I have then investigated the option of embedding a PowerBI Visualization, but am not very familiar with PowerBi (I am with Pivot tables and Power Pivot too). It seems that Power BI would allow to generate a dashboard which would show a matrix showing the data as wanted (pivot-table style), but it is not clear to me if that table would be editable? That is, when the user puts yes in one cell, then an entry is created with the corresponding CatA/CatB/CatX/CatY values.
I would like to know what solution would require less wiring work, and welcome any alternative suggestion or consideration I may have missed so that I can better assess which direction to take.
As I understand, creating a tile in a Power BI dashboard and embedding it in the canvas app does not achieve your goal. It will not enable you to create records/columns.
Nested galleries can help you display and edit data. Adding new columns via dropdowns is still a challenge. Perhaps an intricate logic of transforming your table into a matrix can be created, but this is not a very suitable scenario for canvas apps in my opinion.