Dynamics Community Forum Thread Details

it possible to create dynamic columns in a Business Central List page (pivot-style view)?

Hi All,

Is it possible to create dynamic columns in a Business Central List page (pivot-style view)?

I have a custom table with the following structure:

Job No.	Step	Completed
JOB001	Estimate	TRUE
JOB001	Planning	FALSE
JOB001	QA	TRUE
JOB002	Estimate	TRUE
JOB002	Repair	TRUE

I would like to display the data in a List page like this:

Job No.	Estimate	Planning	QA	Repair
JOB001	✓	✗	✓
JOB002	✓			✓

The challenge is that the list of Steps is not fixed. New steps can be added over time, so I need the page to generate the columns dynamically based on the data.

From what I understand, Business Central page layouts are compiled, so fields and columns must be defined at design time. Is there any supported way to create truly dynamic columns in a List or Worksheet page?

If not, what is the recommended approach for implementing a pivot-style view in AL?

Is the Matrix page pattern the only native solution?
Has anyone implemented this using a Control Add-in?
Are there any standard Business Central pages or examples that achieve this?

I'm looking for a solution that stays within Business Central if possible, rather than exporting the data to Excel.

thank you

Hello,

No, you cannot create truly dynamic columns in a standard Business Central List or Worksheet page because the page controls are defined at compile time. For a native BC solution, the usual approach is the matrix pattern: define a fixed maximum number of column controls, then dynamically change their captions, visibility, and values based on the available Steps, with Next/Previous Set actions when there are more columns than can be displayed at once; standard pages such as Analysis by Dimensions use this kind of matrix behavior. A Control Add-in can provide fully dynamic columns, but I would only use it when the matrix pattern is not sufficient, because it adds more complexity and JavaScript dependency. So for your scenario, I would recommend a Matrix/Worksheet-style page with dynamic captions and values as the most Business Central-native solution.

Regards,
Oussama Sabbouh

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