Stop Appsheet From Auto Generating Columns?

[hartable]

How do I stop appsheet from generating new columns when I restructure my data or at least stop it from adding them back after I delete the generated columns?

[TeeSee1 · Accepted solution]

If you are talking about auto generated reverse references, they will be generated whenever you regenerate structure as far as I know. If you do not want to see it, simply un-check its Show attribute.

If you are experiencing some issues, the community might able to help you if you describe them in detail.

[hartable]

Hello, just wanted to know if it was actually possible to turn that feature off. So if I do delete something or want to delete one of these columns I can without having to worry about it coming back or being regenerated.

[SkrOYC]

@TeeSee1's answer was quite clear.

You can't delete any [Related ...] Virtual Column, those are system created. Same with system actions and system views.

The question is, why are them a problem? You can hide them, again, as @TeeSee1 already told you

[hartable]

@SkrOYC  not disagreeing, I was clarifying for @TeeSee1  that there isn't a specific problem (other than me wanted to delete them) and that I wanted to know if it was possible.

@TeeSee1 , thanks for answering, I wasn't clear from resources  if you could or couldn't permanently delete.

[Steve]

---

@hartable wrote:

(other than me wanted to delete them)

---

I think a great many of us want to remove them when we first start working with AppSheet. Eventually, though, you'll probably come to find them valuable. It took me a really long time to really get their value.

[glencastle]

I found this thread while researching what is causing sync and performance issues with my database.  The main culprits are the "Related" columns, but I can't just get rid of them because they re-appear.  The Appsheet support/Help site says "...there is usually a significant cost in performance if an app has a very high number of virtual columns. In general, it's best to minimize the number of virtual columns as much as possible."  But yet you can't get rid of these.  Very frustrating.

[scott192]

The reason the [Related Whatever] columns are being generated is nothing to do with the table that they appear on.  What is happening is that the table they are referencing has a field that is set as a REF to the table they are appearing on.  If you swap that field to a TEXT it will keep the value that is stored there already as a text value in your database.  Then, you have the option of creating your own [Related whatever] on the main table by creating a SELECT statement to the table that used to have the REF.