Export: error

Symptom

When you export an app, the export fails and Sintel BI shows an error, for example:

The ListName list contains an orphaned lookup column. Please remove the "ColumnName" column to continue.

or a general Something went wrong message.

Cause

The most common cause is one or more orphaned lookup columns in a list the app uses. An orphaned lookup column is no longer connected to the list it looks up.

This tends to happen when a form or app changes over time: a lookup column used in an early version is no longer needed, and its lookup list is deleted before the column. The column is then left pointing at a list that doesn't exist.

Fix

Who can fix this

Someone who can change the columns of the SharePoint list, usually a site owner. If that isn't you, send this page to your site owner.

1. Find the orphaned lookup column. The error usually names the list and the column.
2. If the column is no longer used, delete it from the list in SharePoint.
3. If you still need the column, delete the orphaned one and re-create it from scratch, pointing at an existing list.
4. Export the app again.

See also Error displaying data on a dashboard, which has the same cause.