How does Datasheet view retrieve and update data?

Use Datasheet view to edit data, because it is faster than editing data in Standard view.

In Standard view, you edit one item at a time. You cannot edit the next item unless the previous item is sent to the server and committed.

In Datasheet view, you can make changes to a row, and then move on to the next row and start editing the cells in that row. The view takes care of sending your changes to the server and communicating the status back to you, without disrupting your work.

Asynchronous updates

When you add or edit a row, the view sends the change to the server, marks the row as pending, and displays the Pending ( ) icon in the row header. When a row has pending changes, you cannot edit the row until the changes are committed. But you can continue editing other rows while the last set of changes are being sent to the server.

When the view gets a response from the server, it updates the row accordingly. If the edit resulted in a conflict or error, the row header shows the Conflict ( ) icon or the Error ( ) icon. If the edit was successfully committed, the Pending icon is removed, and the row is made available for editing.

Changes to the view definition, such as changing the order of columns or hiding the Total row, are also sent to the server asynchronously. However, you cannot make structural changes or edit a calculated column when there are pending changes. You must wait for all changes to commit and resolve any resulting conflicts or errors before changing the structure or editing a calculated column.

If you attempt to refresh or move away from the view when there are pending changes, you will be prompted to wait until all of your changes are committed. Based on the server response, you will then be able to resolve any conflicts or errors.

Asynchronous data retrieval

When you open a list in Datasheet view, it retrieves the first 100 rows, and retrieves the rest asynchronously. The status bar displays Retrieving data when the view is still fetching data from the server. If you attempt to filter or sort data, you will have to wait until the list completes retrieving all the necessary data from the server to see the result of the filtering or sorting.

If the server is busy, not found, or if any other error occurs that prevents the view from retrieving the necessary rows, the view will display an error.