This article explains what BLOB fields are, why their values don’t display in Popdock, and what alternatives you can use.
What Is a BLOB Field?
In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC), BLOB (Binary Large Object) fields store large amounts of binary data such as images, files, or formatted text. A common example is the Note field on the Customer Card.
Why You Cannot See BLOB Values in Queries
BLOB fields are stored as binary data inside the BC database. This means:
- You can view and edit BLOB field contents directly in Business Central (for example, by opening a Customer Card and viewing the Note field).
- You cannot retrieve the readable value through a query or API (Application Programming Interface). When you query a table that includes a BLOB field, the query returns the field as binary data rather than readable text.
How Popdock Handles BLOB Fields
Currently, Popdock does not support converting BC BLOB fields into readable text. If you add a BLOB field (such as the Note field) to a Popdock list, the value will not display correctly. The field may appear blank or show garbled binary characters.
This is a known limitation of how BLOB fields are structured in Business Central. The Popdock team is aware of it, and support for BLOB fields may be added in a future update.
Workarounds and Alternatives
Until BLOB support is added:
- View BLOB data in Business Central by opening the record and navigating to the relevant field.
- Avoid adding BLOB fields to your Popdock queries unless you only need to verify that the field is present in the table structure (rather than view its contents).
- Use alternative fields when possible — for example, the Customer Card Comment field instead of the BLOB Note field. The Comment field has a character limit, but you can add multiple lines.
If you have questions about BLOB fields in Popdock, contact us.
