Sometimes it’s necessary to repair Lookup column in SharePoint. Usually it can happen when we need to transport a list from a Production environment to a Development environment, just to reproduce some bug or situation with real world data. This is possible when you use the Save as Template feature, exporting it from an environment to another and then you recreate the list.

But, if you have Lookup fields it can give you some headaches. As soon as the list is restored in the other environment, the Internal GUIDs will be changed forever and any connection to the source list of the lookup column will be lost!

But it’s important to emphasize that Lookup columns are great as Microsoft says that “You can create relationships between lists by using a combination of unique columns, lookup columns, and relationship enforcement (cascade and restrict delete), all of which enhance your ability to create more sophisticated business solutions and help preserve the integrity of your data.”.

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