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Identify the Error

Type name errors occur when the data model contains entity type names that violate naming rules. Symptoms include:
  • Connection status shows Failed after saving the data model
  • Error messages referencing unrecognized type names
  • Sheet configuration from field fails to match any entity type
1

Check Entity Type Naming Rules

Entity type names in domainModelTypes must follow strict rules:
RuleValidInvalid
Single word, no spacesSystemRequirementSystem Requirement
No special charactersUserNeedUser-Need, User_Need
PascalCase recommendedDesignRequirementdesignrequirement
Must be uniqueOne Hazard entryTwo Hazard entries
# CORRECT - single word PascalCase names
domainModelTypes:
  UserNeed:
    polarionType: requirement
  SystemRequirement:
    polarionType: systemRequirement
  DesignRequirement:
    polarionType: designRequirement

# INCORRECT - spaces and special characters
domainModelTypes:
  User Need:              # Space in name
    polarionType: requirement
  System-Requirement:     # Hyphen in name
    polarionType: systemRequirement
Data model entity type names must be single words without spaces or special characters. This is a strict validation rule — names with spaces will cause the connection to fail silently without a clear error message.
2

Distinguish Entity Type Names from Polarion Type IDs

A common mistake is confusing data model entity type names (the YAML keys under domainModelTypes) with Polarion work item type IDs (the polarionType value):
diagram
The polarionType maps your data model entity to a Polarion work item type, but all references within the data model (relationships, queries, sources) use the entity type name (the YAML key).
3

Fix Relationship References

When relationship from and to fields reference an invalid entity type name, you may see “left error” or “right error” messages:
  • “left error” = the from entity type name is invalid
  • “right error” = the to entity type name is invalid
relationships:
  - from: UserNeed              # Must match a domainModelTypes key
    to: SystemRequirement       # Must match a domainModelTypes key
    cardinality: one-to-many
    storage: linkedWorkItems
    linkRole: has_parent
The from and to values must exactly match the keys under domainModelTypes — including capitalization. systemRequirement (lowercase s) will not match SystemRequirement (uppercase S).
4

Fix Source Query References

The from field in your sheet configuration sources must also use the entity type name:
sources:
  - model: my-model
    from: UserNeed    # Entity type name, NOT "requirement" (Polarion type ID)
    expand:
      - systemRequirements.systemRequirement
5

Fix a Wrong-Case `polarionType` Value

This is the single most common reason for an empty sheet, and it produces no error message at all.
  • Symptom: The sheet opens but is completely empty — no rows load, the connection status looks fine, and no error is shown.
  • Cause: The polarionType value does not match the Polarion work item type ID exactly, usually because of wrong casing. For example, using systemRequirement (camelCase) when the actual Polarion type ID is sys_req. Polarion type IDs are case-sensitive, so a near-miss silently matches zero work items.
  • Fix: Check the exact work item type ID in your Polarion project (Administration > Work Items > Types) and use that exact string — including case and underscores — as the polarionType value.
domainModelTypes:
  SystemRequirement:
    polarionType: sys_req          # CORRECT - exact Polarion type ID
    # polarionType: systemRequirement  # WRONG - silent empty sheet

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Verification

After correcting type names:
  1. Save the data model configuration
  2. Check that the connection status returns to Active
  3. Open the powersheet document
  4. You should now see data loading correctly with no type-related errors in the sheet

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See Also

Last modified on July 10, 2026