Google Sheets has transformed the way many of us work with spreadsheets. Instead of working in private, offline files, we can now collaborate with co-workers in real-time, in shared sheets.
Emailing attachments and checking file versions are no longer necessary thanks to the cloud. And with powerful formulas like Importhtml you can pull live data directly into your spreadsheet from the internet, allowing you to create dashboards and charts.
When you want to import Google Sheets data into another spreadsheet, however, the inbuilt functions are somewhat limited.
Google Sheets Importrange formula allows you to import a range of cells from one sheet to another and it’s great for one-off data transfers. But if you’ve ever tried to process large datasets or multiple imports, you’ll know that Importrange can struggle, leaving you with a bunch of error messages and a frozen spreadsheet.
If you want a simpler and more reliable way to import Google Sheets data into another Google Sheets file (or Excel file) you can connect your files and transfer data between them automatically. This enables you to:
- Import data from one Google Sheets file into another
- Pull data from Google Sheets into Excel
- Share data with colleagues — without sharing your spreadsheet
- Save time on copy-pasting and manual work
- Combine data from multiple Google Sheets into one
- Generate automated reports and dashboards
- Control data access
How to import Google Sheets data
Step 1: Open Sheetgo
Click on the blue button below to open Sheetgo.
Log in and click +Create workflow > Connect.
At the top of the screen, give the Untitled workflow a name so you can identify and edit the workflow later.
Sheetgo
Step 2: Select your source data
Firstly, select which file type you want to import data from.
Click Sheet file(s) to import data from a single or multiple spreadsheets.
In this example, I want to import survey data from my colleague’s spreadsheet. It’s a file named “Customer Survey USA”.
Under File tab, make sure to select the correct source tab(sheet) if your source file contains multiple tabs.
Here I want to import data from the tab “January”.
Click the Next Step button.
Step 3: Filter (optional)
By default, Sheetgo will import the entire dataset from your source tab into another file — but you don’t need to import all of the data in the tab if you don’t want to.
Click on Filter data to choose exactly which data you want to import. You can select data by condition, cell color, or by writing a SQL-type query.
Step 4: Select your destination file
Under Send data to, select which file type you want to import the data into. This is your destination file. It can be another Google Sheets file, an Excel file, or a CSV file.
For all file types, you can send the data to an existing file or a new file that Sheetgo will create for you automatically.
Sheetgo will create a new tab (sheet or worksheet) in the destination file containing the imported data.
Import data into an existing spreadsheet
- Click +Select file, locate the file from inside your cloud storage then click Done.
- Enter a name for the new tab in the New File Tab box. If you leave this blank, Sheetgo will automatically generate the name Sheetgo_SourceTabName.
Import data into a new spreadsheet
- Under Destination, select which file type you want to create.
- By clicking Change destination folder you can choose which cloud storage platform you want the file to be saved in.
- Give the new spreadsheet a name in the New File Name box.
- Enter a name for the new tab in the New File Tab box.
In this example, I want to import the data to a new Google Sheets file. I name the file “Regional Analysis January” and the tab “USA”. Sheetgo will create the destination file for me automatically and save it in my Google Drive.
Check out your destination file. It now contains a new tab with the imported data from your source file. The padlock icon and green bar show you that this is a connected tab.
How to update the imported data
After each update, any changes to the source sheet will be reflected in the destination sheet.
Import Google Sheets data automatically
To ensure you’ve always got the latest data in your spreadsheets without having to open Sheetgo, you can schedule automatic updates.
Click Automate on the floating menu bar and choose how frequently you want the data to be updated: from once an hour to once a month.
This can help you compile automated reports or power dashboards with accurate and up-to-date information.
Import data from multiple Google Sheets files
Now that you’ve created a workflow you can expand it by connecting more files to automate and integrate your processes even further.
Often, you may want to combine, or merge, data from multiple Google Sheets into one. You can do this by creating a new workflow and selecting Send Data to > Multiple Files or by adding more files to the workflow you’ve already created.
Add more files
To add another source file to your existing workflow, open Sheetgo and select the workflow from the list on the left of the screen. Click +Connect on the floating workflow menu and add another source file. Under Destination, select the same destination file and destination tab as your previous connection. This will import data from multiple Google Sheets, consolidating the information into one central tab.
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