EngineRoom

Importing from Google Sheets

You can connect Google Sheets directly to EngineRoom to create data sources that stay linked to your spreadsheet. This is useful when your data lives in Google Sheets and may need to be updated over time.

Important: .xlsx files must be converted to Google Sheets format before they can be imported this way.

If you want to use .xlsx files directly, see Upload or Create a Data Source for standard upload options.

Importing from Google Sheets

To import data from Google Sheets into EngineRoom:

1) At the bottom of the Data Sources panel, click the three-dot (⋮) button.

Bottom of Data Editor panel containing Upload, New, and vertical ellipses button

2) Click Connect to Google Sheets.

Open menu item showing Connect to Google Sheets

3) When prompted, choose your Google account or sign in.

Sign in with Google Account, logged in.

4) Accept the Google permissions request by clicking Allow

  • Note: Organizational Google policies may restrict access, but there are no additional EngineRoom-specific permission requirements. If you run into an issue, reach out to us or contact your Google Admin.
Permissions screen for Google Sheets allowing EngineRoom to see, edit, create, and delete specific Google Drive Files

5) From the list of available Google Sheets, select the file you want to import then click Select.

  • Tip: Sorting by Last Modified By Me can make it easier to find the correct file.
Selection screen for Google Sheets showing a list of titles for Google Sheets

6) Once selected, EngineRoom creates one data source for each sheet (tab) within the Google Sheets file.

7) Use the data sources as usual:

  • Click a data source to view its variables.
  • Open the Data Editor to preview the sheet inside EngineRoom.

How Google Sheets Are Imported

  • A single Google Sheets file (workbook) may contain one or many sheets (tabs).
  • Each sheet becomes its own EngineRoom data source.
  • The connection is one-way, from Google Sheets → EngineRoom.

Refreshing Google Sheets Data

EngineRoom does not automatically sync Google Sheets. To pull in updates, you must refresh manually.

1) Make edits directly in Google Sheets.

2) Return to EngineRoom.

3) Click the relevant Data Source to open the variables panel.

Variable panel in EngineRoom showing the Refresh button for Google Sheets

4) Click Refresh.

5) The data source updates with the latest values from Google Sheets.

Alert showing success on refresh, Data source refreshed successfully

Editing Data: Important Considerations

While it is technically possible to edit the data inside EngineRoom, this is not recommended for data sources that originate from Google Sheets.

  • The connection is one-way.
  • Refreshing the data source will overwrite any edits made in the EngineRoom Data Editor.
  • EngineRoom displays a warning before refreshing to alert you that local changes will be replaced. From here you can make a copy of the existing data source and import the data again into a new data source, proceed (overwriting the edited data) or cancel.
Warning message if user edits the data source in EngineRoom

Best practice: Always edit the data in Google Sheets, then refresh the data source in EngineRoom.

Related Articles

  • Upload or Create a Data Source – Learn how to upload files (including .xlsx) or create data sources without third-party integrations.

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