Setting up DataMesh in Smartsheet

Setting up DataMesh in Smartsheet

O Smartsheet DataMesh offers search functionality between spreadsheets, facilitating data consistency. With Smartsheet Data Mesh you can:

• Find and remove duplicates automatically
• Create links between spreadsheets based on the search values you specify
• Automatically fill empty cells in a spreadsheet based on a known lookup value in one or more other spreadsheets (for example, if you have a source spreadsheet that contains phone numbers for a list of people, you can use the data mesh to update a different spreadsheet with those same phone numbers)

Create new configuration

You will create new DataMesh configurations in the Create New Configuration wizard. The creation process has five steps. To start the wizard, click on New Configuration in the top right corner of the DataMesh application and follow the steps in the wizard.

1- Select the source item

1. Search or browse to find the sheet or report that contains the data you want to display in the mesh sheet.
2. Once you have located the spreadsheet, select it and click the Next button.

2- Select the target spreadsheets 

1. Search or browse to find the spreadsheets you want to copy data from.
2. Once you have located the spreadsheet, select it and click the Next button.

3- In this step, you will choose which fields will be mapped and determine which information will be moved where.

1. In the box Search values in Source Worksheetbox, select the common value between the two worksheets (the value you want to search for in the target worksheet).
2. Select the fields to be mapped in the sections Source Sheet e Destination Sheet(s) sections. That is, if there is a match between the source and target sheets for the Lookup Value, the data you specify in the Data Field boxes (or column names) will be copied to the target sheet.
   
   NOTE: The names of the columns being mapped don't have to match; however, you'll have an easier time if you follow a standard naming convention for similar data in the worksheets.
3. When you have selected the columns you want to map, click on the Next button.

4- Set the display options

1. To specify how (and how often) you want to merge the data in the various drop-down menus, use the display options:

• Overwrite the data in the target worksheets: If set to Yesthe overwrite setting will replace any data in the column of the data field in the target sheet.

• Duplicates in the source sheet: This option controls how to handle duplicates if they are found in the source worksheet.
  Select 1st match will use the first matching search value from the source sheet.
  Ignore entries will completely ignore duplicate search values.

• Data Mapping Format: This option controls whether you want the data to be actively synchronized with the Cell Links functionality of the source worksheet or copied from the source worksheet.
  NOTE: The Copy and add data option will copy the corresponding lookup values between the source and target worksheets, but will also add new lookup values from the source worksheet that do not have a corresponding lookup value in the target worksheet.

• Execution frequency: Scheduled execution frequency for updating the data mesh values.

1. Enter a title similar to the purpose of the mesh (for example, the type of data you are merging) in the field Name field under Configuration Name.
2. Click on Next button.

5- Here, you confirm that you have mapped the data fields correctly, that you are satisfied with the options specified and that the Name of the configuration makes sense. If everything is in order, click on the Update button.

Once you have completed the configuration in Smartsheet DataMesh, the simplification of the search between spreadsheets is obvious.

In short, with the ability to remove duplicates, create automatic links and fill empty cells, data efficiency is maximized. In this way, the configuration wizard, in five simple steps, guides you through the creation of customized configurations, consequently allowing careful selection of fields and display options.

Therefore, the flexibility offered by DataMesh subsequently allows adaptation to different data mapping needs, while the wizard's intuitive interface provides an easy and agile experience. What's more, by using Smartsheet DataMesh, above all, users can achieve remarkable consistency in their spreadsheet processes.

In conclusion, when you complete this configuration in Smartsheet DataMesh, the results promise simplification, efficiency and consistency in operations between spreadsheets.

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