Copying Column Into Blank Sheet

Shane C

I'm looking for a way to copy a single column into a blank sheet. When I started the project, I assumed cell link would be perfect, but that doesn't work with the destination sheet being blank.

The project I'm working on uses a form that's filled out 24 hours a day. The information from the source sheet is copied into the destination sheet. Automation won't work because the destination uses very different column names and setup. My initial idea was for cell link to copy over the primary column which is just a number. I've set up Datamesh to do the rest.

What I've been doing so far is manually copying the the primary column into the destinations. This would be great if Datamesh worked instantly but instead I have to copy the column over and then wait 15 minutes (it is set to update immediatly) before moving on with my process.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Darren Mullen

@Shane C

I know some people do this using Data Shuttle to offload the new data into an attachment then have that attachment trigger another workflow to upload the new data into the destination sheet. But.. that wouldn't be instant like you are looking to achieve.

However, I believe there is an add-on that would do that for you. If you are interested, I can get more details and verify that it will do what you want. Send me a message here: https://www.smartsheetguru.com/contact/

Andrée Starå

Hi @Shane C

I hope you're well and safe!

You could use cross-sheet formulas combined with either a VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH structure to connect the sheets, and when you update the source sheet, it will reflect on the destination sheet.

Another option would be to use so-called helper sheets. In short, copy the row to a helper sheet and then use my method described previously to get the values you need to another helper sheet and then copy/move the row from that sheet to the main destination sheet.

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic weekend!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Shane C

Hi Andree,

Can I extend vlookup to the entire destination column? Similar to how you can flashfill in Excel? I tried turning it into a column formula, but that did not work. A1 in the destination should match A1 in the source, B1 to B1, and so on. It's not going to use the seach value as vlookup up traditionally would.

Genevieve P.

Hi @Shane C

You would need to have a matching value in both sheets in order for an INDEX(MATCH to work (so it knows what row to bring back).

That said, one way to do this would be to have a helper column in your destination sheet that simply lists out the row numbers. Then you can use that as the Row Reference in an Index:

=INDEX({Column to Return}, [Helper Column]@row)

This would require you to pre-populate a "Row" column with numbers which may not work if you're using DataMesh or Data Shuttle, depending on your set-up.

Cheers,

Genevieve