Automated reports with attachments included

Leann Gibson

I have a few automated reports that go out every Monday. Is there a way to have this report (PDF or Excel) include the documents that are attached?

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Leann Gibson,

you can approach this requirement with a combination of Smartsheet's capabilities and possibly integrating external tools or services through Smartsheet connectors. Here are a few strategies you might consider:

1. Linking to Documents: Instead of attaching the documents directly into the report, you can include links to the documents within your Smartsheet rows. These links can be to documents stored in a cloud storage service (like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box) that is accessible to the report recipients. You can add a column in your Smartsheet to hold these links, and they will be included in your automated report. This way, recipients can access the documents by clicking the links.
2. Using Smartsheet Attachments Column: If your documents are attached to rows in Smartsheet, ensure your report includes the "Attachments" column from your sheet. While the report will not embed the actual files in a PDF or Excel file, it can provide a summary or indication of attachments. Recipients would need to go to the actual sheet to download or view the attachments.
3. Smartsheet Connectors and Integrations: Explore using Smartsheet connectors or integrations with external tools like Zapier, Workato, or Integromat. These services can automate workflows between Smartsheet and other platforms. For example, you could set up a workflow that, upon the scheduled report generation, also gathers the linked documents from your specified storage platform and sends them in an email along with the report. This requires a bit of setup and possibly custom scripting or automation logic outside of Smartsheet.
4. Custom Development with Smartsheet API: For a more tailored solution, you can use the Smartsheet API to develop a custom application or script that generates your report, collects the attached documents from the rows, and sends everything via email to your desired recipients. This approach offers the most flexibility but requires programming knowledge and resources to implement.
5. Manual Process: As a last resort or interim solution, you could manually attach the documents to the email when the report is sent out if the volume of documents is manageable. This is not scalable for large numbers of documents or recipients but can be a stop-gap solution.

None of these solutions are as straightforward as having Smartsheet automatically include row attachments directly in emailed reports, but they offer pathways to achieve a similar end goal. The best approach depends on your specific requirements, available resources, and how you're currently using Smartsheet within your workflows.