Forms and column consolidation

Emily T.

We use Smartsheets for Project management in our org, but I would like to see it expand to other areas, such as Marketing. We have an internal webpage where you can put in 13 different various marketing requests that currently utilizes a different system. For ease of use, I had thought perhaps consolidating them all into one form and then have the responses be moved to a sheet and notify the specific owner could be an option, but my original grid for the form has 60 plus columns and I only want populated columns to show in the designated sheet the information would move to. Or is there a better way to do this that I'm not thinking about?

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Emily T.,

Your scenario outlines a common challenge: managing the complexity of data collection and ensuring that the relevant information is effectively routed and displayed. Here are some steps and recommendations to address your requirements:

1. Data Handling and Notifications:

• Automations for Data Routing: After form submission, you can set up automation rules to route the data to the appropriate sheets based on the type of request. This might involve creating separate sheets for each type of request or having one master sheet with different sections/rows assigned to each request type.
• Smart Columns: Instead of displaying all 60+ columns, you can utilize Smartsheet's "Cell Linking" feature to create a summary sheet that only displays the populated columns relevant to each request. This approach requires setting up a system where the information from the form is initially collected in a comprehensive "collection sheet," and then, through automation or manual operation, the relevant data is linked or moved to a more focused "display sheet" for each request type.
• Dynamic View Creation: Use Smartsheet's Dynamic View feature to create tailored views for each request owner. Dynamic Views allow you to control what information is visible and editable by different users, enabling you to share specific columns based on the request type and the owner's role.

2. Notification Setup:

• Automated Alerts and Actions: Set up automated alerts and actions to notify the specific owner once a new request is made. Smartsheet allows for quite granular control over notifications, ensuring that the right people are alerted at the right time based on the criteria you set, such as changes to specific cells or rows, or new row additions.