We need to collect data from over a thousand volunteers on an annual basis. Last year, we collected the basic info using forms. This year, we would like to get the returning volunteers to confirm or update their basics and request new information.
Objectives would be a) to collect/update data in one fell swoop, rather than send multiple requests for sections of data b) never ask the user to retype information they already provided c) make sure no one but the user (and the admin) is able to see or update their data d) allow for updates from the user more than once..for instance as the user gets more data, they can go back to the request and update.
There are likely multiple ways to complete this workflow and I would like advice on the options and any pros and cons for each.
Right now, we are thinking about the following ideas:
Intake form: Gather all the information via an Intake FORM, compare with existing data using the (mutually exclusive) volunteer number and then merge the two rows of data. Unfortunately, this would make the user retype all the info they gave us last year.
I just read something about a URL query in forms to pre-populate data - should I pursue this?
Row Update: Send the user a ROW UPDATE request from the underlying sheet. The underlying sheet has their existing information and we have also add the columns (now blank) for the new info we need this year.
User Portal: We drafted a user portal "page" and like the concept but not sure how that would work for non-licensed people.
Any insight on the pros/cons for each of the above OR other paths are appreciated.
