Automatically send entire sheet as attachment?

Cecilie

Hi all 😊

We're changing a process in my company, and now we need to send specific data to the Finance department whenever we start a new project. This includes start and end dates, project number, etc.

I wanted to create an information sheet to use as template with our Blueprint, so that this sheet automatically gets data from the project's metadata whenever a project is created. I then wanted to use the starting date of the project as a trigger for an automation to send the information sheet to Finance automatically.

Only, it seems I can't choose to send 'sheet as attachment' in an automation… Anyone know a solution or workaround?

Cecilie

Hi all! Thank you so much for the suggestions. I found a somewhat primitive solution but I think it'll work beautifully regardless.

@David John I ended up attaching the data to an automated email, thank you so much for the possible solutions, and reminding me that I could do this!

@RDRGSJ00 I tried concentrating the data in our Summary roll-up sheet, since this would gather from all of our projects, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. For this document, I need start and end dates of the project, which is calculated by the project plan only after the project is created. I wasn't sure I could link the data in the Summary sheet if it technically didn't exist yet - if it would retroactively gather it, and if that would generate any issues. Gathering all the data in one place would have been the better solution, but I did save myself some headache from running it through our Blueprint (for now!). Thank you for the help 😊

@Andrée Starå Not that much, it was mostly the repeated data which didn't match my columns' data which were proving an issue.

I decided to use the following solution:

I have made a new sheet in our template folder. This sheet links to cells in our project plan and metadata, and uses a formula to generate the year for our current fiscal year. Collecting all the data in one sheet would have been preferable, but for now I'm going to skip using our blueprint.

I'm then using an Automation that triggers on project start to send a mail to the Finance department. Since we usually create projects well in advance, this shouldn't lead to any issues.

The mail includes above information and the account numbers we need lined up like this;

Thanks again all! I'll try to think on how to create just one sheet for this solution, but this will work for now 😊

RDRGSJ00

Hello Cecilie,

Thinking out loud here but maybe you could:

1. Create an editable PDF with all the information the finance department needs and create a document mapping with the document builder.
2. Create automation to generate and attach the document whenever specific criteria are met (e.g. on a specific date, when a checkbox is checked, when a cell is not blank).
3. Create an "Alert Someone" automation to send an email and the attachment whenever specific criteria are met.
   1. In the "Message includes" select "Links to sheet and specific fields" and select "An attachment"

I haven't tested it but in theory, it should work. Let me know if it works for you.

Cecilie

Hi @RDRGSJ00

Thank you for the reply. That was acutally my first solution, but I have never used the document builder before and couldn't figure out which data it attaches to the fillable rows. I suppose if I 'tag' a row so only that row triggers, I can control the data it sends. My columns don't match the data I need, but I'm going to try it in a summary row.

David John

It seems you're looking to automate the process of sending a specific data sheet to the Finance department whenever a new project starts. The key challenge is that your automation tool doesn't directly support sending a sheet as an attachment.

Potential Solutions

1. Export to PDF and Attach:

• Create a PDF version of the sheet: Use your Blueprint or another tool to convert the information sheet into a PDF format.
• Attach PDF to the automation: Most automation tools allow you to attach files. So, attach the generated PDF to the email you're sending to Finance.

2. Embed Data in Email Body:

• Extract relevant data: Use formulas or automation to extract the necessary data from the information sheet.
• Include data in email body: Format the extracted data into a clear and readable format and include it in the email body.

3. Utilize a Third-Party Integration:

• Explore integration options: Check if your Blueprint or automation tool supports integration with other platforms (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, SharePoint).
• Store sheet in cloud storage: Save the information sheet to a cloud storage location.
• Share link or attach file: Include a link to the sheet in the email or attach the file directly if supported by the integration.

4. Custom Scripting (Advanced):

• If you have technical expertise: Consider using scripting languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript) to automate the process.
• Create a custom script: Develop a script to generate the information sheet, convert it to a PDF (if needed), and send it as an attachment. 😍

RDRGSJ00

Cecilie,

You are correct in wanting a summary row to get the data just the way you need it. I also recommend a "Roll-up" sheet, it's the same thing as a summary row but on a different sheet. You can use formulas like INDEX, COLLECT, and MATCH to bring only the data you need and even concatenate it. Once you have the data how you need it, then you can generate the document from it. There are a couple of different ways to generate a document. The way I recommend requires that you have Adobe Pro. If you have it, let me know and I can try and walk you through how to create and generate a form.

Andrée Starå

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/129344/automatically-send-entire-sheet-as-attachment

Hi,

I hope you're well and safe!

How much data is that you need to send to finance?

A potential solution would be to collect the data in one or multiple cells and use an alert to submit the information.

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic day!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅ Did my comment(s) help/answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community and me by marking it - Insightful 💡- Vote Up ⬆️ - Aweseome ❤️ - or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer! I appreciate it, thanks!

Cecilie

Hi all! Thank you so much for the suggestions. I found a somewhat primitive solution but I think it'll work beautifully regardless.

@David John I ended up attaching the data to an automated email, thank you so much for the possible solutions, and reminding me that I could do this!

@RDRGSJ00 I tried concentrating the data in our Summary roll-up sheet, since this would gather from all of our projects, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. For this document, I need start and end dates of the project, which is calculated by the project plan only after the project is created. I wasn't sure I could link the data in the Summary sheet if it technically didn't exist yet - if it would retroactively gather it, and if that would generate any issues. Gathering all the data in one place would have been the better solution, but I did save myself some headache from running it through our Blueprint (for now!). Thank you for the help 😊

@Andrée Starå Not that much, it was mostly the repeated data which didn't match my columns' data which were proving an issue.

I decided to use the following solution:

I have made a new sheet in our template folder. This sheet links to cells in our project plan and metadata, and uses a formula to generate the year for our current fiscal year. Collecting all the data in one sheet would have been preferable, but for now I'm going to skip using our blueprint.

I'm then using an Automation that triggers on project start to send a mail to the Finance department. Since we usually create projects well in advance, this shouldn't lead to any issues.

The mail includes above information and the account numbers we need lined up like this;

Thanks again all! I'll try to think on how to create just one sheet for this solution, but this will work for now 😊

Andrée Starå

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/450190#Comment_450190

You're more than welcome!

Happy to help!

✅ Remember! Did my comment(s) help/answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community and me by marking it - Insightful 💡- Vote Up ⬆️ - Aweseome ❤️ - or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer! I appreciate it, thanks!