How to Auto-Update Dropdowns in Smartsheet from a Master Sheet?

jalajgupta

I am building an Inventory Management System entirely within Smartsheet and need help with dynamically updating dropdown lists.

Scenario:

• I have an Inventory Master Sheet that contains all SKUs.
• Several sheets (e.g., Sales Orders, Purchase Orders) reference the SKU ID as a dropdown field.
• I want the SKU dropdown in target sheets to automatically update whenever a new SKU is added to the Inventory Master.

What I Tried:

1. DataMesh: Successfully mapped SKU IDs from Inventory Master to target sheets, but this only updates values—not dropdown lists.
2. Cell Linking: Doesn't work for dropdowns.
3. Automation Workflows: No option to update dropdown lists dynamically.

Ideal Outcome:

• SKU dropdowns in target sheets should automatically update whenever new SKUs are added to the Inventory Master.
• No manual intervention should be required to update the dropdown list.

Questions:

1. Is there any built-in way to auto-update dropdowns?
2. Can Smartsheet API be used to automate this? Any examples?
3. Are there other workarounds that don’t require premium add-ons?

Would love to hear your insights—thanks in advance!

Paul Newcome

There are a number of ways to do this. The API would be the only way that doesn't require an add-on. Otherwise, Data Shuttle and Bridge can both be leveraged.

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2482755-dynamic-dropdowns-data-shuttle

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