Deleted Rows
RIGHT NOW:
Implement a pop-up warning to alert someone and verify that they want to delete a row. You do it for unlocking rows, and that's nothing compared to deleting a row.
SOON:
Give us a new user level with edit access but no ability to delete rows
or make it impossible to delete a row if any cell in that row is locked (even if by column)
Currently, any editor can delete an entire row and there is now way to stop them. Restoring a row from a backup copy does NOT restore the cell histories or other tracking information related to the cells/comments/attachments/changes.
This is a long running issue. Please see the following posts:
June 2015
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/rows-being-removed
August 2015
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/revert-old-version-sheet
August 2015
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/avoid-shared-person-delete-my-row
August 2015
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/conditional-lock
August 2015
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/find-deleated-items
October 2015
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/retrieve-deleted-data
January 2016
February 2016
March 2016
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/prevent-deletion-rows-if-it-contains-locked-cells
May 2016
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/allowing-team-members-update-smartsheet
June 2016
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/prevent-deletion-rows-enhancement-request-again
June 2016
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/delete-rows-employee-avoide-tasks-completion
June 2016
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/deleted-rows-there-way-find-out-who
July 2016
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/historychange-deleted-rows
October 2016
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/block-rows-been-deleted-editor
February 2017
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/admin-deleted-bucket
March 2017
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/retrieving-lost-data
March 2017
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/viewing-deleting-rows
June 2017
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/web-form-submissions-disappearing
July 2017
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/retaining-deleted-info
September 2017
January 2018
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/adding-back-deleted-rows
March 2018
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/overwritten-sheet#comment-67946
June 2018
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/questions-new-user#comments
July 2018
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/retrieve-deleted-sheets
July 2018
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/how-avoid-deleting-rowcolumn-smartsheet
August 2018
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/can-free-collaborator-delete-line
November 2018
https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/activity-logrows-deleted#comment-124356
Again, remember that even with a ‘backup’:
1. You will not be able to restore any cell history.
2. You will not be able to put the comments back in with the correct layout. (time/date/user stamped, etc)
3. You will not be able to restore the original value of any system column where an index was created. (e.g. a unique ID or counter)
4. You most likely will not be able to restore the attachments correctly because even with a backup none of the attachments have markings to show what row they were attached to.
So yes, you may be able to restore the latest cell value, but you have lost so much.
This problem needs to be fixed, and is important, but has not been given the attention that it deserves. Please fix this Smartsheet.
Comments
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I'm all up on this one. Count my vote, and then count it again.
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User Backups also do not include dashboards or reports.
It would be nice if you could lock rows and columns then exclude certain fields.
This can be accomplished by locking some columns then only the unlocked fields can be edited.
Here's the big problem. If you lock rows then the fields you left open to edits are now locked.
If you don't lock rows then an editor can still insert or delete rows.
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Smartsheet, if you're listening, this is a deal breaker for using your tool at our National Government Laboratory as far as our Procurement department is concerned. This flaw in your system allows anyone to delete any rows that contain historical data and attachments that are required for our record documents. Is this really not on top of your list of priorities? Can we all talk a little louder on this?
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Please reference list of forum posts of users expressing pain because of this problem, compare it to the product update announcements, and then reconsider the statement, "...if you're listening..."
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Hi everyone—
Editors can't delete locked rows. If you lock the entire row, an Editor won't be able to delete it.
We also have an automation feature so that you can conditionally lock or unlock rows: https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2476191-automate-your-work-alerts-actions
If locking the entire row isn't an option, update requests are a great option to allow people to edit sheet information without having sharing access to the sheet—which would prevent them from being able to delete the row.
Another option to look into is creating a report and having people work out of the report as opposed to the source sheet: https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/522214-creating-reports
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Shaine,
Thanks for re-posting the workarounds. For some people these may represent solutions. However, all of the items you listed are in fact workarounds to a systemic problem - and all of them represent increased workload for admins/owners and/or reduced functionality for users.
Please do the following:
1. (stop-gap) Implement a pop-up message whenever someone tries to delete a row. (this is already done for the 'unlock row' feature, and should be fast and easy enough to implement for 'delete row')
-zero impact on existing user rights
AND
2a. (solution) Implement a change to the software that will allow sheet owners to prohibit deleting any row that contains a locked cell/column.
OR
2b. (solution) Implement a new user level that is "Editor - safe" where the user has all the rights of an Editor but where the 'delete row' functionality is greyed out. (There is only one permission difference between 'Editor - cannot share' and 'Editor - can share', so the precedent is there.)
Before you implement another change to the User Interface, or integrate another piece of buzz-worthy new software, please FIX this issue which has been bothering users for >3years and represents a QA no-go for many companies.
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Having more granular control over the ability to access/edit/delete/download/etc. is paramount to security at all levels and sizes of business. I think Smartsheet has built quite the foundation to operate upon, but the inability to fine tune permissions is a major vulnerability and is only exacerbated at scale.
Obviously, I cannot speak to the feasibility of these solutions, but I will add my voice in support of the "already a paying customer" crowd. I understand the desire to stay fresh and bring in new customers. However, it appears there are some issues/ideas in these forums that continue to go unaddressed or worse unacknowledged. While some of these things may not be simple to resolve or implement, I feel there is a growing sentiment that there is an increasingly unbalanced focus between the desires/needs of the existing customer base and the "the path ahead".
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Completely agree with this post.
One of my team members just discovered today, by ACCIDENT, that he can irreversibly DELETE a row when attempting to EDIT, from the right-click menu (se attached)
I had completely taken for granted that only an admin's would be able to delete rows... In what common use scenario is having multiple users with delete privileges a good idea?
At the very least, the UI needs to provide some protection against mouse clicks by separated these very different use-models in space. This should not be hard to do.
Beyond that, I like the idea of adding a warning message or a 2nd verification step!
However, simplest and most robust solution is to make row deletion admin-only. This also should not be that hard to do...
Locking rows is not a viable solution when cells in rows need to remain editable while work is in progress.
"Submit update request" is also a no-go, because it would turn the admin into a full-time micromanager and scribe...these are the very pitfalls that caused my company to move from pen/paper/whiteboard to Smartsheet in the first place.
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Hi everyone,
Please submit an Enhancement Request when you have a moment to have your vote added
A New Way to Submit Your Feature Requests
To make your Enhancement / Feature Request count, send in the form above because there isn’t a guarantee, it will be registered otherwise.
Original Post: https://community.smartsheet.com/announcement/new-way-submit-your-feature-requestsHave a fantastic week!
Best,
Andrée Starå
Workflow Consultant @ Get Done Consulting
SMARTSHEET EXPERT CONSULTANT & PARTNER
Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD
W: www.workbold.com | E:andree@workbold.com | P: +46 (0) - 72 - 510 99 35
Feel free to contact me for help with Smartsheet, integrations, general workflow advice, or anything else.
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Dears,
it's very important permission must be added to prevent users with Edit permission to delete any row even if on cell is locked in that row, please share me and submit request using the following link:
Best Regards
Bassam
bassam.khalil2009@gmail.com
☑️ Are you satisfied with my answer to your question? Please help the Community by marking it as an ( Accepted Answer), and I will be grateful for your "Vote Up" or "Insightful"
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Well....
It's been over 5 years now that this has been a flaw in the design. At this point I'm not sure they'll ever correct it. Ahh well 😪
Users can keep calling it a problem for half a decade, but if mgmt. and the developers disagree with the users then...
the users lose.
PS. This has been submitted as an 'enhancement request'
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Hello @Brad Jones , I do completely agree with you.
I'm currently using Smartsheet for Audit purpose and to store approvals and if I lose any comment or attachment is a big big lost.
Also about the rows, if the columns is locked, the editors should not cancel the rows.
Do you know if these requests have been resolved (submitted a request today) ?
Or do you know how can I control that a row has been cancelled?
thank you!
MG
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Hello @MG Amato ,
Sorry I can't offer you any good news.
Please see Community post https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/37871/deleted-rows
By all means submit an Enhancement Request - but as this fix does not generate revenue expect Smartsheet to continue to ignore it. 6 years and counting.
My defeated opinion is that Smartsheet has zero intention of fixing this huge, gaping, monstrous flaw. They have been aware of the bug for 6 years and done nothing. I've opened ticketes, proposed solutions, requested enhancements, and bugged them on the phone about 30 times - no fix.
The only way to prevent a row from being deleted is to lock the row - which means the users can't edit anything in the row - so it is NOT a solution. Update requests are 'technically' a work-around, but this creates an immense administrative burden on the sheet owner/admin and can not be considered a viable solution in most circumstances.
Sadly Smartsheet has become "too big to care".
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So a pop-up warning is still not available when someone accidently deletes a row?
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It appears that deleting a row can still happen without a pop-up notification. I agree with @Brad Jones in that there should at least be a pop-up window that asks if the user is sure they want to delete the row (similar to what we see when unlocking a row).
Clearly the impact of unlocking a row can allow for edits to be made but the negative impact is not as severe as an accidental deletion of an entire row of data.
Please make sure that you submit the enhancement request form for this. I think I started following this thread over a year ago and will make sure to submit my feedback for this request today.
All the best,
Sandra
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