Data Uploader - Expressions & Repeated Updates

JofromHP

Hello,

I have three questions regarding Data Uploader.  

1) In my source excel file I have First Name and Last name.  I tried to build an expression to concatenate the fields (used =[First Name]+" "+[Last Name] but returned UNPARSEABLE which I would assume is because I am not referencing the line number. Is there a way to put in a reference to whatever line it is working on?

2) I am using the Data Uploader to look up an email address and then add in the full name and then the phone number.  It seems to update the first occurrence of the email address but not the subsequent ones.  Am I missing something in the setup?

3) Can Data Uploader update more than one SmartSheet at the same time?  So I attached a file and update that file and it updates a bunch of SmartSheets?

Thanks so much

JofromHP

Figured out the line (row) number by using @row.  Perfect.  Still struggling with having it fill out each time it finds an email match.  And can I concatenate to fields from the input excel file into one Smartsheet field?

Isaac Jose

Hi Jo,

Thanks for posting! I've done my best to answer each of your questions below:

1. As you've found, the correct expression is =[First Name]@row+" "+[Last Name]@row. For those finding this later, documentation on this formula operator is here: Create Efficient Formulas with @cell and @row
2. It sounds like you might be using the email address as the unique identifier in a Data Uploader config that uses a "Merge" action. If the email address appears multiple times in the source file, then only the values from the first instance of that email address will sync to the sheet. If the address appears multiple times in Smartsheet, then every row with that email address will sync to the first instance of that email in the source file. If the behavior you're seeing differs, I recommend reaching out to Support with screenshots of your config setup, a copy of the file, and screenshots of the sheet. https://help.smartsheet.com/contact
3. You can update multiple sheets with a single file upload if you create multiple Data Uploader configs/workflows that use the same source sheet/file with different target sheets.

Regarding field concatenation, you'll either need to create a column in your source file that concatenates the fields into a single column, or you'll create an expression field/column and hide the First Name and Last Name columns.

You might also consider using the Data Mesh application to sync sheets based on unique identifiers Smartsheet DataMesh: Eliminate Typos, Avoid Duplicative Data

Hope this helps!

Isaac J