Primary Column and no data input!

Sarah Cobb

Hello Database Friends

My husband insists that he knows databases from his extensive experience using the "SUM" function in Excel. Please help me help him understand the value of having a good database. I'm learning smartsheets- but am more familiar with SQL database issues/best practices like PK, data redundancy etc.

Here are two specific questions I need answers to:

1. The Primary Column is empty in his database. I know he will have issues sending a row/requesting row updates. Anything else that will make a missing primary column a larger issue? For example, reports, dashboards etc? (See left attached screen shot )
2. This question may relate to the first. I'm having trouble understanding the relationships between sheets, reports, and dashboards. I'm trying to show totals from a sheet on a dashboard, but can't get the Jan/Feb totals of to show up! How do I do this?

Thank you for your attention to my husband's idiot database practices. I love my husband but witnessing him abuse a database on so many levels, while saying he understands what he's doing really makes me question his integrity.

Yes, "Integrity" was a pun.

To me, this is the funniest cartoon ever. If you think it's funny too, let's be friends.

https://xkcd.com/688/ (A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.)

Andrée Starå

Hi @Sarah Cobb

I hope you're well and safe!

First,

https://media.giphy.com/media/MuAz5ozYsaC7rkRUe2/giphy.gif

Second,

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/504645-primary-column

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅Did my post(s) help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please help the Community by marking it as the accepted answer/helpful. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

Andrée Starå

@Sarah Cobb

To add.

This question may relate to the first. I'm having trouble understanding the relationships between sheets, reports, and dashboards. I'm trying to show totals from a sheet on a dashboard but can't get the Jan/Feb totals to show up! How do I do this?

Sheet = Main Smartsheet Item

Report = Another view of a sheet or multiple sheets.

Dashboard = Can show information from both above.

To get the totals, you'd need to calculate it in the sheet in a cell, in the Sheet Summary, or use cross-sheet formulas to collect the data in another sheet and then reference that in the Dashboard.

Make sense?

Andrée Starå

Hi @Sarah Cobb

I hope you're well and safe!

First,

https://media.giphy.com/media/MuAz5ozYsaC7rkRUe2/giphy.gif

Second,

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/504645-primary-column

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅Did my post(s) help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please help the Community by marking it as the accepted answer/helpful. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

Andrée Starå

@Sarah Cobb

To add.

This question may relate to the first. I'm having trouble understanding the relationships between sheets, reports, and dashboards. I'm trying to show totals from a sheet on a dashboard but can't get the Jan/Feb totals to show up! How do I do this?

Sheet = Main Smartsheet Item

Report = Another view of a sheet or multiple sheets.

Dashboard = Can show information from both above.

To get the totals, you'd need to calculate it in the sheet in a cell, in the Sheet Summary, or use cross-sheet formulas to collect the data in another sheet and then reference that in the Dashboard.

Make sense?

Sarah Cobb

Hey! Thank you! I had forgotten about sheet summaries!!

We are in Minnesota, so we are absolutely accustomed to slick winters. Seasonal depression has finally met pandemic depression and it's been a party ever since: a new adventure everyday!

The formula I want is something that filters "Need By Date" column to a specific month (Jan, Feb, Mar, etc) then count how many times Status column is "User Requested"

I've tried a million different ways, forwards, backwards, and upside down, and am about to find and sacrifice a deer in my backyard to the gods of 1s and 0s, but I'd like to find an answer here first since it'd be less to clean up. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS FORMULA??

=IF([Need By Date]1:[Need By Date]800), COUNTM(MONTH([Need By Date])2),0)