Workaround for Editing a Report Without Full Access

eddie12781

Hi,

I have a crucial missing piece to a workflow of mine which would allow my customers to edit my Smartsheet Reports in order to make their "selections" on my products.

The issue I'm having is that I cannot share the sheets associated with my reports with my customers because there is information on those sheets that I would not want my customers to see. 

The only workaround I've thought of thus far has been to create a second sheet that has specifically the information I want my customer to see and to bring that information over using the cell linking feature. Then I would use that second sheet to create my report and I would then share that report with my customer.

The issue with this workaround is that it is awfully tedious and requires way too much maintenance.

I've been calling Smartsheet almost twice a week to try and come up with workarounds. The best case scenario would be if reports were editable even when someone is not shared on the source sheet but it doesn't sound like it will be offered in the near future and I'd imagine it would be quite a buildout since security would be a major sticking point on this feature.

I'm desperately looking for a workaround that I have not thought of yet. 

Any suggestions would be awesome. 

Thanks in advance for the help!

Richard Rymill SBP

Eddie, I think you already know what you can't have at the moment? But... 

From what you are saying... correct me if i'm wrong here? Is you want to give your clients a means of ordering your products from you from a list of those products? 

This may be way too simple but why not use a Smart Form where each item is listed as an item in the form which they can order eg 10 off or one off and ignore what they do not want to buy? 

If you want to show them a catalogue of what you offer first, then maybe do that in a published sheet with photos and spec to view. You can provide a Unique Form for each client as a link from your catalogue if that helps? Depends if you have a few big customers or Thousands of smaller ones? 

If none of the above? Then you need to combine the Use of Appsheet with Smartsheet which will provide the Filtered Editable Views of whatever you want them to see and nothing else, all in a nice user interface for any device. Not sure what this looks like?  then take a look at this short video explaining the features on our webpage. http://smarterbusinessprocesses.com/appsheet/

If you want to know more, then email me for a free Consultation and Demo.  

Costs involved are low. Each defined user pays @ $5 per month to Appsheet plus a day or two, to build the solution you need and combine the two systems including Excel or Google if that helps. 

Richardr@smarterbusinessprocesses.com 

 

eddie12781

Hi Richard,

 

Thank you for replying to my message. You mention something below “smart form” but I’m unsure as to what that is. Can you please clarify?

 

Also, App sheet seems to be for mobile apps which is not what I’m looking for so I don’t believe that would work.

 

Please let me know. Thanks!

Richard Rymill SBP

Hi Eddie, It was good to talk this through with you yesterday and hope the choices we have provided, will help you decide the best way to get what you want. 

We concluded that it is not possible to provide your trade clients with a feature rich product list including essential images that they can just check off the list that interests them, then their choices be saved for them and you to discuss. (without a lot of manual effort) 

However by Using Appsheet with Smartsheet, this is quite straight forward. 

Hope we have helped?

RichardR