Data Mesh or Formula - what takes precedence

Roy Charters

I have taken ownership of a sheet which is updated by a Data Mesh. I do not have access to the Data Mesh and the person who does is not currently available to transfer it to me or delete it.

I changed the columns being updated by the Data Mesh to use lookup formulas because I need the report to update immediately. The Data Mesh is still in place and I would like to know if the formulas will be overwritten or if any other issue will arise.

Roy Charters

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately I do not have access to the Data Mesh and so cannot check the settings.

However, you did point me in the right direction and I was able to test "Overwrite Existing Data in Target Sheet(s)" = Yes/No. Seems is does not matter one way or the other. If there is a formula in the column a Data Mesh is targeting it will not overwrite the formula.

Thanks

SmartSheet Management

DataMesh will only take precedence if you tell it to. You can avoid any overwriting by finding the option "Overwrite Existing Data in Target Sheet(s)" under the Step 4 tab and selecting "No." Also, you can set execution frequency to immediate in the same tab, thus functioning just like VLOOKUP.

I set up a series of dummy sheets and use those to test scenarios like this. This is most helpful for me since I learn best by doing. Then I come here for more support. The great thing is that even when my ideas don't work, I've got an example of it. Sometimes I accidentally discover new tricks!

I hope you find this helpful. Have a wonderful day!

Roy Charters

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately I do not have access to the Data Mesh and so cannot check the settings.

However, you did point me in the right direction and I was able to test "Overwrite Existing Data in Target Sheet(s)" = Yes/No. Seems is does not matter one way or the other. If there is a formula in the column a Data Mesh is targeting it will not overwrite the formula.

Thanks