How do i collect data on single sheet from multiple participants outside of Organization

Hi,

I have a sheet that contains name, emp ID and the company name of people who work on a project under me from different employers.

I want to collect additional details like Email ID & contact number from their respective employers to this single sheet without disclosing the line items to each other.

And allow them to add rows if they want to enter a worker detail who is missing in the original list.

I did try to use "Automation" by assigning a column as contact list with email IDs of intended employers, but then the recipient had to provide input on individual windows based on number of entries assigned to them instead of a consolidated view like a grid.

Example: If employer X has 20 people on Project ID A, then they were receiving 20 individual windows to provide input and not a single consolidated sheet.

How do i ensure that Data Privacy is maintained between employers and that we collect data in one place.

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Accepted answers

Andrée Starå

@Vinita Soman

To clarify because I think James missed adding a "not" to the answer about Update Request access.

With Update Requests, they will only be able to see what you'd want them to see on one or multiple rows.

The other two options would be:

Premium App, Dynamic View
Premium App, WorkApps (included from Enterprise and above)

Make sense?

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All comments

James Keuning

Adding rows can be done with a form.

But if you want someone to edit a record, and to do that they will need access to the sheet. And you can't limit what they see unless you have Dynamic View.

https://www.smartsheet.com/marketplace/premium-apps/dynamic-view

Andrée Starå

Hi @Vinita Soman

I hope you're well and safe!

To add to James's excellent advice/answer.

Another option could be using the Update Request feature.

https://help.smartsheet.com/learning-track/smartsheet-intermediate/update-requests

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Vinita Soman

Hi @James Keuning & @Andrée Starå

Bear with my ignorance as I am still navigating my way through smartsheet. But i dnt think i have a dynamic view access.

Will request update feature allow restricted view maintaining my data privacy?

James Keuning

@Vinita Soman Yes. If you use that feature, the recipient will be able to access any other data. Be sure to lock any columns that you do not want edited.

Vinita Soman

@James Keuning I was wondering if "Report" feature can help. Any suggestions?

James Keuning

The problem is that when you give someone access to a report, they must have access to the underlying sheet. Now, most users will probably land in Smartsheet, view their report, and move on. But if they start clicking around, they will be able to get to the sheet.

Vinita Soman

@James Keuning Thanks James, Exactly my point. I dnt want others to see the underlying sheet. But I was Brainstorming and told that if I use the contact list option, then viewers will see only their data. Do you think thats not the right way?

Andrée Starå

@Vinita Soman

To clarify because I think James missed adding a "not" to the answer about Update Request access.

With Update Requests, they will only be able to see what you'd want them to see on one or multiple rows.

The other two options would be:

Premium App, Dynamic View
Premium App, WorkApps (included from Enterprise and above)

Make sense?

James Keuning

Yes, I left out a very important NOT!

I am not sure what @Vinita Soman means by "contact list option."

I recommend creating a Smartsheet account (an "alt" account) with the same permission as you will grant your users. Open a Chrome window and create a new profile. You can log into Smartsheet with your admin account in one profile, and your alt account in the other Chrome profile, so you can run both at the same time. You can test the access you are giving your users.

Vinita Soman

Thanks @James Keuning Contact list was just a column property to ensure that only folks added to a Row receive the data. I am not sure if it makes sense, but it did work out.

let me try your suggestion for alt account . Basically i was told that if we create a separate sheet which groups the recipients, then it will be easy to create a report using "report builder" and share them grid view without actually giving access to sheet.

I am not sure if I am following the instructions correctly or missing some key features on my account

James Keuning

What they are probably saying is:

You can create one sheet with data for all users. And you can create a report to show only the data for the "Current User." But if you take this approach, the users will be able to get to the sheet and see data for other users.

You can create one sheet per user. And you can create a report that brings the data from those sheets into one report, and you can design the report to show only the data for the "Current User." In this case the user will only be able to get to their sheet, they will not be able to see other users' sheets.

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