Adding a new SHEET to Control Center projects

David Dolch · 03/29/21

Is there a way to have Control Center add a new SHEET to existing projects? I can add new reports and dashboards, and I can add new COLUMNS to existing sheets in a project, but is there a way to add a new sheet?

At the very least, if I cannot automatically add a new sheet using control center, can I at least manually add the sheet and somehow get control center to recognize it for what it is?

Here is a situation. We updated our project package with a new sheet and a number of reports based off of that sheet. I can manually add that sheet to the existing project packages. However when I try to push out the new reports via a global update, I have to manually point each report at the new sheet I manually added. Is there any way to tell control center that the sheet I added is indeed the sheet that it is looking for based on the new Control Center template?

Thanks

Jaykel Torres · 04/01/21

Hey @David Dolch,

Great question! Although there is not a Global Update option for adding New Sheets to existing Projects, you can add the New Sheet into your Blueprint as an Optional Template. Once this has been done, you may update your existing Projects to include the Sheet via Smartsheet Control Center. Please reference the steps below to perform this action:

Add the template to the template folder of the blueprint,
Launch Smartsheet Control Center or refresh the browser if you're already signed in,
Manage the program > Manage the blueprint,
Go to the second screen for Source Template Settings, you should get a prompt that there's a new template and be asked if you'd like to add it,
Update blueprint how you'd wish and save. Be sure that the new template is Optional
Refresh your browser,
Click on a previously provisioned project then "add new template," which will let you select the new template and add it to the project.

It is important to note that the new template will need to be added manually for each project. If you would like to add a required template, you must first make the template optional and follow the above steps. Once added to the existing projects, you can edit the blueprint to require the template going forward.

IMPORTANT: In order to retain links/mapping between sheets, reports, and dashboards, you should add the sheets first, then the reports, then the dashboards. If the destination of a link is added before the source (e.g. a report is added before the sheets that it references), then the link mapping will be broken. Additionally, cell links and cross sheet formulas between template sheets are not supported with Add New Templates (you'll see broken cell inks and INVALID REF cross sheet formulas).

I hope this helps!

Jaykel

Jaykel Torres · 04/01/21

Hey @David Dolch,

Great question! Although there is not a Global Update option for adding New Sheets to existing Projects, you can add the New Sheet into your Blueprint as an Optional Template. Once this has been done, you may update your existing Projects to include the Sheet via Smartsheet Control Center. Please reference the steps below to perform this action:

Add the template to the template folder of the blueprint,
Launch Smartsheet Control Center or refresh the browser if you're already signed in,
Manage the program > Manage the blueprint,
Go to the second screen for Source Template Settings, you should get a prompt that there's a new template and be asked if you'd like to add it,
Update blueprint how you'd wish and save. Be sure that the new template is Optional
Refresh your browser,
Click on a previously provisioned project then "add new template," which will let you select the new template and add it to the project.

It is important to note that the new template will need to be added manually for each project. If you would like to add a required template, you must first make the template optional and follow the above steps. Once added to the existing projects, you can edit the blueprint to require the template going forward.

IMPORTANT: In order to retain links/mapping between sheets, reports, and dashboards, you should add the sheets first, then the reports, then the dashboards. If the destination of a link is added before the source (e.g. a report is added before the sheets that it references), then the link mapping will be broken. Additionally, cell links and cross sheet formulas between template sheets are not supported with Add New Templates (you'll see broken cell inks and INVALID REF cross sheet formulas).

I hope this helps!

Jaykel

David Dolch · 04/01/21

@Jaykel T.

Thank you, that helps a lot for when I will have to add new sheets going forward. I wish there was a way to add sheets with links intact, but this is better than nothing.

Is there any way to do this for existing sheets? We added two sheets to our blueprint and needed to add them to our existing 90+ in flight projects - so we did. Sheet by sheet, building in the 25+ cross sheet linkages and hyperlinks on each sheet manually. The other admin and I put in a LOT of hours to get this done.

I do not want to go back and delete these sheets (especially since it will break the 6 reports and one dashboard that cascade off of these sheets) just so I can add them as a "New Template" and then have to rebuild of the links.

Is there any way to "Tell" control center that a sheet I added is the sheet it is looking for, on a permanent basis? For example, one of these sheets is a "Issues & Action Items" sheet. Every time I run a global update to add a report or dashboard that references this sheet for a project where I added it manually, CC asks me to map the the local sheet it cannot find. Is there any way to map it once, and tell Control Center to remember this mapping?

Thanks

Jaykel Torres · 04/04/21

Hey @David Dolch,

There currently is not a way to establish a permanent "connection" between Smartsheet Control Center created items and manually inserted ones. All items would need to have been created in Smartsheet Control Center in order to properly run a Global Update.

You may submit an Enhancement Request via this form for our Product Team to consider creating this feature. I also recommend signing up for a Pro Desk Session should you want to more clarification on Smartsheet Control Center features and best practices.

Have a good weekend!

Jaykel T.

GabyC · 04/14/22

Hi All,

Is there a way to add a new report in all of our active projects instead of going in project by project and creating the report from scratch?

Thanks!

Gaby

Adding a new SHEET to Control Center projects

Best Answer

Answers

Categories