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    Select which columns to copy or move from one sheet to another

    ✭✭✭✭
    edited 11/29/23 in Smartsheet Product Feedback & Ideas

    As part of the automation it is possible to copy or move a row from a source sheet to a destinatio0n sheet. At this point all columns are copied/moved, and if a column do not exist it will be created in the source sheet.

    The request for this improvement, is to allow the admin or owner of a sheet to select which columns needs to be copied or moved. This will allow for having sheets with more detailed and sensitive information, whilst a second sheet is used for sharing with customers, employees, etc. but only containing information to be shared.

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    "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible!'"

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    On Radar · Last Updated

    We really like this idea and agree there's room for improvement in managing many columns in a sheet. This is an area of interest and something we are exploring for the future. In the meantime, continue to share feedback, comments, and vote on the ideas that you need most. Thank you!

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    • ✭✭✭✭
      edited 09/05/23

      many times we prefere to copy/move selective columns ( within the row) either direct or automated , biut unforunately the platform force me to share the whole row with all columns including those columns with info that i do not wish to share .

      Please consider the feeature to direct or autmated copy/move selective columns not all row


      Thank you

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    • Community Champion
      edited 10/27/23

      Hi @Waleed

      I hope you're well and safe!

      Great idea! That would be a great addition to Smartsheet features.

      Here's a possible workaround or workarounds

      You could use cross-sheet formulas combined with either a VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH structure to connect the sheets, and when you update the source sheet, it will reflect on the destination sheet.

      Another option would be to use so-called helper sheets. In short, copy the row to a helper sheet and then use my method described previously to get the values you need to another helper sheet, and then copy/move the row from that sheet to the main destination sheet.

      Would that work/help?

      I hope that helps!

      Be safe and have a fantastic weekend!

      Best,

      Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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

      SMARTSHEET EXPERT CONSULTANT & PARTNER

      Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

      W: www.workbold.com | E:andree@workbold.com | P: +46 (0) - 72 - 510 99 35

      Feel free to contact me for help with Smartsheet, integrations, general workflow advice, or anything else.

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    • Overachievers
      edited 10/27/23

      This would be a valuable feature. I have sent numerous enhancement requests for this idea. And Andree that's a great workaround I do this often, but it doesn't give you the option to move a row and send the comments, attachments etc, (so still manual). It would also be nice to be able to move attachments when a row is copied too.

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    • ✭✭✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      @Andrée Starå

      I did not understand the workaround mentioned

      As for helper sheet its the same issue as smart sheet will copy all colums in source sheet to helper sheet

      Unless you meant to copy/paste data manually which usless as in this case to same time and to copy / paste it directly to destination sheet

      Plus, its complecated process i need to send desired columns to destination sheet on specific action like assigned to a person/user

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    • ✭✭✭✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      Hi

      It would be great to copy rows/lines from sheet to sheet but with selected columns only.

      I set up an automated copy and it doesn't work due to an automated number column in the souce sheet. SO frustrating as that column isn't need in the destination sheet so if I could deselect the unnecessary columns it would work.

      Thanks

      Tracey T

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    • Community Champion
      edited 10/27/23
      Waleed

      @Waleed

      Yes, it's a little complicated, but it works.

      In short, this is how it works.

      1. Add a so-called helper sheet to which you copy the rows.
      2. Add another helper sheet where you'd use cross-sheet formulas (VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH) to collect only the necessary columns.
      3. Copy the rows from that sheet to the Destination sheet.

      Make sense?

      SMARTSHEET EXPERT CONSULTANT & PARTNER

      Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

      W: www.workbold.com | E:andree@workbold.com | P: +46 (0) - 72 - 510 99 35

      Feel free to contact me for help with Smartsheet, integrations, general workflow advice, or anything else.

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    • ✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      I would like an enhancement to automation that we can select certain columns to copy to another sheet. We only want to see the selected columns in the destination sheet.

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    • ✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      I would also like to see better COPY and MOVE functionality with the ability to include Comments, Attachments, and History. Andree workaround would work (thank you!) but in a "planned" scenario, if you have quick one-off tasks, like this, it's too time-consuming. There is not any good way to bring along comments with a tedious string of copy-paste or using notepad and reformatting. It could be much simpler, perhaps through an automation process with a helper column.

      The ability to "map" columns, and suppress the creation of columns not present at target would be great - perhaps with COPY if not MOVE (since with the latter, what happens to unmapped columns?)

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    • ✭✭✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      When automating, there should be a way to copy specific cells (columns) into a new sheet. Currently I have a massive (or will be) sheet that works more like a database. When certain conditions are met, I can move or copy the whole row into a new sheet. Even better is that the new sheet will auto arrange the new data into columns with the same name. But I don't need all the data to go, just the data that matches.


      Ex: Inventory tracking with columns like: name, last service, next service, cost, condition, ordered from, and more. I have a condition (and helper column) to automate "if last service is greater than next service" send a copy to "service@email.com". Service doesn't need the cost, or ordered from, but I can only send the whole row. The service sheet should be separate because it tracks what they do, and when completed sends me an email to update the date.


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    • Community Champion
      edited 10/27/23

      Hello,

      I think there should be a feature to transfer data from sheet to sheet by individual columns.

      It can run exactly like data shuttle or an automation like generate documents, where each individual column is mapped.

      Moving and copying rows are great, but I don't want to bring over all the unnecessary columns if I'm developing something new or reworking an old sheet.

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    • Employee
      edited 10/27/23

      You could potentially look into DataMesh as a way to achieve this result as well! (There's a similar discussion here: https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/92237/copy-specific-columns-from-one-sheet-to-another-linked/)

      Danielle W.

      Product Marketing

      Smartsheet

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    • ✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      @Andrée Starå, I've been trying to figure out your solution for an hour and am defeated. I get it in principle, but this part is losing me:

      image.png

      Doesn't that mean that, in that second Helper Sheet, I have to manually put a key field that VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH can use as a reference? I don't see any advantage to doing it that way, VS manually plugging that reference into the Destination Sheet (to use INDEX/MATCH) and skipping the two Helper Sheets in between.

      I'm sure I must be missing something, but danged if I can figure out what.

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    • ✭✭✭✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      I love how a Smartsheet report allows you to pick and choose what you need, can the same be made available when we copy a row from one Sheet to another?

      Recently I have taken over the ownership of a lot of Sheets originally created and owned by another department for better interdepartmental visibility and data accessibility. However when the source and destination Sheets both have more than 50 columns, the destination Sheet ends with 100+ columns. Thank you!

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    • ✭✭✭
      edited 10/27/23

      Hello!

      Now that we are implementing our workflow in Smartsheet; it would be a great improvement if we can transfer information from specific cells from one grid to another.

      In our case, we have one sheet to make the request from my users to buy materials and then, when the purchase is completed, we would like to transfer specific data (like quantity, description and type of material) to another sheet where all the inventory available in our stock is...

      I hope this example helped you to understand better how this idea could improve the communication between sheets.

      Any comment, please let me know. We will be happy to help!

      Best Regards,

      Federico Prado

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