Why is my Global Update putting this new profile data row in the wrong section of the active project sheets?

Question

I am trying to run a Global Update to add a new summary row to existing/active project sheets and it keeps inserting the row in the Instructions section of the target sheets, instead of in the Summary section.

Here are the details of my update:

* I have already manually created the new summary row in the template sheet (called RAID-C Log)
* And I have already manually added the corresponding column to the Portfolio Summary Rollup sheet
* That data for the field is coming from the RAID-C Log sheet itself (not from the Intake sheet).  
* The field name is Open Change Requests and it's value is a formula to count the # of rows tagged as Type = Change and Status = not complete

I'm using the Add New Profile Data global update.  And when I run the test, I get a success message but when I view the test sheet it shows that the row was inserted under the "Instruction" sheet section and NOT under the "Summary" section.

See screenshots of the global update settings, the test sheet showing the inserted row in the wrong spot, the new summary row I manually added to my template RAID-C Log sheet, and the row I manually added to my template profile data sheet.

I can't for the life of me figure out why this isn't working?  Have I set this up wrong or could there be a different cause?

tiffany_smith · Answer

Hi Antonio.  I did go through all of our active projects and double checked every single sheet to make sure that the SUMMARY parent row was still there and that the hierarchy structure of all these sheets exactly matches that of the template sheet.  And it's still not working.

Also, I tried to follow your instructions for the Find/Replace alternative option and I do not see where that will allow to insert a row in the Summary section.  Can you send me a screenshot of what that should look like?

Antônio Ítalo Neves · Answer

This issue is a common pain point in Smartsheet Control Center (SCC). The behavior occurs because of how the "Add New Profile Data" global update determines where to place a new row within a project sheet's hierarchy.

When Control Center pushes a new Profile Data row to active sheets, it looks for specific anchoring cues in the sheet's structure. If it can't find them, it defaults to placing the row at the very top of the sheet—which is often where the "Instructions" section lives.

Here is why this is happening and how to fix it:

The Root Cause: Misaligned Parent-Child Hierarchy

The "Add New Profile Data" update places the new row based on indentation (parent-child relationships) and strict structural matching.

* Hierarchy Mismatch: When you manually added the row to your template (RAID-C Log), you placed it under the "Summary" section header. However, if the active, provisioned project sheets have a slightly different hierarchy structure—or if the "Summary" parent row name doesn't match perfectly across all active sheets—Control Center fails to locate the correct parent row.
* The "First Available Row" Default: When Control Center cannot find or map the exact location under the intended parent row, it plays it safe and drops the new row into the first available un-indented or primary section of the sheet. In most project templates, the "Instructions" or "Metadata" block sits right at the top, making it the accidental landing pad.

How to Fix It

To force the Global Update to put the row in the correct spot, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Use the "Find/Replace" Global Update Instead (Highly Recommended)

Since you have already manually added the row to your template and the column to your Rollup sheet, using the "Add New Profile Data" wizard can sometimes be overly rigid. Instead, use a Find/Replace update to target the exact spot.

* Go to Control Center > Global Updates > New Update.
* Select Find/Replace.
* Set the target to find an existing row right above or below where you want the new "Open Change Requests" row to go within your Summary section.
* Use the update configuration to insert the new row relative to that found asset, or explicitly format the row properties.

Method 2: Standardize the Parent Row Across Active Projects

If you want to stick with the "Add New Profile Data" update, you must ensure the target destination is uniform.

* Open your RAID-C Log template sheet and look at the "Summary" row. Make sure it is formatted cleanly as a parent row (all data rows beneath it must be indented exactly one level).
* Check the test sheet where it failed. Is the "Summary" section named exactly the same way? If an active project sheet has the "Summary" section renamed, or if it isn't properly functioning as a parent row, the update will fail to nest it.
* Re-run the Global Update test. In the Global Update mapping screen, ensure that the "Templates" section points precisely to the RAID-C Log sheet where the row is correctly indented under "Summary".

Method 3: The "Save As New" Clean Sweep

If your active project sheets have drifted significantly in structure (e.g., users have deleted rows, changed indentation, or renamed sections), Global Updates will continuously miss their targets.

If this is happening on a vast majority of sheets, the cleanest route is to:

* Finalize the RAID-C Log template so it is perfect.
* Run an Add New Column or Modify Existing Column global update first to align structural frameworks, then push the Profile Data.
* For existing sheets that are completely broken structurally, you may need to manually move the row from "Instructions" to "Summary" on those specific sheets after running the update, as Control Center cannot auto-correct broken sheet geometry.