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Google Sheets Integration

What It Enables

Connect Defense Catalyst to Google Sheets to automate spreadsheet operations:

Prerequisites

How to Connect

Step 1: Add Google Sheets Action

  1. In your flow, click “+” to add a step
  2. Search for “Google Sheets”
  3. Select the action you want (e.g., “Add Row to Sheet”)

Step 2: Authenticate with Google

  1. Click “Connect” or “+ New Connection”
  2. Click “Sign in with Google”
  3. Select your Google account
  4. Review permissions requested:
    • View and manage your spreadsheets
    • See, edit, create, and delete files
  5. Click “Allow”

Step 3: Configure Action

  1. Select your spreadsheet from dropdown
  2. Select the worksheet (tab) within the spreadsheet
  3. Configure action-specific settings
  4. Map data from previous steps

Step 4: Test Connection

  1. Click “Test” to verify connection
  2. Check your Google Sheet for results
  3. Verify data appears correctly

Available Triggers

New Row

When: A new row is added to the sheet Use Cases:

Configuration:

Note: Uses polling, not real-time. Minimum 5-minute interval.

Available Actions

Add Row to Sheet

What: Appends a new row to the bottom of the sheet Required Fields:

Example:

Column A: 
Column B: 
Column C:

Update Row

What: Updates an existing row based on criteria Required Fields:

Example: Update status column where email matches

Find Row

What: Searches for a row matching criteria Required Fields:

Returns: First matching row data

Delete Row

What: Deletes a row matching criteria Required Fields:

Warning: Cannot be undone!

Clear Sheet

What: Removes all data from worksheet (keeps headers) Required Fields:

Use Case: Reset sheet before bulk import

Get All Rows

What: Retrieves all rows from worksheet Required Fields:

Returns: Array of row objects

Note: Large sheets may hit size limits

Common Errors & Fixes

“Permission denied”

Cause: Insufficient Google account permissions Fix:

  1. Disconnect and reconnect Google Sheets
  2. Ensure you’re using correct Google account
  3. Check Google Workspace admin hasn’t blocked access
  4. Verify spreadsheet sharing settings

“Spreadsheet not found”

Cause: Spreadsheet deleted or access revoked Fix:

  1. Verify spreadsheet still exists
  2. Check you have edit access
  3. Reconnect Google Sheets integration
  4. Update spreadsheet selection in flow

“Invalid range”

Cause: Worksheet name changed or doesn’t exist Fix:

  1. Check worksheet name matches exactly (case-sensitive)
  2. Verify worksheet wasn’t deleted
  3. Update worksheet selection in flow

“Rate limit exceeded”

Cause: Too many requests to Google Sheets API Fix:

  1. Reduce flow execution frequency
  2. Batch operations when possible
  3. Add delays between operations
  4. Check Google Sheets API quotas

“Values don’t match columns”

Cause: Number of values doesn’t match sheet columns Fix:

  1. Count columns in your sheet
  2. Provide value for each column (use empty string for blanks)
  3. Ensure data mapping is correct

“Invalid grant” or “Token expired”

Cause: Google authentication expired Fix:

  1. Go to Connections
  2. Find Google Sheets connection
  3. Click “Reconnect”
  4. Re-authorize with Google

Test Checklist

Tips & Best Practices

Data Organization

Performance

Reliability

Security

Data Mapping

Advanced Patterns

Append with Timestamp

Always include timestamp for audit trail:

Column A: 
Column B: 
Column C:

Conditional Updates

Use “Find Row” then “Update Row” pattern:

  1. Find row matching criteria
  2. Check if row exists (condition)
  3. Update if exists, add new row if not

Batch Processing

Process multiple rows efficiently:

  1. Use “Get All Rows” action
  2. Filter rows in subsequent steps
  3. Loop through results (if supported)
  4. Update in batches

Data Validation

Validate before inserting:

  1. Check required fields are present
  2. Verify data types (email, phone, etc.)
  3. Ensure no duplicates
  4. Add row only if validation passes

Google Sheets Formulas

You can use formulas in your sheets that work with automated data:

Auto-calculate totals

=SUM(B2:B100)

Timestamp last update

=NOW()

Conditional formatting

Apply colors based on values automatically

Data validation

Restrict values in columns (dropdowns, ranges)

Limitations

Google API Quotas

Sheet Size Limits

Performance

Alternatives for Large Data

If you’re hitting Google Sheets limits:

Example Use Cases

Form to Sheet

Webhook receives form data → Add row to Google Sheets

Daily Report

Schedule trigger → Get data from API → Add rows to sheet

Sheet to Slack

New row in sheet → Format message → Send to Slack

Data Sync

Schedule trigger → Get all rows → Update external database

Approval Workflow

New row → Send approval request → Update status column

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