MetaLocator supports multiple data sources including spreadsheets, text files, SalesForce and now Google Drive.
This integration allows you to import Google Sheets stored in Google Drive just as you would a CSV or spreadsheet from your computer. This allows you easily share access to the Google Sheet that contains your data with multiple contributors via Google Drive’s existing sharing facilities.
When importing data, choose the new Google Doc icon as shown below:
Click the “Connect” button and authorize MetaLocator to view your Google Drive Sheets.
Important: If the system displays an Authentication error, simply click the button again, as this indicates the login token has expired.
For Enterprise users and subscribers to our Backgrounding Addon, the “Keep Google Sheets Data In Sync” box will be available. Check that box to create a Background Process which can be scheduled to run on a regular basis. See below for more detail.
Choose a Google Sheet or CSV file from your Drive account as shown below and the import process will continue as usual.
This feature currently supports Google Sheets and CSV files only. It does not yet support Excel files stored in your Google Drive. This article shows how to convert an Excel file to a Google Sheet.
Background Scheduling
When the “Keep Google Sheets Data In Sync” box is checked, the system will create a background process. That process can be found as shown below:
By default, the job is created but not scheduled. Toggle the Scheduled slider to enable the job. This will replay the same import process performed above on a regular basis. Be sure to consider if that replay will cause duplicates or otherwise overwrite or delete data. For example, if you choose “Replace” during the import, then manually add more records directly to MetaLocator and not your Google Sheet, the background process will delete those records as it replays the import with the “Replace” option.
A summary email will also be delivered to the account owner as shown below. It provides a basic summary of the record operations performed during the import.
Troubleshooting
Expired Token
If your drive token expires, or your Google Password changes, you can remove the locally stored token as shown below:
After deleting the token any google sheets jobs associated with the account will no longer function until the procedure below is complete. Once that token is removed, navigate to Locations > Import > Google Sheets.
The system will then ask for you to login to a Google account. After logging in select Connect to your Google Drive Account and choose a sheet. Make sure that the sheet loads correctly and you see the mapping screen. At this point a new token has been established and you can exit the import process without proceeding.
Running Jobs as Other Users
If running as a job as another user, the job will run with that user’s Google Drive token, not the user that established the job. In the below example, John Smith’s token. Therefore, he would need access to the Google Drive document and his token would need to be reset if the password changed or access was revoked.
