Import data into your app
Updated Aug 12, 2026
Moving your existing data into a Sheetward app is a bulk load, not a re-typing job. Import brings in whole files of records at once — your opening price list, last quarter's expense claims, or a backlog of purchase orders. If a record already exists, the import updates it instead of adding a duplicate.
Import a file
- Open the app and click Import.
- Upload an Excel or Google Sheets file whose columns match the form's fields.
- If the form has a header plus line items (a purchase order with its order lines, for example), Sheetward imports from multiple sheets.
Start from an export, not a blank file
The safest template for an import file is the app's own Export file layout. Any app user can export the app's data. That exported file has every column named and arranged exactly as the import expects, so your data comes in without layout mismatches.
Update or duplicate? How keys decide
What happens to each row depends on whether your app defines a key field:
| Your app has… | An imported row whose key already exists… | A row with a new key… |
|---|---|---|
| A key field | Updates that existing record — no duplicate is created | Is added as a new record |
| A key and a sub-key | Updates the record matching that key + sub-key together — the update stays within that key, which is handy for line items | Is added as a new record |
| No key field | Rows from an exported file are matched by their Record ID column — a match updates that record | Rows without a matching Record ID are added as new records |
You can re-import a corrected file without fear. Rows that match update in place; only genuinely new rows are added.
Which file formats work?
| Format | Works for | Recommended? |
|---|---|---|
MS Excel (.xlsx) | All forms, including header + line items | Yes |
| Google Sheets | All forms, including header + line items | Yes |
| CSV | Only forms without header/line items | Use Excel or Google Sheets instead |
| JSON | Only forms without header/line items | Use Excel or Google Sheets instead |
Good to know
- Importing needs the Owner or Editor role. Any app user can export — the quickest way to get a correctly laid-out import template.
- CSV and JSON work only for forms without header/line items — for forms that have them, use Excel or Google Sheets.
- Column names in your file should match the form's fields; starting from the Export file layout keeps them aligned.