The collaboration dilemma

Hands down, one of the main appeals of Google Sheets is its collaborative feature. This allows you to easily share and access documents with colleagues and stakeholders; thereby enhancing productivity, collaboration, and teamwork. Nonetheless, with this ease of sharing comes another problem: “Oversharing.” As I mentioned earlier, one wrong move and suddenly, sensitive information becomes visible to people who shouldn't see or know about their existence in the first place.

Password protection? Not quite!

Unlike Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets doesn't offer a linear path to password protection. This means sensitive or redacted information is a click away from the wrong eyes or hands. Of course, there are some workarounds like using third-party add-ons (which could also pose security risks as they might expose your data to external threats), encrypting data manually, or using script-based protection platforms like Google Apps Script to create custom protection features for locking cells or sheets.

And yet, I dare say if we’re being honest, many of us aren’t looking to become coding wizards just to protect our data. All we want to do is find a place that not only keeps our data but protects and keeps it safely.

Permissions level

Google Sheets offers three different permission levels — Viewer, Commenter, and Editor. Let’s imagine that you gave someone access to a Google Sheet. While this is great for collaboration, it also means the other party can delete, modify, or change data. And if you aren’t tracking who has what level of access, you might find data missing or changed, without even realizing it.

Version history

Google Sheets has a built-in version history feature that I consider a lifesaver. It allows you to see and revert to previous versions of your document. Nonetheless, this can quickly become a headache. For instance, if sensitive information is deleted, you can easily restore it. What happens when you aren't careful? Older, unprotected versions might still be accessible to viewers. You end up constantly juggling between keeping data accessible and safe.

Data encryption and security

While Google encrypts data on the go, it still relies on user behavior to achieve optimum security. Therefore, this means you need to educate team members and other stakeholders involved about the importance of using strong passwords and two-factor authentication. However, note that not everyone is tech-savvy (or wants to be) and a simple, single mistake can result in a data breach.

The human element  

Perhaps, the biggest challenge with sensitive data protection might not be Google Sheets itself, but in the human factor. Google Sheets offers us convenience, and sometimes in our rush to collaborate (while juggling other tasks), we forget or underestimate the importance of security measures. It’s easy for someone to share a document by using simple passwords because they are easy to remember or overlook who really needs access.

With all the loopholes listed above, you might wonder, “Can I build a dashboard in Google Sheets?”

How do I create a dashboard in Google Sheets?

Yes, you can. After deciding on the structure of your dashboard, knowing the story you want it to tell, and identifying the key metrics and KPIs you need, Google Sheets has a range of tools to help visualize your data.

There’s the “Insert Chart” function that allows you to select chart types that best represent your data. Conditional formatting is also another feature that helps you highlight important data points. For example, creating rules to change cell colors based on their accompanying values can help spot outliers, trends, and other key thresholds.

The formulas and functions also automate data calculations which is vital for updating your dashboards. Functions like SUM, VLOOKUP, and AVERAGE can aggregate and analyze data efficiently.

Despite these features and advantages, overlooking the porous security challenges associated with Google Sheets isn't easy. Enters Softr. Softr is a no-code web app that lets you build a user-friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface) for your Google Sheets data while offering maximum protection.

With Softr, you can:

Design your interface:

Customize different pages and sections.

List blocks: Display your Google Sheets data in list format; configure columns and data types.

Create detailed views for individual records, allowing users to click on a list item and see more information.

Set up user permissions:

Implement user authentication to control access to your app (allowing you to manage user roles and permissions).

Define roles such as admin, logged-in, and non-logged-in users.

Set permissions for each role to control what data users can view or edit.

Workflow automation:

Set up automated workflows for tasks like sending notifications, updating records, or triggering other actions based on changes in your Google Sheets.

Integrate with your favorite tools like Zapier and connect Softr with other applications for advanced automation.

Publish and share:

Publish your app on a free or custom domain to make it accessible to your target audience.

Ensure your app is responsive and looks good on all devices.

How do I make Google Sheets look stunning?

You can improve Google Sheets’ visual appeal by:

1. Applying consistent color schemes.
2. Utilizing borders and gridlines.
3. Incorporating custom fonts and text styles.
4. Merging cells for headings.
5. Creating charts and graphs.
6. Adjusting column widths and row heights.
7. Alternating row colors
8. Implementing dropdown menus and checkboxes.
9. Hiding unnecessary rows and columns… amongst other options.

At the end of the day, Google Sheets might have design options, but they are quite limited. It’s important to recognize that Google Sheets is a data source — a tool for data management and analysis, not a design platform.

This is why we’re going to build a Google Sheets GUI with Softr. Our demo app would be a sales dashboard that will allow logged-in users to:

1. Display a list of sales transactions with details such as date, amount, and customer.
2. Allow sales team members to add new sales.
3. Visualize sales performance over time.

Aim of the dashboard:

To provide real-time insights into my sales data, enhance data visualization, and improve the overall management of sales transactions.

Tutorial highlights:

1. Importing sales data from Google Sheets.
2. Creating forms for adding new sales entries.
3. Setting up charts to visualize sales performance.

Before we begin, please keep the following in mind:

How to build a Google Sheets GUI with Softr

Step 1: Set up Google Sheets data

Prepare your Google Sheets with data. My demo spreadsheet contains sales data with columns like Date, Sales Amount, Customer Name, Product, and Sales Representative.

Step 2: Sign up and log in to your Softr Studio

Visit the Softr website and sign up for a free account here. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be automatically redirected to your Softr Studio. Log in if you already have an account.

Step 3: Connect Google Sheets to Softr

As shown in the screenshot below, click on the “Data Sources” option at the top left side of your Studio and click again “Connect data source.”

I. Select where your data is stored

When you click on “Connect data source,” you will be redirected to a pop-up that looks like the image below. Select Google Sheets as the location for your data storage.

II. Select Google Sheets as your data source

Once you select Google Sheets as your data source and click on “Continue”, Softr will securely connect to your database. When you check your “Data Source” section, you should find an already connected Google Sheets synced to your Softr account.

Step 4: Create a new CRM

I. Still in your Softr Studio, select your preferred method for creating your app. For this tutorial, I’ll select the ‘Generate with AI” method. There are also prebuilt templates for you to choose from if you want.

II. After clicking on the “generate with AI” option, you’ll be redirected to a window that looks like the image below.

Write your prompt and “click on Preview your app” to see what Softr’s AI generated for you.

III. After clicking on “Preview your app” Softr will generate your CRM with a name and allow you to select a theme and accent color (these can be changed later in the Studio if you don’t like the customization you made earlier).

IV. When you click on “Generate your app,” you’ll be redirected to your app’s interface which is similar to the image below:

Step 5: Design your Google Sheets GUI

I. To “Add Sales Transactions,” click on the button and click again on “copy generated data” as captured in the screenshot below.

II. To edit the information in the “sales transactions” table, click on “Edit” and the widget on the right will appear. The “Content” feature will be automatically highlighted. For example, if you want to add more fields, simply scroll down till you see the “Add field” button and insert the field name and details you want. Click on “save” and you’re good to go.

III. If you don’t like the auto-generated list block, simply click on “add block” and select from one of the dynamic block types to display your sales transactions. Configure the block to pull data from your connected Google Sheet, and set up columns to display the Date, Sales Amount, Customer Name, Product, and Sales Representative.

If you want to change your app’s header, insert testimonials, CTAs, gallery, feature, feature grid, etc, click on the static block header and select your preferred component. Configure or edit and the component will be added.

IV. If you’d like to add search and filter options, include a search bar and filters to allow users to search for specific transactions or filter data by date, sales rep, or product. Go to the block you want to make this change, click on ‘Content,” scroll down, and make changes as highlighted in the image below:

V. Create a summary section:

Click on “Add block,” select the dynamic block header, and scroll down until you see the ‘Summary cards” feature. Select the block to display key summary statistics, such as total sales, number of transactions, and top-performing sales reps, etc.

Step 6: Create new forms

If you want sales team members to add new sales, you need to create forms for adding these new entries. Simply click on “Add block,” and the dynamic block section will be automatically highlighted. Scroll down a bit, and you’ll see the ‘Form” feature with its dropdown menu. Select the type of block you want and add it to your CRM.

Step 7: Set up charts to visualize sales performance

Use chart blocks to visualize sales data. Create different types of charts (e.g., bar charts, line charts, pie charts) to represent sales performance over time, sales by product, or sales by representative. For my demo sales dashboard, examples of visualizations I could create include:

1. Sales over time: Line chart depicting sales trends over months.
2. Sales by product: Pie chart displaying the distribution of sales across different products.
3. Top sales representatives: Bar chart showing total sales by each sales representative.

To use charts, browse the blocks section (after clicking on add block), scroll down, and select “Chart (just before the “Summary Cards” feature)” under the dynamic blocks section.

Wrapping up

By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you will not only learn about how to enhance the functionality of Google Sheets but also create a user-friendly platform that can be used for various purposes.

If you're looking to bring your Google Sheets data to life with a custom GUI, Softr offers flexibility and ease of customization to help transform how you interact with data. I hope you found this guide helpful as much as I enjoyed writing it and that it inspires you to create your own applications with Softr!