Importing data from spreadsheets is made easy with Ruly’s Import function.
This feature allows users to transform spreadsheets into a complete multi-user relational database software application using only a few simple steps.
The process starts by selecting a single spreadsheet to import. Ruly recognizes data types and when information repeats within individual columns; and then automatically suggests when a linked table or picklist should be created.
You then have the option to tailor the import to:
Note that Ruly also provides a feature that allows importing/exporting an entire application including data tables, forms, and dashboards. You can learn more about this here.
A powerful feature of the Import tool is that it able to recognize Linked Tables.
To demonstrate, the image below displays a spreadsheet in Google Sheets. The spreadsheet contains a list of bugs for Software Development.
Two of the fields present in this spreadsheet are linked to other tables: Project, and Employee. The column titles use dots “.” to separate the table from the column name. Ruly automatically creates these linked tables when the spreadsheet is imported.
After importing the file into Ruly, the exact table with the correct fields, columns, linked tables and picklists is displayed in Ruly as a List View.
The colors are then automatically assigned to picklist values.
Avatars and Icons can then be easily added to the linked tables as shown below for the Employee and Project columns.
Linked table fields are when a separate data model is referenced in a field. List items from that model can be linked to a field entry in another model from the same Application. In this example, Employee and Project are both linked tables.
The image below shows the Employee model (linked table) and how it relates to the Bugs model. Each employee can create a record for a bug and the Employee Model will display the bugs as chips connected to that employee.
The Bug Model will display the employee’s name on the Bug record.
A Linked Table can have any number of fields whereas a Picklist has just a single column.
A Picklist is a field type with pre-determined options. In this example, Status, Resolution, and Category are all picklist fields.
The image below shows a form that is automatically created for the Bug Application, and how the options for these three fields appear as button/dropdown options to choose from.
In addition, the same data imported can easily be visualized in different Views. Adding additional views helps to present information to users in more effective ways.
For example, the image below displays the same data that was imported, visualized as a Kanban chart pivoted by the Resolution field.
This view makes it simpler to sort through bugs. The chart can be easily changed to pivot from any picklist or linked table field, depending on the user’s needs.
As another example, below is an image of the same data visualized in a Timeline View.
This view is convenient for users to sort through the newest bug reports or to see how an individual report has changed over time.
Importing spreadsheets using Ruly is an easy-to-use feature to transform data from a simple spreadsheet into a dynamic application.