Datarails Flex for Google Sheets lets you open a planning document in Google Sheets, edit it there, and send your changes back to Datarails — without leaving the spreadsheet.

It works the same way the Datarails Web Editor works. You get a Datarails menu inside Google Sheets with Submit and Export actions. The Datarails Web Editor is still available, and nothing has changed: Google Sheets is simply an additional way to work on the same document.

Prerequisites

• A Datarails account — with permission to open and submit the planning document you want to edit.
• A Google account — a personal or work Google account with access to Google Sheets and Google Drive.
• The feature enabled for your organization — if you do not see the Open in Google Sheets option, the feature is not yet turned on for your organization. Contact your Datarails representative or support@datarails.com.

Step 1: Open a planning document in Google Sheets

1. In Datarails, go to the planning document you want to edit. You can reach it from either the Files list or your Tasks list.
2. Open the actions menu for that document.
3. Select Open in Google Sheets. You will find it directly above Open in Web Editor.

Datarails creates a copy of the document as a new spreadsheet in your own Google Drive and opens it in a new browser tab. You are the owner of that spreadsheet.

Step 2: Connect your Google account

The first time you use this feature, Google asks you to sign in and to approve the permissions Datarails needs. This is a standard Google window, not a Datarails window.

1. Choose the Google account you want to use.
2. Review the permissions Datarails requests. These are explained in How Datarails uses your Google account below.
3. Click Allow.

After the first time, this step usually happens automatically, and you go straight to your spreadsheet.

Step 3: Edit the document

The spreadsheet contains the same rows and columns you would see in the Datarails Web Editor, and the same sheet filtering is applied.

Two things are worth knowing before you start:

• Values only, no formulas — cells arrive as raw values. If the original document contained formulas, you will see the calculated results, not the formulas themselves.
• Some columns cannot be edited — the same columns that are locked in the Web Editor are protected in the spreadsheet. If you type in one of them, Google shows a warning. Even if you continue past that warning, those cells are not sent to Datarails when you submit. Only editable cells are submitted.

Everything else works like a normal Google Sheets spreadsheet. Your changes save automatically in Google Drive as you type, but they are not in Datarails until you submit.

Step 4: Submit your changes to Datarails

1. In the spreadsheet menu bar, click Datarails.
2. Click Open sidebar to show the Datarails panel, if it is not already open.
3. Click Submit.
4. A Datarails tab opens, runs the submission, and closes by itself. Keep it open until it closes.

Your changes are saved as a new version of the planning document in Datarails, exactly as if you had submitted from the Web Editor. The new version goes through the normal Filebox and data extraction process, so your data appears in your reports and dashboards the same way it always does.

Important: submitting does not delete the spreadsheet. It stays in your Google Drive until you delete it.

Please note: even if you used functions and formulas in your inputs, they will be submitted to Datarails as hard-coded values. 

Step 5: Export to Excel

1. In the spreadsheet menu bar, click Datarails.
2. Click Export in the Datarails sidebar.
3. A Datarails tab opens, downloads the file, and closes by itself.

You receive the same .xlsx file that the Export action in the Web Editor produces.

How Datarails uses your Google account

To provide this feature, Datarails asks your permission to work with Google Sheets and Google Drive on your behalf. Below is exactly what Datarails requests and why.

What Datarails does with this data

• Spreadsheet content moves only between your Google Drive and your Datarails account.
• Datarails does not sell this data, does not use it for advertising, and does not use it to develop or train generalized artificial intelligence or machine learning models.
• Datarails does not allow people to read this data, except with your explicit consent, for security reasons such as investigating abuse, or where required by law.
• Datarails' use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.

For full details, see the Datarails Privacy Policy.

You stay in control

• You are the owner of every spreadsheet this feature creates, and you can delete it from your Google Drive at any time.
• You can remove Datarails' access to your Google account at any time at Google Account permissions. If you do, the Open in Google Sheets option will ask for your permission again the next time you use it.
• Removing access does not affect any data you already submitted to Datarails, and does not affect the Datarails Web Editor.

Best practices

• Submit before you close the tab. Google Sheets saves your work in your Drive automatically, but Datarails only receives it when you click Submit.
• Do not rely on formulas. The spreadsheet holds values, not formulas. If you add your own formulas to help you calculate, that is fine — Datarails submits the resulting values.
• Do not add or remove rows and columns. Datarails matches your edits to the original document structure. Changing the layout can cause your changes to be ignored.
• Work in one place at a time. Editing the same document in Google Sheets and in the Web Editor at the same time can lead to one set of changes overwriting the other, because the two are not synchronized live.
• Open a fresh copy for each round of work. The spreadsheet is a snapshot from the moment you opened it. If someone else submitted a newer version in the meantime, open the document again from Datarails to get the latest data.

Troubleshooting

I do not see "Open in Google Sheets"

Problem: The document actions menu shows Open in Web Editor but not Open in Google Sheets.

Solution:

• The feature may not be enabled for your organization yet. Contact your Datarails representative or support@datarails.com.
• Refresh the Datarails page and open the menu again.

The Google sign-in window does not appear, or closes immediately

Problem: Nothing happens after selecting Open in Google Sheets.

Solution:

• Your browser is probably blocking pop-up windows. Allow pop-ups for the Datarails site and try again.
• If you are signed in to several Google accounts, sign out of the ones you do not need, or choose the correct account in the Google window.

I do not see the Datarails menu in the spreadsheet

Problem: The spreadsheet opened, but there is no Datarails item in the menu bar.

Solution:

• Reload the spreadsheet tab. The Datarails menu is added to the spreadsheet as it is created and appears once loading finishes.
• Make sure you are working in the spreadsheet that Datarails opened for you, and not in a copy you made yourself. A manual copy does not contain the Datarails menu.

Google warns me that a cell is protected

Problem: A warning appears when you type in certain cells.

Solution:

• This is expected. Those columns are read-only in Datarails, exactly as they are in the Web Editor.
• You may continue past the warning, but those cells will not be sent to Datarails when you submit. Only editable cells are submitted.

My changes did not reach Datarails

Problem: You edited the spreadsheet, but Datarails still shows the old data.

Solution:

• Confirm you clicked Submit in the Datarails sidebar. Saving in Google Sheets alone does not send anything to Datarails.
• Make sure the Datarails tab that opened was allowed to finish. If you closed it too early, submit again.
• Check that your edits were in editable columns. Changes to locked columns are not submitted.
• A new version can take a few moments to be processed. Refresh the document in Datarails and check the version list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this replace the Datarails Web Editor?
No. The Web Editor is unchanged and remains available. Google Sheets is an additional option, and you can choose per document which one to use.

Where is the spreadsheet stored?
In your own Google Drive, under your own Google account. You are its owner.

Can Datarails see my other Google Drive files?
No. Datarails requests access only to files this feature creates. Your other documents, spreadsheets, and folders are not visible to Datarails.

Can two people edit the same document in Google Sheets at the same time?
Each person who opens the document gets their own copy in their own Drive, so you will not see each other's changes. Whoever submits last creates the newest version in Datarails. For that reason, coordinate with your colleagues before working on the same document.

Can I delete the spreadsheet after submitting?
Yes. Once your submission has completed, the spreadsheet is no longer needed. Deleting it does not affect the version stored in Datarails.

What happens to formulas in my document?
The spreadsheet contains values, not formulas. Any formula you add yourself is calculated by Google Sheets, and Datarails receives the resulting value.

Does this work with Microsoft Excel too?
Yes, through the Datarails add-in for Excel, which is a separate feature. Datarails Flex for Google Sheets brings the same way of working to Google Sheets.

If you have a question that this article did not answer, contact the Support Team at support@datarails.com. We are happy to help.

Updated August 12, 2026 14:39