The Datarails add-on for Google Sheets brings your Datarails reports into Google Sheets. You build reports, refresh them with governed data from Datarails, and drill from any number down to the underlying records, all inside the spreadsheet.
Setting up takes two steps: install the add-on, and connect your Google account.
Prerequisites
- A Datarails account.
- A Google account with access to Google Sheets and Google Drive.
- A modern browser. The add-on runs in Google Sheets on the web.
- An active internet connection, needed both while installing and while working.
Step 1: Install the add-on
You install the add-on once per Google account, not once per machine or per spreadsheet. Sign in to Google on another computer and the add-on is already there.
Option 1: From Google Sheets
- Open any Google Sheets spreadsheet.
- Go to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
- Search for Datarails.
- Click Install and follow the on-screen prompts.
- The add-on appears under Extensions > Datarails.
Option 2: From the Google Workspace Marketplace
- Go to the Google Workspace Marketplace.
- Sign in with the Google account you use for work.
- Search for Datarails and click Install.
Step 2: Connect your Google account
The first time you open the add-on, Google asks you to choose an account and approve the permissions Datarails needs. This is a standard Google window, not a Datarails window.
- Choose the Google account you want to use.
- Review the permissions.
- Click Allow.
What Datarails asks for, and why
| Permission | Why Datarails needs it |
| See, edit, create, and delete only the specific Google Drive files you use with this app (drive.file) | To place a report in your spreadsheet. Datarails generates the report as a temporary file in your Google Drive, copies it into your spreadsheet, and removes the temporary file. This gives Datarails access only to files you use with the add-on. Datarails cannot see, list, or open any other file in your Google Drive. |
| See your personal info, including any personal info you've made publicly available (email, profile, openid) | Google includes these for every add-on listed in the Google Workspace Marketplace; they cannot be removed from the listing. Datarails does not use them - you sign in with your Datarails account, not your Google one, and no Datarails code reads your Google name, picture or address. |
| See, edit, create, and delete all your Google Sheets spreadsheets (spreadsheets) | To read and write the spreadsheet you have open: placing Datarails formulas and tables, writing refreshed values, and creating drill-down sheets. It also covers the temporary spreadsheet a report is generated into, which is why the narrower option Google offers for a single file cannot be used. "Delete" is Google's standard label for this permission, not a description of add-on behavior. The only files Datarails removes are temporary ones it created itself. |
| Display and run third-party web content in prompts and sidebars inside Google applications (script.container.ui) | To show the Datarails panel and its windows inside Google Sheets. |
| Connect to an external service (script.external_request) | To reach Datarails over the internet. This is how your figures are fetched. |
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' use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.
You can remove Datarails' access to your Google account at any time at Google Account permissions. If you do, the add-on asks for permission again the next time you open it.
Signing in to Datarails
- Open the add-on from Extensions > Datarails > Open Datarails.
- Choose your Datarails region.
- The panel opens a Datarails tab where you approve the sign-in. You are not typing Datarails credentials into the spreadsheet.
- Once approved, the Datarails panel loads on the right side of the spreadsheet, greeting you by name.
Your Google account and your Datarails account are separate: Google controls access to the spreadsheet, Datarails controls which data you can pull into it.
You log out from the account icon at the top of the panel.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
| No Datarails item under Extensions | Add-on not installed for this Google account, or installed on a different account | Check which Google account the spreadsheet is open under, then reinstall from Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons |
| The panel is blank | Connection or loading issue | Reload the spreadsheet tab. If your network is restricted, ask your IT team to confirm Datarails is reachable |
| Google keeps asking for permission | Access was revoked, or a different Google account is in use | Approve the permissions again, and confirm you are in the intended Google account |
| Cannot sign in to Datarails | The approval tab was closed or blocked | Allow pop-ups for Google Sheets and start the sign-in again |
| A cell shows #NAME? or Missing | The value has not been fetched yet | Click Refresh |
| The add-on does not open in the Google Sheets mobile app | Platform limitation | Google Sheets add-ons run in the browser only. On mobile you can view the numbers already in the sheet, but not refresh or build |
Getting help
Contact the Datarails Support team at support@datarails.com, or reach out to your dedicated Customer Success Manager.
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