Add Dataset from Google Sheets
Overview
The Google Sheets Dataset allows you to expose a named sheet tab from your connected Google Sheets source as a structured Dataset in Sourcesible. This is a 2-step wizard (shorter than warehouse sources), as Google Sheets does not require a method selection step. Because Google Sheets stores all values as text by default, you must manually assign a Data Type to each field during setup — Sourcesible does not auto-detect types from the source. Before creating a Dataset, ensure you have a Google Sheets Source already connected under Data Sources.
Creating a Dataset from Google Sheets
Step 1 — Open the Dataset Page
- In the left navigation, click Datasets.
- Click Add Dataset in the top-right corner.
Step 2 — Choose a Data Source
- On the Choose Data Source screen, select the radio button next to Google Sheets.
- Click Next.
Unlike warehouse sources (BigQuery, Azure Synapse, Redshift), Google Sheets skips the Choose Method step entirely. The wizard proceeds directly to Choose Sheet (Step 1 of 2).
Step 3 — Choose a Sheet (Step 1 of 2)
The Choose a Dataset screen displays all sheet tabs available from your connected Google Sheets source.
- Under Google Sheets, confirm the correct connected source is shown.
- Under Select Sheet, the list shows all available sheet tabs from your Google Sheets file. For example:
- edu_courses
- edu_enrollments
- edu_students
- edu_feedback
- edu_sessions
- edu_studentevent
- edu_payments
- Copy of edu_payments
- Select the radio button next to the sheet tab you want to use.
- Click Next.
Each entry in the list corresponds to an individual sheet tab in your Google Sheets file. If you have duplicate or copy sheets (e.g., Copy of edu_payments), select the authoritative one to avoid data inconsistencies.
Step 4 — Set Up Dataset (Step 2 of 2)
The wizard advances to Set up Dataset.
Dataset Identity
- In the Dataset Name field, enter a name to identify this dataset in Sourcesible (maximum 50 characters). You can update this at any time under Settings.
- Optionally, enter a Dataset Description (maximum 50 characters).
Source Reference (Read-only)
The following fields are auto-populated from your sheet selection and cannot be edited here:
- Google Sheet — displays the connected Google Sheets source name
- Sheet — displays the selected sheet tab name (e.g., edu_payments)
Data Settings
The Data Settings section lists all column headers detected from your selected sheet. Unlike warehouse sources, Google Sheets does not carry native type metadata — all fields default to STRING (default). You must manually set the correct Data Type for each field using the dropdown.
Available Data Types for each field:
| Data Type | Use For |
|---|---|
| STRING (default) | Text, IDs, free-form values, and any field where type is uncertain |
| NUMERIC | Integer or decimal number fields (e.g., amount, price, count) |
| BOOL | True/false fields |
| TIMESTAMP | Date + time fields stored as datetime strings |
| DATE | Date-only fields (e.g., paid_at, registered_at) |
Always review and correct the Data Type for date, numeric, and boolean fields before saving. Leaving numeric amounts or date fields as STRING may cause issues in downstream Audience filters, Computed Fields, and aggregations.
Changing a field's Data Type after the Dataset has been saved and used in downstream features (e.g., Audiences, Computed Fields) may break existing logic that depends on the original type. Review all dependencies before making type changes.
- For each field, click its Data Type dropdown and select the appropriate type.
- Click Preview to validate that Sourcesible can read records from the sheet. A preview of up to 10 rows renders inline below Data Settings.
- Review the preview data to confirm columns and values look correct.
- Click Save.
Test Your Connection (Preview)
When you click Preview, Sourcesible reads the first 10 rows from the selected sheet tab and renders them inline. The following are validated during preview:
- The Google Sheets source OAuth token is still valid
- The selected sheet tab exists in the connected spreadsheet and is accessible
- Column headers are detected and match the fields listed in Data Settings
- PII-flagged fields are masked in the preview output
The note at the bottom of the preview reads: "For data privacy, your selected PII fields will be displayed as masked."
After changing a field's Data Type, click Preview again to confirm the data renders correctly under the new type — especially for DATE, TIMESTAMP, and NUMERIC fields.
Next Steps
Once your Google Sheets Dataset is saved, you can:
- Create a Dataset Model — Join this Dataset with other Datasets for unified customer profiles.
- Build Computed Fields — Derive attributes from sheet columns, such as calculating days since payment.
- Define Audiences — Use sheet fields to build segmentation conditions.
- Configure Single View of Customer — Map sheet fields to identity resolution and profile unification.
Tips and Troubleshooting
All Fields Show as STRING (default) — Expected Behavior
Symptom: Every field in Data Settings defaults to STRING (default) regardless of what the actual data contains.
Cause: Google Sheets does not expose column-level type metadata to external integrations. Sourcesible has no way to infer types automatically and defaults everything to STRING.
Fix: This is expected behavior. Manually review each field and set the appropriate Data Type from the dropdown before saving. Pay particular attention to: date fields (DATE or TIMESTAMP), numeric amounts (NUMERIC), and boolean flags (BOOL).
Preview Shows Dates Formatted Incorrectly or as Empty
Symptom: After setting a field to DATE or TIMESTAMP, the preview shows empty values or formatting errors for that field.
Cause: The date values in your sheet are not stored in a format Sourcesible can parse (e.g., locale-specific formats like 24/05/2025 instead of ISO 2025-05-24, or values like May 24, 2025).
Fix: In your Google Sheets file, ensure date columns are stored in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD for DATE, YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS for TIMESTAMP). You can use a formula to normalize:
=TEXT(A2,"YYYY-MM-DD")
After updating the sheet, click the refresh icon (↻) next to Data Settings to reload the field list, then click Preview again.
Sheet Tab Does Not Appear in the List
Symptom: A sheet tab you expect to see is missing from the Select Sheet list.
Cause: The Google Sheets OAuth connection was authorized against a specific spreadsheet file. Sheet tabs from other spreadsheet files will not appear. Alternatively, the tab was added after the Source was last authorized.
Fix: Navigate to Data Sources, open the Google Sheets Source, and verify which spreadsheet file is connected. If the tab belongs to a different file, you will need to create a separate Google Sheets Source for that file. If the tab was added recently to the correct file, try refreshing the sheet list by navigating Back and re-entering the Choose a Dataset step.
Duplicate Sheet Names (e.g., "Copy of edu_payments")
Symptom: The sheet list contains duplicate or copy entries, and it is unclear which to use.
Cause: Google Sheets allows duplicate tab names and creates "Copy of…" sheets when tabs are duplicated within the same file.
Fix: Always select the primary, authoritative sheet tab. Avoid creating Datasets from copy or backup sheets, as these may contain stale or inconsistent data. If needed, rename or delete the duplicate tab in your Google Sheets file before returning to Sourcesible.