We are excited to announce the General Availability (GA) of our native data store: AppSheet database. Our goal is to blend the simplicity of a table-driven data editing interface with the performance and scale of a relational database for non-technical users.
During testing, AppSheet database was faster than Sheets for processing adds, updates, and deletes of larger tables. In other words, the performance benefits of AppSheet databases are more apparent for a table with 50,000 rows compared to a table with 1,000 rows. AppSheet databases also have better support for concurrent edits.
It’s also worth noting that quick sync is enabled by default for all apps backed by AppSheet databases, even for security filters, so data updates automatically for app users.
Google AppSheet Databases went into public preview in October 2022, the announcement and context being covered in the Pulse post ‘Introducing AppSheet databases: Build data driven apps for Google Workspace‘. The recommendation while AppSheet databases were in preview was not to use them for production as there may have been breaking changes, which limited how much testing I could do, but I still found the occasional prototype project to give them a try. As noted in the general availability announcement the performance is more noticeable on databases with more rows. Where I saw big gains were around ‘quick sync’, particularly when making changes using the AppSheet API.
Something to keep in mind before lifting/shifting your existing Google Sheet based AppSheet apps are the usage limits. For example, Google Workspace customers eligible for the AppSheet Core licence at no additional cost are limited to 2,500 rows per database and 10 databases. The 2,500 rows is also the total amount across all tables in a database, for example, you will hit your quota if 1 database has 5 tables with 500 rows. Moving up to AppSheet Enterprise Standard increases the limit to 200,000 rows with a current maximum of 50,000 rows per table. In the later case Google have said this is a current technical limit and they are looking at increasing this soon. For AppSheet Core users it doesn’t sound like Google will be increasing the quotas anytime soon so it is worth making sure your data source and/or licence aligns with your anticipated data needs. There is an active discussion about usage limits in the source post.
I keep forgetting what I have in the freezer. At first I used Google Sheets to keep track of it, but I wanted something that was easy to consult and update on my smartphone. So I turned to AppSheet! Here’s a tutorial to follow to make a similar tracking solution.
This post on the Google Developers blog covers the basic steps for creating an AppSheet app using AppSheet Databases, which are currently in public preview. I’ve recently also been having a play with AppSheet Databases, and I’ve been impressed with the improved performance whilst also keeping them simple to use. I’ve encountered a some issues when setting up columns as references so not ready for prime time yet. Projects like the one mentioned in this post are a great way to ‘kick the tyres’ and experience yourself.
AppSheet is headlined as a no-code platform but this doesn’t mean for developers there aren’t coding opportunities. In this post I’ll be sharing AppSheetApp, a Google Apps Script helper library we’ve made at CTS which makes it easy to use the AppSheet API in your own AppSheet apps. As part of this I’ll highlight how this library has made our AppSheet powered Grab n Go Chromebook loaner solution immediately scalable and data source agnostic.
In this post the worlds of AppSheet and Apps Script collide, the resulting fusion is a library which makes it easier to integrate external data and events into your AppSheet app. This solution hopefully makes it a lot easier for developers and low coders to do more with AppSheet creating the possibility to use one (or a couple) of lines of code to interact with your app and not worry which data source your app is using. This post has more details of how you can get started and an example of the impact its already making with an alternative Grab n Go Chromebook loaner solution I’ve been part of at CTS.
Did you know? We’re offering 20% off registrations for our FIRST public AppSheet no-code-along! ⭐️
With AppSheet, you can simplify business processes without ever needing to write a single line of code. This can help you out if you have users managing data on mobile devices, getting lost in spreadsheets, or even still using pen and paper!
Our two part course will include hands-on experience of building a simple app alongside our in-house expert Martin Hawksey as well as covering all the basics you need to get your creative juices flowing!
Don’t sleep on it, this offer is only available until the end of March. Sign up today to secure your discount
If you are still unsure where to start with Google’s no/low code platform, AppSheet, on 3 + 5 May I’ll be joining Tim McLardy to help you get started on your journey as part of our two part ‘no-code along’. There is a discount if you register in March and Tim and I will be working extra hard to make sure you get the most out of the session.
During the summer I was asked to help with some video recording for a rugby tournament, but rather than spending hours rewatching footage to find highlights, I quickly threw together some tech to make things a lot easier.
A slick solution that uses a AppSheet app for data collection with Apps Script to cue up video files hosted on Google Drive. The Apps Script code is hosted on GitHub if you’d like to take a peak. Hopefully this example gives you inspiration for your own little projects.
As the way we work continues to change, the need for no-code and low-code tools that enable hybrid work and empower the workforce across all industries is on the rise. The democratization of software creation is also gaining ground within organizations, and by 2024 more than 65% of applications will be developed by low-code tools.
I was late to AppSheet, my journey only really starting in May 2022. Like all platforms, even no/low-code, there is a bit of a learning curve to get your head around how it works, but once you do there is a world of opportunities for a wide range of users. Even for seasoned developers features like the Apps Script integration and AppSheet API mean there is plenty of scope to extend the capabilities of AppSheet.
This post from Google provides some useful reference cases, evidencing the impact the platform has had on a range of customers as well has highlighting some recently developments in the AppSheet platform including the opportunity to deploy AppSheet powered Google Chat apps.
At CTS, where I work, we have a range of services to support AppSheet adoption ranging from hackathons, training and development. Feel free to get in touch if you would like to find out more.
We’re happy to announce that AppSheet-powered no-code chat apps are now available in preview for Workspace customers in AppSheet!
You can access this feature right now if you are in the Preview Program, and you can provide any feedback in this thread. If needed, additional information can be found in our help center articles. We’re targeting a full launch for later this year.
I’ve been spending a fair bit of time in Google’s ‘no-code’ platform AppSheet. Even for developers there is plenty to get your teeth into with features like Apps Script integration. One of the incredibly powerful core features of AppSheet is the ability to send dynamic emails which include forms designed in AppSheet. These allow users to interact with your app without leaving their inbox.
Whilst the inbox dominates in many business sectors, support for frontline workers increasingly leans on other communication channels including Google Chat. With the announcement of AppSheet powered no-code Google Chat apps there is now an opportunity to also push dynamic forms, send data and interact with Chat users in that space. For developers there is also the opportunity to do even more with the Apps Script integration. Follow the link to the announcement post to find out more…
In this post I’ll provide an overview of how PayPal was integrated into AppSheet with the help of Google Apps Script. Even if you are not interested in payment integrations this post also hopefully pulls together useful tips, best practices and code patterns for reading/writing data to Google Sheets.
Hopefully this post illustrates not only just a method for integrating a PayPal payment processor into an AppSheet app, but also a method which can generally be used to extend AppSheet functionality with Google Apps Script powered Web Apps.
As a bonus you also get some of my top tips for interacting with data in Google Sheets including efficiently reading/writing data for multiple users without concurrent overwrites.
In this blog I am going to show you how to combine Google Apps Script with Google AppSheet to make automation even more powerful.
Whilst Google AppSheet is marketed as a ‘no-code’ development platform for coders there have been a number of ways to add some customisations to AppSheet apps. Previously webhooks were the main way you could do this, but the recent Apps Script connector for AppSheet makes it possible to call and if required pass parameters from AppSheet into custom Apps Script functions.
If this is something you would like to learn more about Aryan Irani has continued his AppSheet tutorial series on Medium with this post which goes through the step-by-step process for setting up and using Apps Script code in AppSheet. Click through the source link to find out more.
Recently, I got the chance of giving a training on Google AppSheet at O’Reilly Media, Inc. … This was a three hour long training where I talked about the basics of Google AppSheet and how to create apps on Google AppSheet.
Aryan Irani has shared a really helpful post with highlights from an O’Reilly Media hosted course he led focusing on ‘Developing Robust Applications with Google AppSheet’. The post links to a number of other tutorials Aryan has published on how to create various AppSheet based applications including an Expense Tracking App, Vehicle Inspection App, Inventory Management App and more. Aryan touches on how Google Apps Script can be used in combination with AppSheet. If this is a topic you are interested in Chanel Greco recently highlighted a Google I/O session on the topic.
