Import Data from Google Sheets into Bubble Database

Need help APIs
1

Hi,

what’s the best way to continuously import data from Google Sheets to Bubble?

I have connected with Blockspring to read the data directly form Google Sheets, however it is extremely slow (>10 sec for around 10 entries). So I was thinking to import the data into the bubble data base to increase the loading speed. Has anyone done this before?

Thanks a lot!

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2

Also curious about this. If I am using Google Sheets as a database for users, and want to be able to import their data once a month (~2000 rows of numerical data), what is the best way (fastest, least workflow-required, etc.) to set this up? Zapier? API connector? Something else?

From what I’ve been able to figure out, Sheets -> CSV -> Bubble seems easiest, but just a bad user experience

3

Try plugins for Google Sheets (by Zerocode). May still have to be triggered by Zapier depending on frequency required and what plan you’re on / will be on when live.

4

Thanks Richard, I tried using the Google Sheets plugin, but the problem is that it brings all of the data in a text format. I would then have to pay for another of Zeroqode’s plugins to convert the text to date/numbers.

I guess my question is more high level, is an API connection (what API connector and Zeroqode’s plugin do) the best way to do this? Or is there another way that I’m not thinking of?

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5

I had that same problem, to begin with. I’m using the Google Sheets (Service) which is one of the plugins @jarrad @karel rote along with Google Sheets (User) prior to partnering with zeroqode. See screenshot it shows the updates they’ve done to field types. I’m bringing back text, dates, numbers at the moment without any major issues (only speed, which is the perennial Bubble issue). I’m assuming that the Google Sheets (User) has the same functionality as the Service version. Hope that helps.

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6

Thanks Richard this is very helpful! A few questions:

  1. When you say speed, do you mean that it takes a while to run the API workflow on each data entry returned via the plugin?
  2. What’s the difference between the Service and User plugin?
7

Hi, Geoff

  1. I take about 10-15 seconds to push around 50 field values (that I need to process a series of calculations). To retrieve my results (I pull 20 ‘result’ field values each with 60 variations) into list 20 list fields in Bubble). This bit takes around 60-90 seconds. This ends the Sheets communication. Then I have to split those lists in Bubble into individual records which takes a further 180-200 seconds.
  2. The Service version allows you to use Sheets as a database for your app (I pass data and run some calculations that just take way to long to process in Bubble) as oppose to connecting a user account for whatever reason. The Service version is always authorised and doesn’t need authenticating for each user.

So, to do what I need takes around 5 minutes for each instance / time the process is required. This is down from 20-25 minutes from trying to do the calculation in Bubble. I can manage the user experience os this isn’t a major problem. I’m building a cash flow forecaster.

I can now use the sheets (service) plug in to finalise my app to start showing people and getting some feedback.

Meanwhile I hope have someone create a custom function that can turbo charge the whole process up somehow by being more direct, so each instance is a matter of seconds rather than minutes.

My app has taken me so far around 9 months, most of that time has been around dealing with speed and timeout issues.

The Sheets (service) plug in has gotten me a big step closer…

R.

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