FAQ: How to import data to the Google Sheets without data overwriting?

This article will help you understand how you can keep formulas and data and import your data into the same Google sheet.

Table of contents

1. How Coupler.io works
2. Using "Cell address" with data overwriting to the right
3. Using "Range" without data overwriting

1. How Coupler.io works

Coupler.io can save data to Google Sheets in one of the next ways:

• overwrite all data to the right starting from the top-left cell specified (i.e. C1)
• insert data to the defined range (i.e. A1:H10)

2. Using "Cell address" with data overwriting to the right

Please use this approach in case you need to calculate something using imported data and your data source has no fixed number of columns.

To use this approach - please follow the next steps:

1. Define start cell to put imported data to
2. Setup formulas in the columns on the left from the start cell
3. Setup Coupler.io importer:

Below is an example where we imported data from Airtable to Google Sheets "raw data" sheet and left the first two columns empty. After that, we used formulas to populate the first two columns with the information from the "extra info" sheet. Please use this link to view this example in Google Sheets.

3. Using "Range" without data overwriting

Please use this approach in case your data source has a fixed number of columns and you need to insert data in the middle of the sheet without data erasing to the left or to the right.

To use this approach - please follow the next steps:

1. Define the data range to insert data to (i.e. C1:E10)
2. Prepare the destination file with data/formulas on the left and on the right from the range selected for the data import
3. Setup Coupler.io importer:

In case you use the Replace mode with a defined data range - data will be inserted only to the cells from the range both columns and rows.

In case you use the Append mode with a defined data range - data will be inserted into the columns from the range, but without limiting of the rows.

Supported ranges (formats):

• A1:B4 - Replace mode: data will be added to defined cells, Append mode: all rows in the data source are added to columns A, B 
• 1:5 - Replace mode: 5 rows of source data are inserted starting from A1, Append mode: all source data is inserted starting from A1 if A1 is empty, or starting from the first empty cell below A1
• B1:10 - Replace mode: 10 rows will be added starting from the B1 cell (no limits for columns), Append mode: all available data source rows will be added starting from the B1 cell if it's empty, or from the first empty cell below B1
• 1:F10 - Replace mode: 10 rows will be added from the F1 cell, Append mode: no limits in rows, starting from cell F1 if it's empty, or from the first empty cell below F1
• A:D15 - Replace mode: no limits in rows, starting from A15 cell, Append mode: no limits in rows, starting from cell A15 if it's empty, or from first empty cell below A15

Please review several examples below:

Example 1:

• Range: C1:F5
• Mode: Replace
• Source data: contains 20 rows and 10 columns

Result: data is inserted into the cells in range C1:F5 (so only 4 columns from 10 are imported, 5 rows from 20 are imported).

Example 2:

• Range: C1:F5
• Mode: Append
• Source data: contains 20 rows and 10 columns

Result: data is inserted into the cells in range C1:F50 (so only 4 columns from 10 are imported, but all 20 rows are imported).