Custom reports using Google Docs

Just when you thought Solve360’s integration with Google Apps was reaching it’s pinnacle, we set our sights on even higher peaks. Ascending to yet another stratus to reach the summit of Google integration, we’ll demonstrate how easy it is to use Google Docs to produce useful reports directly from your Solve360 database.

Reports are immensely useful to gain perspective on trends and answer ad-hoc questions. Being able to see your data in a different light from different angles can often reveal unknown truths about your business, both good and bad, enabling you to create actionable strategies based on knowledge, rather than on instinct alone.

Solve360 has useful reports (Solve360 menu > Report & Update Activities), the ability to create lists (category tags), as well as expanded data reporting (Top view), etc. These catch most of the usual suspects, but remember those days when we hoarded data into Excel where we could slice-and-dice at will? Sure, our data wasn’t quite as dynamic and organized as it is today with the help of Solve360, but we had boundless access to cool spreadsheet features like charts, pivot tables and functions. What if we could have the best of both worlds?

Here’s a working example to demonstrate just that. Introducing Solve360’s Google Docs Reporting! A new Google Apps script that pulls your Solve360 data directly into a Google Spreadsheet where you can manipulate them as you please. Sit back and watch Mike run through a real example in the following video.

Now try it for yourself using these quick steps

1. Open Google Docs > Create new > Spreadsheet > File > Save > 'Solve360 report'
2. Click Tools > Scripts > Script Editor... > replace the text in the editor with this code
3. File > Save > 'Solve360 report'
4. Run > onInstall > Authorize
5. Run > onInstall (first time was to authorize, this time it does the work)
6. File > Save > close the script editor window

Configure your unique settings and test

1. Click 'Solve360 by Norada' > Solve360 account info > enter your email and token > Save > close the settings window
2. Click 'Solve360 by Norada' > Report parameters > set the report parameters > click 'Update' > wait while data is being loaded

This example of Google Docs integration is useful as presented, but what is most interesting about it is how it demonstrates how the two products can be linked together using standard script and APIs to develop line-of-business applications, much like Visual Basic et al did in the 90s for desktop applications. It's yours to explore!

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