AI Spreadsheet Import beta guide

Use AI Spreadsheet Import to quickly turn your Excel spreadsheet data into a Quickbase app. This article explains how to access AI Spreadsheet Import and outlines its supported formats, limitations, and best practices.

Access AI Spreadsheet Import

To access AI Spreadsheet Import:

1. Open Quickbase AI from the global bar.
2. Select Import a spreadsheet.

Supported files and structure

• File types: .xls and .xlsx
• File size: 10 MB
• Columns: 100 max per table
  Note: 1 tab in a spreadsheet can have multiple tables.
• Tables: 80 max
• Table type: Plain
• Field choices: 60 max
• Field choice length: 100 max
• Formulas:
  • IF
  • CONCATENATE
  • CONCAT
  • SUM
  • AVERAGE
  • YEAR
  • TRIM
  • CEILING
  • FLOOR

Limitations

• Password protection—Spreadsheets should not be password protected.
• Empty rows—Tables with one or more empty rows between every row.
• Empty columns—Tables with one or more empty columns between every column.
• Totals and comments—Your app will not include information outside of tables.
• Pivot table imports—Import raw data only.
• CSV files—Only XLS and XLSX are currently supported.

Best practices

For best results, follow these best practices when preparing your spreadsheet:

• Organize data into tables—AI Spreadsheet Import works best with clearly defined, plain tables.
• Use simple, clean headers—Avoid complex headers and use one header per column. The first row should contain only field names without merged cells or grouped labels. Clean headers help the system recognize your data structure faster and ensure a seamless import into your app.
• Remove extra information—Delete any empty or unnecessary rows or columns (like titles, totals, or comments) that are not part of the main data table.
• Avoid N/A for number and date columns—Leave number and date columns blank instead of using N/A to indicate that a cell is empty. Column types are inferred based on their values, so this text value may cause an inaccurate interpretation of a number or date column.