Build an app from a spreadsheet

Before you start

• Create an application

Build an application from a spreadsheet when your data already lives in Excel, such as a vendor list and a contract list in one workbook. Each sheet becomes a module, and each column becomes a field. The wizard has six steps, and the last one is yours: checking the result.

Before you start

• Use an Excel Workbook (.xlsx). If your file is in another format, save it as an Excel Workbook first.
• Put a title in row 1 of every column in every sheet. Beezr reads that row to find the fields.
• Give each sheet the name you want for the module, one that no module in your workspace already uses.

Run the wizard

1. In the left rail, click New application, then Start from a Spreadsheet. The wizard opens with the steps Welcome, Upload, Sheets, Fields, Relations and Build down the left.
2. On Welcome, click Get Started.
3. On Upload, choose your file under Spreadsheet File. A tick shows when it is ready.
4. Check the Application Name. It starts as the file name. Change it if you like, then click Continue.
5. On Sheets, read Detected Sheets. Rename a module in the Module Name box, or remove a sheet with its bin icon. Click Continue.
6. On Fields, open each module. Edit the Field Label, set the Field Type of every field, or remove a field. Click Continue.
7. On Relations, click Add Relation if one module should point to another. Choose Related to (the module) and To view (the field to show). Click Continue.
8. On Build, read the Configuration Summary and click Build My Application.

When the build finishes, a dialog says “You did it!!” and “Hurray!! your app is now created and published”. Click Take me there! to open App space in a new tab. If you close the dialog instead, Beezr opens Modules.

Which field types can I choose?

The wizard offers 17: Text, Text Area, Integer, Long, Decimal, Boolean, Date, Date Time, Relation, Lookup, Smart Field, Signature, Rating, Barcode, Currency, Content and Multi Content. Add Multi Select Lookup, Link, Rich Text or User fields afterwards on the Fields page. To choose well, read Which field type should I use?.

Tip from a Beezr Consultant

Set names and types in the wizard, where it takes one click. Choose the label and system name before saving.

What does the wizard build?

• one module per sheet, named after the sheet
• the fields you kept, plus the key field Beezr adds to every module
• a default form with one block, Request Details, holding every field
• a table view with a column for every field
• an application with your name, described as “This application was generated from a spreadsheet”, with one group called My Services that lists every module

Then Beezr copies the sheet rows into the new modules as records.

After the build, open a module in App space and check its records. To load more rows later, use Import records.

What if the wizard shows an error?

• Error Detected with “We found a module with the same name as…” means a module with that name exists. Rename the sheet in the Sheets step and continue.
• Analysis Failed, with Go Back to Upload, means Beezr could not read the file. Check that it is a real .xlsx workbook and try again.
• A message asking for an Excel Workbook (.xlsx) means the file is in another format. Re-save it in Excel as a .xlsx workbook.

What do I tidy up afterwards?

The generated app is a starting point. Rename the My Services group and reorder the menu in the App builder, and move fields into better blocks on the form.