Linking Apps back to a table

[Lee_Yanez]

Hello,

I’ve now created a few apps for my business. All the Apps have the ‘customer’ in common, whether that be notes, order forms, surveys, risk assessments etc etc.

I would like to be able to view a customer with all associated records - something similar to when in App tables Ref each other. What would be the best way to go about this?

Thanks in advance.

[Steve]

I don’t understand. Please elaborate further.

[Lee_Yanez]

Hi Steve,

Thank you for your reply - again

I would like to have an overall view of all data relating to a customer – on one screen.

I have a customer ‘database App’, but I also have an ‘order form App’ and a ‘Survey App’. I would like to enter the customer database App, click on a customer and, as well as seeing in-App details relating to that particular customer, I would also like to see all data relating to that customer that is held in other Apps - such as the ‘order form App’ and a ‘Survey App’.

I hope that’s clearer…

[Steve · Accepted solution]

To do that, all of the tables used by the other apps that contain the data you want to see must be included in the customer database app. It’s both as simple as that, and as horrifying as it sounds.

[Lee_Yanez]

Ok, that’s doable - but apart from the time element, are the any downsides to an App with many tables?

And, if that’s the case, in my mind, would it not be better to have just the one App - With a revised menu system to cope? - as the existing menu system is limited.

[Steve]

Lee_Yanez:

are the any downsides to an App with many tables?

Complexity, especially if you want to be able to add, update, and delete rows, as you’ll have to replicate all the logic for doing that in each app. If it’s just read-only, that’d probably be easier.

Lee_Yanez:

would it not be better to have just the one App

Depends on a lot of things. Maybe yes, maybe no. Of course, then you’d have to consider the performance aspects of having so much data in one app. And security.

I suspect many app developers would tend toward separate apps.

Perhaps @Aleksi, @LeventK, @MultiTech_Visions, @Grant_Stead, @tsuji_koichi, or other experienced app creators might have an opinion to share?

[Aleksi]

One option is to create a separate spreadsheet with a IMPORTRANGE() where you can read/merge all different sheets. The formula could be like…
={
IMPORTRANGE(“https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/SpreadsheetA_URL","SheetName!A2:D”);
IMPORTRANGE(“https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/SpreadsheetB_URL","SheetName!A2:D”)
}