Expand Appsheet to large database applications

[pmansy]

There is currently no easy option to develop a large database application front end without going into android studio type development and repeat the development for Apple devices. One of the only easy option is still Microsoft Access which does not work in a cloud environment. Appsheet might be the solution, but for that the compressed data size limit must be expanded to allow large database applications. This currently is not possible because Appsheet loads all tables on the device to allow online sync. However, online sync is not necessary for all tables, or not every user needs online sync. This would also require back end commands to allow some data operations to be computed in the back end. If Appsheet is not the solution, can Google offer something?

[LeventK]

There are a couple of SYNC options in AppSheet for your purpose if you mind to dig deeper and read a couple of pages i.e.
https://help.appsheet.com/en/?q=sync
For the “large database” issue, you can use Cloud SQL as well.
https://help.appsheet.com/en/?q=sql

[pmansy]

The issue is that the appsheet data size cannot exceed 5 or 10MB, because the data is loaded on the device. 10MB is very small for some applications. See article below:

https://help.appsheet.com/en/articles/1106364-limits-on-data-size

[LeventK]

That’s the limit of Spreadsheet because of the Rate Limit Quota for Google’s Sheet API. Provided your data is too big, then you shall either consider using SQL or use Security Filters to filter your data where not all the data transferred to the mobile device but filtered out in the AppSheet server.

[pmansy]

The article does not mention the limit on Google Sheet. It is rather talking about the limit on sync time “AppSheet is meant for mobile apps that are designed to work seamlessly despite intermittent connectivity or being completely offline. As a result, all data used by the app must be cached locally on the mobile device. This is an important factor to consider when designing your app. Ideally, you should make your data set as small as possible to achieve the desired functionality”. Security filters might be a solution to avoid loading all data on the device but basically, it looks like Appsheet is not designed for larger databases, and my request is to change that, or offer a different solution to help building those larger applications.

[LeventK]

Just on the contrary the article is talking about the data size and rate limits. Sheets with lot of columns but empty cells, sheets with external formulas and spreadsheet formulas etc. effect the size of the database. Depending on how you structure your app, if you are using too much or excessive iterative expressions and Virtual Columns, this will at the end effect your sync time. As AppSheet is extensively using Google Spreadsheet as a backend, it is subject to Sheet API Rate Limit. When you have very large amount of data set in your app, than it’s quite possible that your app or the AppSheet server might hit the quota. There enters the scene that the developer shall well-structure the app’s back-end.

Just an example…

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[DarenJanes]

Is there a document that gets into AppSheet and Cloud SQL limitations. I've been prototyping a few applications, but can't knowingly put something into production that will break at some point using Google Sheets as a data source.