Data Connectors for Google Sheets
Introduction
Data Connectors pull records from another system into a sheet called Flookup Staging inside your spreadsheet. You then clean that sheet with Standard Data Cleaning or Data Cleaning Automation, and write only the rows you changed back to the source.
Open the sidebar from Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Data Connectors.
Included with the 1-Year Pass and the Team Pass. The 1-Month Pass, the free trial and the free tier do not include connectors. See pricing for details.
How It Works
- Connect the source. Add an Airtable token or a SQL connection in the sidebar. Credentials stay with your Google account.
- Pull to staging. Choose the base and table, or run a read-only query. Up to 5,000 rows land in Flookup Staging with a bold header row.
- Clean, then write back. Run Standard Data Cleaning on the staging sheet. When you are ready, preview the differences against the source and confirm the write.
Pulling again replaces the staging sheet. Write-back never deletes source records.
Available Connectors
Airtable
Pull a base and table with a personal access token, keep record ids for safe updates, and write changed fields back in batches.
SQL Database
PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle through Apps Script's JDBC service, with a read-only query and a key column for write-back.
Salesforce
Connect with OAuth through a Connected App, pick objects and fields, run a SOQL query and pull records into the staging sheet. Read only in this version.
Every connector writes into a hidden staging sheet, so cleaning and matching use the same tools as any other tab. Salesforce is read only; Airtable and SQL databases can send changed rows back.
How Write-Back Works
Write-back compares the staging sheet with the live source and reports three numbers: new, changed and unchanged. A sample of the first rows is shown before anything is written.
- New rows: staged rows with no matching source record are inserted.
- Changed rows: only the fields that differ are sent, so untouched columns are not overwritten.
- Unchanged rows: skipped entirely.
- Missing rows: source records that are not in the staging sheet are left alone. Nothing is deleted.
The write only starts after you click Apply changes on the preview. Each run applies at most 500 changes and tells you when the cap stopped the rest.
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Rows per pull | 5,000. The pull reports when the cap stopped it. |
| Changes per write-back | 500. Preview and apply again for the remainder. |
| SQL connections per day | Google's JDBC quota applies to your account: 10,000 connections for consumer accounts, 50,000 for Workspace. |
| Airtable rate limit | 5 requests per second per base. Flookup pauses between pages and honours 429 responses. |
Credentials and Privacy
Tokens and database passwords are stored in the Apps Script user properties of the Google account that set them up. They are never returned to the sidebar, and you can remove them with Clear in the connector card.
Pulled rows exist only in your spreadsheet. The connector calls the source API or database directly; Flookup does not receive a copy of your data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which plan includes Data Connectors?
Data Connectors are included with the 1-Year Pass and the Team Pass. The 1-Month Pass and the free trial do not include them, and the free tier is unchanged. Compare passes.
Does write-back delete records?
No. Write-back sends new rows and changed fields only. Rows that are missing from the staging sheet are left untouched in the source.
Where is the pulled data stored?
In a sheet called Flookup Staging inside your own spreadsheet. Credentials are stored in your own Apps Script user properties and are never shown back in the sidebar.
Can I schedule connector pulls?
Not yet. This version pulls on demand from the sidebar. Scheduling pulls is planned next, alongside the existing Data Cleaning Automation.