There are so many sources of data that don't provide direct, software API connections. You are probably using at least one. If you've got data but are in need of a way to get it to NinjaCat we can help. If you can get your data into a Google Sheet we can read that sheet and make that data available for Reports and Dashboards. Sign in to your Google Drive through our data connector and the connector will only see the Sheets in the drive. Then you direct NinjaCat to the specific data you need to pull by using what we call a "Mapping". The following steps will lead you through this process.

For more information on Google Sheet requirements and uses check out the article, Google Sheets Integration Details

Section Links

Connecting a Google Sheets Network

Creating a Google Sheets Mapping

Using Google Sheets Data in a Template

Connecting a Google Sheets Network

1. Go to the Setup Settings

2. Follow the instructions in the article How To Add a Direct Network Connection, selecting "Google Sheets" as the desired network

Creating a Google Sheets Mapping

1. Go to the Setup Settings

2. Select the new Google Sheets Network you just created in the previous steps

3. Click on "More Actions" near the top right

Click on "Edit Mapping"

4. Click on the "Add Mapping" button near the top right

5. FILL IN THE NEEDED INFORMATION IN EACH OF THE REQUIRED TABS

INFORMATION Tab

     1. Give the Mapping a distinct name that you will use to identify the data being pulled through it

     2. Scroll through the drop-down menu or use the text window to search for the desired google sheet

     3. If your google spreadsheet file contains multiple tabs of data, select the tab or sheet that contains the specific set of data you need to pull

     4. ONLY IF the data in your google sheet needs to be filtered before being brought into NinjaCat select the column in the sheet that contains the data you will filter on. If you want to include all rows leave the field at "-- No Filter --"

     5. ONLY IF you've selected a filter column from your sheet will the "Account ID Type" drop-down menu show up. Select from the drop-down menu what account-specific signifier needs to be matched by data in your sheet in order to get through the filter.

NinjaNote: Do you see the "Save" button near the bottom left? DON'T CLICK IT YET! You must follow the instructions to create at least one Dimension and one Metric in this Mapping before clicking Save. That button is the final step in creating the Mapping NOT an incremental "save" step.

DIMENSIONS Tab -- Repeat the instructions below for each dimension you need to pull from your sheet

     1. Click the "Add Dimensions" button near the center or top right

     2. Fill in the needed fields in the "Dimension Editor" pop-up window

• Name - A title for the Dimension that will be visible in the Template Builder
• Header Mapping - Select the actual column from your sheet that contains the right data for the Dimension
• Aggregation Mapping - (If appropriate) The common Dimension set that this data could fall under if being combined with data from other data sources
• Display As - The specific format that the data from the sheet should be represented as

     3. Click the "OK" button near the bottom right of the pop-up window after all the fields are filled

METRICS Tab -- Repeat the instructions below for each dimension you need to pull from your sheet

     1. Click the "Add Metrics" button near the center or top right

     2. Fill in the needed fields in the "Metrics Editor" pop-up window

• Name - A title for the Metric that will be visible in the Template Builder
• Header Mapping - Select the actual column from your sheet that contains the right data for the Metric
• Display As - The specific numeric format that the data from the sheet should be represented as
• Calculate totals as... - For combining metric values choose Summation or Average
• Aggregation Mapping - (If appropriate) The common Metric set that this data could fall under if being combined with data from other data sources

     3. Click the "OK" button near the bottom right of the pop-up window after all the fields are filled

NinjaNote: At this point, you can go ahead and click the "Save" button near the bottom left if you are done bringing in your Dimensions and Metrics to your Mapping from your spreadsheet file. Move on to the CONNECTIONS Tab instructions if you'd like to use THIS Mapping to layout a different spreadsheet file whose data is laid out in the same pattern as your initial sheet

CONNECTIONS Tab -- Repeat the instructions below to use THIS mapping as a pattern to organize other sheets

     1. Click the "Add Connections" button near the center

     2. Fill in the needed fields in the "Connections Editor" pop-up window

• Unique Name - A specific title for the Connection that will be visible when linking to a NinjaCat Advertiser Account
• Google Spreadsheet - The Google Sheets spreadsheet file you want to organize using this mapping as a pattern
• Google Sheet - The specific tab from the Google Sheets spreadsheet file that contains the data that you want to organize with this mapping and pull into NinjaCat

6. Click the "Save" button near the bottom left after the INFORMATION, DIMENSIONS, and METRICS tabs have been completed.

Using Google Sheets Data in a Template

1. Access the NinjaCat Template Builder

2. Add a data widget to the template

3. Click on "Add Data Source" near the top right

4. Click on "Google Sheets" from the list of data sources

5. Select the desired Mapping from the field labeled "Mapping - Select a Mapping" in the "Google Sheets" pop-up window

6. Click the "Close" button near the bottom right of the pop-up window

NinjaNote: Once a mapping is selected in the pop-up window, two buttons will now be available below the "Mapping" field. The "View Mapping" button will give you a view of the Dimensions and Metrics available through the Mapping. The "Edit Mapping" button will take you to the Edit Mappings area and allow you to make changes to the Mapping itself. When done you will be returned to the NinjaCat Template builder.