Overview
Managing multiple construction projects across different locations can be challenging, often requiring project managers to juggle multiple applications to stay on top of progress. This fragmented approach makes it difficult to maintain a clear, real-time overview of tasks and deadlines.
By integrating Fieldwire with Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, you can automatically import and track tasks in a centralized cross-project dashboard. This reduces the need to switch between documents, emails, and project management tools while helping you monitor deadlines, dependencies, and responsibilities in one place.
This guide will walk you through connecting Fieldwire to MS Excel and Google Sheets, ensuring you can efficiently manage tasks across projects from a single, streamlined view.
Note: For general questions and bug troubleshooting related to Google Sheets or MS Excel, please contact Google or Microsoft support. The Fieldwire Support team can assist with issues related to the initial dashboard generation, but this feature is primarily self-service.
Table of Contents
- Requirements
- Demo Video : Connecting MS Excel and Google Sheets
- Fieldwire & Microsoft Excel
- Fieldwire & Google Sheets
- Optimizing Your Google Sheets Dashboard
- FAQs
- Best Practices
Requirements:
To use the Fieldwire integrations with Google Sheets and MS Excel, you will need:
- Account Manager permission on a Fieldwire account. (see Introduction to Account Permission Levels: Managers, Account Users, and Project Users for more information)
- A Business or Business Plus subscription. (How to upgrade to a Pro, Business, or Business Plus account)
Demo Video : Connecting MS Excel and Google Sheets
Watch this video for a step-by-step guide on connecting Fieldwire to Google Sheets and MS Excel:
Fieldwire & Microsoft Excel:
Follow these steps to integrate Fieldwire with MS Excel:
1. Go to the Integrations tab in Fieldwire and select Microsoft Excel.
2. Click + New dashboard and enter a meaningful name.
3. Select projects from the Account projects dropdown and click Generate dashboard. The tasks from these projects will be included in your dashboard.
4. Click the kebab menu (⋮) and select Download dashboard.
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The dashboard will download as an Excel file.
For MacOS:
- Open the Excel file and click Enable Content.
- Click Connect on the "Connect to data source" pop-up.
- If an Alert appears, click OK.
- Go to the Data tab.
- Click the Get Data dropdown and select Launch Power Query Editor.
- Click Options > Privacy.
- Enable Allow combining data from multiple sources and click OK.
- Close Power Query Editor, selecting Keep when prompted.
Watch process below:
After following the steps above, if data does not appear:
- Go to the Data tab and click Refresh All.
- Click Connect on the pop-up.
- Click Refresh All again.
- Select Yes to confirm overwriting the PivotTable.
- Your Fieldwire tasks should now be visible!
Tip: You can modify the My Dashboard and Gantt Chart tabs but do not edit Tasks from Fieldwire or Sources, as these power the dashboard.
Dashboard example:
For Windows PC:
- Open the Excel file
- If a Protected View message appears, close Excel.
- Right-click the file, select Properties, check Unblock, and click OK.
- Reopen the Excel file and click Enable Content.
- When prompted, check Ignore Privacy Levels, and click Save.
- Go to Data tab and click Refresh All.
- Select Yes if prompted to overwrite the PivotTable.
Steps 1-3
Steps 4-7
Tip: Modify dashboards but do not edit Tasks from Fieldwire or Sources, as these power the dashboard.
Using Data in MS Excel
Dashboard view
Key areas to note:
- Row 1 displays the sync status.
- The last refresh date and time are shown next to the sync status.
- Columns Assignee, Status, Category, and Project Name (Rows 2-17) act as task filters.
- Task data starts from Row 20 onward.
Gantt Chart view
On the Gantt chart tab, you can see the status of Tasks in Fieldwire by:
- Select a Quarter (Q1, Q2, etc.) in the upper left to view tasks for that period(will be displayed on the right-hand side of the spreadsheet).
- Blue Tasks = Incomplete tasks.
- Green Tasks = Verified tasks.
Fieldwire & Google Sheets:
Setting Up the Integration
- Go to the Integrations tab in Fieldwire and select Google Sheets.
- Click + New dashboard and enter a meaningful name.
- Select projects from the Account projects dropdown and click Generate dashboard.
- Click the kebab menu (⋮) and select Download dashboard (this will download to the computer's files).
Connecting Google Sheets to Fieldwire
- Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive. Open the file.
- Click Allow Access to connect to Fieldwire.
- Task information will import to the 'Tasks from Fieldwire' tab.
Important: Do not edit the Tasks from Fieldwire tab, as it powers the dashboard.
Key areas to note:
- Status of the sync between Fieldwire and Excel is located top of the table in Row 1. If connection was unsuccessful, it will be displayed in that same location.
- Last date of data refresh is located next to the sync status.
- 'Assignee', 'Status', 'Category', and 'Project name' columns at the top of the page (rows 3) function as task filters to locate tasks.
- All task information pulled from Fieldwire will display in the rows below (roughly row 7 and below)
Optimizing Your Google Sheets Dashboard:
Suggestions for improving your navigation.
Convert the PivotTable into a Table
- Click the Edit (pencil icon) in the lower-left corner.
- In the Pivot Table Editor, select Repeat row labels for all columns.
- This change enables better chart creation (Demo below).
Create a Gantt Chart in Google Sheets
- Click Insert > Timeline.
- Select desired data and click OK.
- Data imported > Customize using the right-hand Settings panel:
- Start date / End date → Task duration.
- Card title → Task name from Fieldwire.
- Card color → Optional, if desired set manually (not imported from Fieldwire).
- Card detail → Optional, including 'Assignee' (assignee of the task in Fieldwire).
- Card group → Organize by category, status, etc.
Clicking a task shows details, including a direct Fieldwire link (Demo below).
FAQs:
Frequently asked questions.
How frequent is the refresh?
Every 24 hours. The last refresh time is displayed on the My Dashboard sheet.
Can I include any project in my dashboard?
Yes, as long as it belongs to your account.
Is the dashboard public
Anyone with access to the .xlsx file can view it.
Can I have multiple dashboards at once?
Yes, multiple dashboards are supported.
How many tasks can I have per dashboard?
- Excel: Up to 25,000 tasks per dashboard.
- Google Sheets: Up to 4,000 tasks per dashboard. (Tasks farthest in the future will be removed if limits are exceeded.)
Best Practices:
- Do not modify Graph Sources, Tasks from Fieldwire, or Sources tabs.
- Only edit the My Dashboard sheet or create custom sheets.
- Use Google Sheets Gantt View for easy task tracking (see demo video above).
- Excel does not support hyperlinks in PivotTables, so copy-paste Fieldwire links into your browser.
- Always check the dashboard header for refresh status / date and connection issues.
More information
- How to Use the Task Analytics View
- Q&A: Can I generate a report that contains tasks from multiple projects?
- Integrations Tab: Setting up SharePoint, Google Drive, and Egnyte