IMPORTANT: If you are looking for information about Google Sheets or Smartsheet, you can find that information in the following articles:
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 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 ensuring you can efficiently manage tasks across projects from a single, streamlined view.
Note: For general questions and bug troubleshooting related to MS Excel, please contact their respective support teams. 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
- Setting up the Integration (Mac & Windows)
- Using Data in MS Excel
- Troubleshooting
- FAQs
Requirements:
To use the Fieldwire integrations with 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
Watch this video for a step-by-step guide on connecting Fieldwire to MS Excel:
Setting up the Integration (Mac & Windows)
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.
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.
Troubleshooting
Compatibility Warning
If you followed the setup guide above to set up an Excel dashboard, but you're seeing the error below, please update your instance of Excel to the latest version available.
Windows users can update Microsoft Excel by launching the application, navigating to File > Account > Update Options > Update Now.
For Mac users, navigate to Help > Check for Updates. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, updates are usually automatic, but you can manually check.
Detailed Steps for Windows:
- Open Excel: Launch the Microsoft Excel application.
- Go to Account: Click on the File tab, then select Account from the options on the left side.
- Update Options: Under "Product Information," you'll find "Update Options".
- Update Now: Click on "Update Now" to initiate the update process.
- Follow Instructions: Excel will check for updates, download them, and apply them. You may need to close Excel during the update process.
Detailed Steps for Mac:
- Open Excel: Launch the Microsoft Excel application.
- Go to Help: Click on the "Help" menu in the top menu bar.
- Check for Updates: Select "Check for Updates" from the Help menu.
- Follow Instructions: The update process will begin. You may need to restart Excel after the update.
FAQs:
Frequently asked questions.
How do I refresh my dashboard to have the latest information?
Always check the dashboard header for the refresh status / date and connection issues. If the date is not current, make sure to click the Refresh All button to make Excel download the latest task exports from Fieldwire.
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.)
Where can I access my Excel dashboards?
The Fieldwire integration with MS Excel only works with the Excel desktop app. It does not work with any browser-based version.
Are custom task attributes included in the .CSV export?
Yes! Custom task attributes automatically appear as their own columns in exported dashboards on the Tasks from Fieldwire tab. This ensures every team sees the latest custom data in their CSVs without changing the dashboard layout. For each custom task attribute, we add a new column at the very end of the .CSV (after Status & Last refresh columns) in the Tasks from Fieldwire tab.