Write Modes

Written By Richard

Last updated About 1 month ago

When creating a new connection in Sheetfetch, you will see the Write Mode section with 3 options. Each mode controls how data is written to your Google Sheets.

1. Append

How it works:

  • New data is always added to the bottom of the sheet

  • Existing data remains unchanged

When to use:

  • When you want to keep historical data

  • Logs, tracking, or time-based records

Example:
You fetch order data daily:

  • Day 1: 100 rows β†’ written to the sheet

  • Day 2: 120 rows β†’ 120 new rows are appended

  • Total: 220 rows in the sheet

2. Overwrite

How it works:

  • Each run will clear all existing data and replace it with new data

When to use:

  • When you only need the latest snapshot

  • Dashboards or reports

Example:
You fetch a product list:

  • Run 1: 50 products β†’ written to the sheet

  • Run 2: API returns 45 products β†’ sheet now contains only 45 rows, old data is removed

3. Update

How it works:

  • Instead of blindly adding data, Sheetfetch will:

    • Compare incoming data with existing rows using a Unique Field (Key)

    • If a match is found β†’ update the existing row

    • If no match β†’ add a new row

Required setup:

  • You must select a Unique Field (Key)
    (e.g. id, email, order_id)

When to use:

  • Syncing data

  • Avoiding duplicates

  • Keeping records up to date

Example:

Current sheet:

idnamestatus

1

John

active

2

Anna

active

New data from API:

idnamestatus

2

Anna

inactive

3

Mike

active

Result after run (key = id):

idnamestatus

1

John

active

2

Anna

inactive

3

Mike

active

Summary

ModeBehaviorUse case

Append

Add new rows

Historical data

Overwrite

Replace entire sheet

Latest snapshot

Update

Update based on unique key

Data syncing

Quick tip:

  • Logs or tracking β†’ Append

  • Frequently changing data β†’ Update

  • Only need the latest version β†’ Overwrite