In the ever-evolving landscape of work management platforms and data integration, the synergy between Smartsheet and MuleSoft emerges as a game-changer. This dynamic duo not only streamline processes but also amplify productivity to new levels. Let's explore the possibilities and dive into a real-world case study that exemplifies the power of this integration.
Understanding Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a work management tool known for its powerful automations and premium applications that make project management more efficient. I’ve built a few PMOs using this tool and have received great feedback from several businesses.
However, it’s not all roses, there have been some challenges. Because Smartsheet is not your typical database, some businesses find it difficult to manage large datasets using this tool.
Currently, there is a row limit in Smartsheet of 20,000 rows. This sounds like a lot but in industries, like healthcare, where large datasets need to be sliced and diced, this limit is a constricting factor.”
Of course workarounds can be designed to eventually get the desired result, but it’s less than optimal. An upcoming product update will increase the row limit from 20 thousand rows to 100,000 rows, so that’s a huge step in the right direction. Pairing the row limit increase paired with Smartsheet's premium applications like DataMesh and Data Shuttle, allows for expansive visibility of company data.
While these premium applications are great for integrating data from different sources into Smartsheet, there’s plenty of room for enhancements.
This is where the effectiveness of integration software like MuleSoft becomes evident.
The Case Study
A mid-level tech professional (Avery) faces the challenge of building a solution for “This Business Corporation” requiring the consolidation of their CRM data and project data.
“This Business Corporation”, is a global enterprise dealing with extensive data processes across various business functions. Leadership requires a 1-stop shop for high-level project and sales data.
The challenge?
Project data is managed and tracked through Smartsheet while sales data is managed and tracked through a CRM. And because of the daily updates to the sales data, Avery has to manually retrieve 3-4 of the updated sales files from a shared drive daily to upload to Smartsheet. She then has to run several workflows to create one sheet that houses both sales and project data.
This process takes approximately 1 hour to complete but could take up to 2 hours depending on the number of rows that have to be mapped. The process is very effective, but could be more efficient.
Introducing MuleSoft
The king of middleware presents the new Smartsheet Connector. An associated use case for this connector is the act of exporting data from a CRM into a Smartsheet grid. With the right configuration and integration set-up in MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform, this connector will automate Avery’s process.
Avery would need to identify the fields that need to be mapped and the desired frequency of this automation, which is this case would be daily. With the many customization options in MuleSoft, the integration can be tailored to meet the specific needs of this case to have project data and sales data in a single location.
Since Avery does not have any experience with MuleSoft, she collaborated with the SME to help facilitate the implementation.
The result? In an effort to increase efficiency, Avery has successfully eliminated the manual step of retrieving files on a daily basis and uploading them to Smartsheet.
This effort has produced the following outcomes:
Avery’s time is spent monitoring the process instead of doing the manual work, thus increasing data accuracy and consistency.
Creation of a fully automated high-level dashboard showcasing project and sales data.
Agile Decision-Making: With up-to-date and accurate data at their fingertips, decision-makers could respond swiftly to changes and make informed decisions.
In conclusion, if you’re looking to create a similar integration, the first step is to be sure that you have thoroughly assessed your company’s data landscape. This implementation requires extensive knowledge in the systems and data that need to be connected. This Business Corporation's success story is one example of the potential of this dynamic duo.