spreadsheet/create FormID SP01

When to Use

• Client onboarding — dedicated workbooks: When a new enterprise client signs up, a workflow creates a dedicated Google Sheets workbook named "Acme Corp — Analytics 2026" with pre-defined tabs (Dashboard, Raw Data, Configuration). The spreadsheet URL is stored in the CRM and shared with the client's team via the Google Drive API.
• Annual report provisioning: At the start of each fiscal year, a scheduled workflow creates the new annual report spreadsheet (e.g. "BizFirst KPI Report 2027") with 12 month tabs pre-defined using the Sheets parameter. All 12 tabs are created in one call, then populated by subsequent workflows.
• Project kick-off automation: When a project is approved, a workflow creates a project-specific tracking spreadsheet with tabs for Budget, Timeline, Risks, and Contacts. The spreadsheet ID is recorded in the project management database for use by all downstream reporting workflows.
• Data export buffers: A data pipeline creates a temporary spreadsheet to stage exported data from a database query before transformation. After the transformation completes and results are pushed to the final destination, the staging spreadsheet is deleted via spreadsheet/delete.
• Multi-tenant analytics — per-user workbooks: Each user who activates a premium analytics feature gets a dedicated Google Sheets workbook provisioned in their Google Drive (using their OAuth credential). The workbook is created with their name and a pre-structured set of analysis tabs.

Configuration

Validation Errors

Output Fields

Sample Configuration

{
  "resource": "spreadsheet",
  "operation": "create",
  "CredentialId": 12,
  "Title": "{{ $json.clientName }} — Analytics {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}",
  "Sheets": [
    { "Title": "Dashboard",   "Hidden": false },
    { "Title": "Monthly KPIs","Hidden": false },
    { "Title": "Raw Data",    "Hidden": false },
    { "Title": "Config",      "Hidden": true  }
  ],
  "Locale": "en_US",
  "RecalculationInterval": "ON_CHANGE"
}

Sample Output

{
  "spreadsheetId": "1Xt4QzpNnFMdKvBdBZjgmRk9VE2upms7qptlbs74OgVE",
  "spreadsheetUrl": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xt4QzpNnFMdKvBdBZjgmRk9VE2upms7qptlbs74OgVE/edit",
  "title": "Acme Corp — Analytics 2026",
  "sheetsCreated": 4,
  "status": "success",
  "resource": "spreadsheet",
  "operation": "create"
}

Expression Reference

Assuming this node is named createClientWorkbook in the workflow:

Node Policies & GuardRails

• Ownership and sharing: Spreadsheets created by a service account are owned by that service account's Google Drive. Human users cannot see them unless explicitly shared. After creation, use an HttpRequest node to call POST https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{id}/permissions with the target user's email and role (writer or reader).
• Idempotency: spreadsheet/create always creates a new file — it does not check for existing spreadsheets with the same title. Google Drive allows multiple files with identical names. In automated workflows, store the returned spreadsheetId in a database or Variable node to prevent duplicate creation on retry.
• Sheet definition efficiency: Defining all initial tabs in the Sheets parameter is more efficient than creating the spreadsheet with one tab and then calling sheet/create multiple times. All tabs are created in a single API call.
• Drive quota: Each spreadsheet consumes Google Drive storage quota. Service accounts have 15 GB of free storage. Monitor storage usage in multi-tenant or high-volume workflows that create many spreadsheets.
• Locale impact: The Locale setting affects how date and number functions behave in the spreadsheet. Set it explicitly when creating spreadsheets for users in specific regions to ensure consistent formula behavior — particularly for date parsing functions like DATEVALUE().
• Credential scope: The OAuth credential or service account must have the https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets and https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive scopes authorized to create files in Google Drive.

Workflow Examples

Example 1 — New Client Onboarding — Full Workbook Provisioning

// Trigger: Webhook — new client signed contract in CRM
// Node 1 — spreadsheet/create (createWorkbook)
{
  "resource": "spreadsheet", "operation": "create",
  "CredentialId": 12,
  "Title": "{{ $json.clientName }} — BizFirst Analytics {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}",
  "Sheets": [
    { "Title": "Dashboard" },
    { "Title": "Monthly KPIs" },
    { "Title": "Weekly Data" },
    { "Title": "Config", "Hidden": true }
  ],
  "Locale": "{{ $json.locale }}"
}

// Node 2 — HttpRequest: share with client's admin email
// POST https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files/{{ $output.createWorkbook.spreadsheetId }}/permissions
// Body: { "role": "writer", "type": "user", "emailAddress": "{{ $json.clientAdminEmail }}" }

// Node 3 — HttpRequest (CRM): update client record with spreadsheetId and spreadsheetUrl
// Node 4 — Email to client: "Your analytics workbook is ready: {{ $output.createWorkbook.spreadsheetUrl }}"

Example 2 — Annual Fiscal Year Report Setup

// Trigger: Scheduled — January 1st at 1 AM
{
  "resource": "spreadsheet", "operation": "create",
  "CredentialId": 14,
  "Title": "BizFirst Annual Report {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}",
  "Sheets": [
    { "Title": "Jan {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Feb {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Mar {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Apr {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "May {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Jun {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Jul {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Aug {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Sep {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Oct {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Nov {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Dec {{ $now | date('YYYY') }}" },
    { "Title": "Full Year Summary" }
  ],
  "Locale": "en_US"
}
// Store spreadsheetId in database for use by all monthly reporting workflows