What is GoCanvas?

GoCanvas is a versatile software tool designed to enhance the efficiency of business operations across various industries, including construction management, fire and life safety, and reselling. It enables businesses to control and safeguard their operations while providing the flexibility to work in offline mode for field operations. With GoCanvas, users have access to real-time data that is crucial for informed decision-making and can take advantage of pre-built form templates, integrations, and drag-and-drop workflows. The aim is to streamline operations, reduce manual tasks, and ultimately save administrative time for customers.

The software supports a robust user base, with over 25,000 daily users and processes more than 2.5 million form submissions monthly. GoCanvas is designed not only to automate workflows and schedule assignments but also to provide data-driven insights, which can lead to increased productivity and time savings. A dedicated customer support team is in place to ensure that any issues are resolved promptly, often within one business day. By integrating with other business tools, GoCanvas becomes a comprehensive solution for managing a wide range of business activities.

GoCanvas Plugins for Excel

Exporting Submissions

Business Insights, the GoCanvas Excel plugin, allows users to export submissions directly into Excel for enhanced reporting. This can be done by selecting the desired application and date range. Users have the option to refresh their data by downloading new submissions and choosing whether to append or replace the existing data in Excel.

Using Submission Mapping

The plugin includes a Submission Mapping feature which enables users to download data from specific fields within their forms. To utilize this feature, users must first create a map of the fields they wish to download, ensuring to include the version of the form and field labels. This mapped data can then be retrieved by selecting the appropriate sheet, application, and date range in Excel.

Updating Reference Data

Business Insights simplifies the process of updating existing reference data directly from Excel. This is particularly useful for maintaining accurate and current data within GoCanvas applications. Additionally, the Append reference data feature allows users to update data by specific user groups, enhancing data management and organization.

Uploading Dispatches

Users can also upload dispatches to GoCanvas users through Business Insights. The Dispatch Upload feature requires the file to have Description, User email, and Scheduled At as the first three columns. After uploading, a Dispatch Status Column is generated within Excel, providing users with information on the delivery status of each dispatch.

Dynamic Reference Data and API Integration

For more advanced data management, the Dynamic Reference Data feature, which is a paid service, updates Reference Data dynamically with information entered in previous submissions. Additionally, the GoCanvas Webservices API offers an alternative method for pulling down submitted data for users who seek to integrate GoCanvas with external systems or custom reporting tools.

Common Use Cases

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  Basic reporting of GoCanvas form submissions
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  Custom data analysis by downloading submissions and creating dashboards in Excel
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  Updating and appending reference data files for different user groups
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  Automating the dispatch process by uploading and tracking dispatch files
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  Preparing for transition before the plugins discontinuation by exporting necessary data

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Business Insights and how does it work with Excel?

Business Insights is an Excel plugin that connects Excel with a GoCanvas account, allowing users to download submissions, upload reference data, and dispatches. It is compatible with Microsoft Excel 2007 and higher.

Will Business Insights for GoCanvas continue to be supported?

No, GoCanvas will stop supporting the Business Insights feature on December 31st, 2023. GoCanvas Analytics is recommended for custom dashboard-based data analysis as an alternative.

Can I download data for specific fields using Business Insights?

Yes, Business Insights allows users to download data for specific fields using the Submission Mapping feature, which creates a new 'Mapping' sheet in Excel for this purpose.

Can Business Insights update existing Reference Data in GoCanvas?

Yes, users can update existing Reference Data in GoCanvas using the Reference Data Upload button in Business Insights.

Is there an alternative to Business Insights for automating workflows with Excel?

Yes, Zapier offers templates to automate workflows between Microsoft Excel and GoCanvas, allowing for triggers from Excel and actions from GoCanvas to create automated workflows, known as Zaps.