The Backstory: You're reviewing your pipeline in Backstory Sheets and realize you need to create a new Opportunity in Salesforce. Rather than switching over to Salesforce to add the Opportunity, you add it directly in Sheets. Your new Opportunity syncs to Salesforce instantly, so you can keep working through your pipeline without breaking your flow to switch apps.
Backstory Sheets lets you create new Salesforce records and update existing ones directly from a spreadsheet-style workspace in the Backstory App, instead of working record by record in Salesforce. Each row in a Sheet represents a record and each column represents a field, and changes you make sync back to Salesforce automatically. This makes it faster to manage CRM records at scale.
Note: Backstory Sheets are available to organizations who use Salesforce as their CRM and have installed the appropriate Backstory managed package in Salesforce.
Guidelines for Creating and Updating Records
Backstory Sheets updates sync to Salesforce immediately, which means changes you make can affect the CRM data Backstory's automatic activity capture and matching rely on.
What to Create or Update
New Opportunity records, with an owner and contact roles set. Backstory uses Opportunity owner and contact roles as signals when matching activity, so an Opportunity created without them may not get credited with related emails or meetings later on.
Manual call logs, with the Type field set to Call and the owner, related Contact or Lead, and related Account or Opportunity filled in. Backstory only recognizes a Salesforce task as a call activity when these fields are present, so leaving them out means the call won't be captured.
New Contacts or Leads, only after confirming one doesn't already exist for that email address. Backstory automatically creates contacts from captured email and meeting activity, so adding your own risks a duplicate.
What to Avoid Creating or Updating
Task, Event, or Call records for activity Backstory already captures automatically from email, calendar, or your dialer. Creating your own record for the same email or meeting results in a duplicate.
The Owner field on Accounts and Opportunities you don't intend to reassign. Backstory uses ownership as a signal to match future activity to the correct record, so clearing or changing it can cause activity to match to the wrong account or go unmatched.
Meeting or call status fields that Backstory updates automatically, such as a meeting's Future, Completed, or Cancelled status. Backstory syncs these fields on its own schedule, so a manual change can be overwritten on the next sync.
Create a Record
In the Backstory App, in the QUICK CREATE toolbar at the top of the page, click the icon for the record type you want to create (Opportunity, Account, Contact, Task, Event, Lead, or Note).
Enter the record details.
Click Save.
Your record is created in Backstory and Salesforce. Click View in Salesforce to open it.
Search for a Record
Open the Sheet you want to search.
Click the search bar above the first column.
Enter a keyword to filter the Sheet to matching records.
Update a Record
In a Backstory Sheet, double-click the cell containing the value you want to change.
Enter the new value or select a new value from the dropdown.
Click outside the cell or press Enter to confirm the change. Your change syncs back to Salesforce automatically.
Note: You cannot edit cells that have a lock icon indicating the field is read-only in Salesforce.
Edit Multiple Fields at Once
Hover over the row number of the record you want to edit.
Click the three-dot menu that appears.
Select Update Account or Update Opportunity.
Update the fields you need in the window, then close it. Your changes save automatically.
Bulk Edit Multiple Records
Select the checkbox next to each record you want to update, or click the checkbox above the first column to select all records in the Sheet.
In the Bulk Edit panel, click the field you want to update.
Enter the new value.
Click Update.
Note: Bulk edits are committed to Salesforce instantly and cannot be undone. Review your selection carefully before confirming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a bulk edit after I confirm it?
No. Bulk edits are committed to Salesforce instantly and cannot be undone.
Why can't I edit a field in my Sheet?
A field may be locked because you don't have permission to edit it, it belongs to a related object that supports multiple records, or it's automatically populated from another field. If you believe you should be able to edit the field, contact your Salesforce administrator.
Do my changes in a Sheet appear in Salesforce right away?
Yes. Changes you make in a Sheet, including bulk edits, sync back to Salesforce in real time.
Can I open a Salesforce record from Sheets?
Yes. Hover over the row number of the record you want to open in Salesforce, click the three-dot menu that appears, and select Open in Salesforce. Log into Salesforce if prompted.
Need Help?
Contact your Customer Success Manager or support@backstory.ai.