Backstory Sheets is a lightweight, spreadsheet-style workspace that lets you view and update Salesforce data faster and more efficiently than working directly in Salesforce. Available in the Backstory Unified App and as an embedded Salesforce component, Sheets organizes data so each row represents a record and each column represents a field. Updates made in Sheets automatically sync back to Salesforce in real time.
What This Article Covers
Accessing Sheets
Creating a Sheet
Managing columns
Filtering your data
Sorting your data
Grouping your data
Conditional formatting
Sharing a Sheet
Commenting
Deleting a Sheet
Frequently asked questions
Accessing Sheets
Prerequisites: You need a Backstory account connected to Salesforce with the Backstory component installed in Salesforce by your admin.
Backstory Unified App
Log into the Unified Backstory App.
In the left sidebar, click a Sheet to open it.
Salesforce
Log into Salesforce.
Click the Backstory (or PeopleGlass) tab.
Select the desired Sheet from the list of available Sheets in the left panel to view it.
Note: The tab may appear in Salesforce as “PeopleGlass” (previous name), or it may have another name depending on how your administrator configured it.
Create a Sheet
You can create a new Sheet or duplicate an existing one to reuse its settings and column configuration.
Access Sheets in the Unified Backstory App or Salesforce.
In the left panel, scroll to MY CONTENT and click the + icon.
Select New Sheet.
Choose the type of Sheet you want to create by selecting a recommended Sheet or picking an object type from the dropdown (Opportunity, Account, Contact, Lead, or Task).
Enter a name for the Sheet in the editable name field.
Duplicate an Existing Sheet
Open the sheet you want to duplicate.
Click the three vertical dots at the top right of the sheet.
Select Duplicate Sheet.
Managing Columns
You can add Salesforce fields, create private custom columns, reorder columns, and freeze columns in place for easier navigation.
Add a Salesforce Column
Salesforce columns sync to Salesforce when you change the data in the Sheet.
At the top of the sheet, click Manage Columns.
Click the Salesforce tab.
Find the field you want to add and click it to add it to the Selected Fields list.
Click Save.
Add Backstory Metrics as Columns
Both standard and custom Backstory metrics can be surfaced as columns in Sheets. Custom metrics appear under the Backstory section of the column picker once the metric's source is correctly configured in Backstory. Allow up to 24 hours after creating a custom metric in Backstory before it becomes available in Sheets.
Prerequisites: The custom metric must be created in Backstory with the correct source configuration before it will appear in the column picker.
At the top of the sheet, click Manage Columns.
Click the Backstory tab.
Find the field you want to add and click it to add it to the Selected Fields list.
Click Save.
Add a Custom Column
Custom columns do not sync to Salesforce. They appear in the Sheet with a cloud icon with a slash through it to indicate they are not synced to Salesforce. Custom columns can be used to create private notes, track opportunity updates, create next step fields linked to specific Opportunities, and more.
At the top of the sheet, click Manage Columns.
Click the Custom tab.
Keep Text if you want the field to allow short phrases, or click the dropdown to select another field type (Textarea, Number, Date, or Datetime).
Enter a name for the field.
Click Create Field.
Click Save.
If you share a Sheet with someone in your organization, they will have both view and edit access to your custom columns. Additionally, custom columns cannot be permanently deleted once created. While you can remove them from a Sheet, they will remain associated with the underlying objects.
Rearrange Columns
Click and hold the column header you want to move.
Drag the column to the desired position.
Release to place it.
Freeze Columns
Click the three vertical dots at the top right of the column you want to freeze.
Select Freeze to Stage.
All columns up to and including the selected column will stay visible when scrolling.
Note: Unfreezing any column will unfreeze all frozen columns at once.
Filtering Your Data
Filters let you narrow down the records displayed in your Sheet based on specific field values or criteria.
Add a Filter
At the top of the Sheet, click Filter or hover over a column and click the filter icon.
Click the Start with dropdown and select the scope of data to include (for example, records owned by you or your team).
Click the Field dropdown and choose the field you want to filter by.
Click the Operator dropdown and choose a condition (for example, "is any of").
Enter the value to filter on.
Click Apply.
Note: If you add filters to a Sheet you do not own, they won’t modify the original Sheet. Filters are session-specific and will reset the next time you open the Sheet.
Add Filter Groups
Filter groups allow you to group filters by AND/OR logic.
In the Filters dialog box, click the i (Filters info) icon in the top right corner.
Select Enable Filter Groups.
Click + Add Filter Group.
Keep and to return results that meet all criteria, or change the dropdown to or to return results that meet any of the criteria.
Quick Filters
Quick filters let you quickly filter a sheet by a specific value. You can choose to display only records with that value or exclude records containing it. They are quicker than using the filter dialog and are easier to remove using the top toolbar. Multiple quick filters can be applied at one time.
Right-click on the cell containing the value you want to filter on.
Select the filter option from the menu to instantly filter all records with that value.
To remove the quick filter, click the X in the quick filter in the top toolbar.
Note: Quick filters are not saved when you refresh the page or open a new tab.
Sorting Your Data
Sorting your data can help you find records faster and spot patterns or outliers in your data.
Sort Multiple Columns
Click Sort at the top of the sheet.
Click the Click any field to sort by dropdown and select the field you want to sort by.
Click A → Z or 1 → 9 to sort ascending, or Z → A or 9 → 1 to sort descending.
To sort by another field, click the Click any field to sort by dropdown and repeat.
Sort a Single Column
Click the three vertical dots at the top right of the column you want to sort.
Select Sort by [Column Name].
Grouping Your Data
Grouping helps you organize pipeline data by grouping opportunities, accounts, and other objects while automatically calculating subtotals. This provides a clearer, more structured view of your pipeline based on the grouping you select.
Add a Group
Click Group at the top of the sheet.
Select the field you want to sort by.
Automatic subtotals for pipeline value, forecasted revenue, and other metrics are calculated and displayed per group.
Note: It may take a few seconds for the groups to load.
Collapse Groups
You can collapse the individual records to show just the rollup totals. Click the Show details toggle at the bottom left to collapse the individual records.
View Backstories
When viewing a line item sheet grouped by a core object (Account or Opportunity), you can access Backstory details directly from the grouped object by clicking the Backstory logo next to it.
Conditional Formatting
Conditional formatting highlights cells based on rules you define, making it easier to spot trends and surface important information at a glance.
Click the three vertical dots at the top right of the column where you want to apply conditional formatting.
Select Conditional Formatting.
When adding your first rule, select the operator, value, and formatting style.
Click Apply.
To add additional rules, click + Add rule.
To reorder formatting rules, click and drag rules to change their priority order. Rules higher in the list take precedence over lower rules.
To highlight fields by last modified date, select a date range option (last 7, 14, 30, or 90 days). Fields meeting the criteria will show a clock icon. Only edits made within Backstory will be highlighted with a clock icon. Hover over the icon to see modification details.
Note: Once a sheet is shared, the recipient of the shared sheet will also have the same conditional formatting rules in place available by default.
Sharing a Sheet
You can share a Sheet by sending an invitation or sending a link.
Click Share at the top of the Sheet.
Enter the email addresses of the people you want to share with.
Click Send a copy.
Click Done.
Alternatively, you can click Copy link to clipboard and send the link to your collaborators.
Adding Comments
Use comments to add additional context to your Sheet or collaborate with tagged teammates. Comments within a Sheet only exist in Unified Backstory Application and will not appear in Salesforce.
Right-click on any cell in your sheet.
Click Comment.
Type your comment in the text box.
To mention a teammate, type @name in the comment thread.
Click Comment.
This comment will be visible anywhere this record appears within Unified Backstory Application. Anyone who has access to this record within your organization will be able to see and reply to the comment. If you tagged a teammate and they have access to your Sheet, they will receive an in-app and email notification that you tagged them.
Note: Currently, you cannot comment on custom columns.
Deleting a Sheet
Deleted sheets are permanently removed. Collaborators will lose access unless they duplicated the sheet before deletion.
Right-click the sheet title in the left sidebar.
Select Delete Sheet.
Click Delete to confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the size of the cells?
Cell width can be adjusted by dragging the end of the columns in the first row to the desired size. The height of the cells cannot be manually adjusted.
Can I freeze specific rows in my Sheet?
Currently, users can only freeze columns. Sheets does not support freezing specific rows.
Can I wrap the text in my fields?
Currently, there is no way to wrap text.
Need Help?
Contact your Customer Success Manager or support@backstory.ai.