Google Tables

Google Tables is a workflow management tool developed through Google's in-house incubator Area 120 to assist project managers and their teams in automating work. Tables announced and began beta testing within the United States in September 2020.

Google Tables has four basic components intended to develop functionality and integration with other existing Google applications.

Tables are receptacles containing structured data. For example, ordered data that is recorded in rows and columns under specified conditions.

Workspaces are classified as groupings of tables. These tables can belong to various workspaces and are not limited to just one at any given time.

Columns are predefined data types, referred to as strong-type. The format differentiates from Sheets or Excel, where data may be entered into any cell without structure or predefined organization.

Views are saved versions of tables that represent data in different ways. Tables can be saved in various formats for different needs, meaning a user can filter a table, then save it, several ways to meet the needs of individual departments or teams working with varying points of data logged in the same table.

Google Tables can be utilized in various ways because it is integrated with other Google applications such as Sheets and Gmail. The application is available to Google users free of charge. However, it is also offered in a paid subscription with storage upgrades, additional bot automation, and more tables.

Tables is integrated with Google Sheets, meaning pre-existing sheets can be downloaded as a .CSV then be uploaded to Google Tables. Tables will then convert the sheet to a table using the column categories and data provided in the rows.

Templates are an option for moving existing data over to Tables or for developing new data stacks. There are over 20 different templates for users to choose from when building new workflows, including the Kanban Board, Project Tracker, Agile Scrum Tracker, New Applicant Tracker, and more. Pictured below is a "Project Tracker" template that shows the status of tasks, the individual assigned, and the date the task is due.

Courtesy of Google Tables

Users can make notes within the template to provide additional insight into a project task or provide further clarification. The Tables application allows users to add anyone from their Gmail contacts to a task. Once a user is added, they are sent a notification via email that there are new tasks to complete.

The bots in tables automate tasks using a predefined set of instructions. For example, if a team member uses the kanban board and completes a task, the bot can automate the task being removed from the task board and move it to a new table that only houses completed tasks. Bots can automate other tasks including, scheduling email reminders for outstanding tasks, modifying records, and pinging webhooks to messaging applications like Slack.

Google Tables has an API for integration with existing applications a business or user may already use. The API is linked to Google's GitHub page, where codes are offered in Python, JavaScript, and Node. Google has also made the API available through App Script. The API can also be found on the Google Tables Help Center.

Area 120 is the in-house Google incubator founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 2004. It is responsible for the development of Google Tables and various other software and applications. Area 120 was created to promote development within Google, allowing employees to spend 20% of their work time developing and innovating ideas into new applications or software.