Module 7 Lesson 1: Google Sheets Automation

Google Sheets is the most common use-case for n8n. It's free, it's shared, and it's easy to use. In this lesson, we treat Sheets as our "Primary Database."

1. Connecting the Account (OAuth2)

Since Google is highly secure, you must use OAuth2 (Module 6, Lesson 2).

Go to Google Cloud Console.
Enable "Google Sheets API."
Create OAuth2 credentials and paste the "Client ID/Secret" into n8n.
"Authorize" the connection.

2. Operations: Read, Append, Update

Read: Get every row, or just rows that match a specific "Range."
Append: Add a NEW row to the bottom of the list. (Perfect for logging leads).
Update: Change an existing row. You must provide a "Key" (e.g., Email) so n8n knows which row to change.

3. The "Batch" Power

If you have 100 items in n8n, the Google Sheets node won't make 100 API calls. It will send them all in ONE SINGLE BATCH. This is significantly faster and prevents you from hitting Google's rate limits (Module 6, Lesson 4).

4. Sheets as a Trigger

n8n can watch a sheet for changes.

On Row Added: Starts as soon as a new row appears.
On Sheet Updated: Starts if any cell in the sheet is modified.

Exercise: The Spreadsheet Scribe

Create a Google Sheet with 3 columns: Name, Email, Status.
Connect n8n and use the Append operation to add a test user.
Try the Read operation. Does n8n return the data in an array format? (Module 4).
Research: What is "Lookup and Update"? Why is it safer than just "Update"?
Why should you always name your columns in the 1ST ROW of the sheet before connecting to n8n?

Summary

Google Sheets automation is the "Gateway Drug" of n8n. Once you can move data in and out of a spreadsheet, you can build everything from lead trackers and inventory managers to complex financial reporting systems.

Next Lesson: Inbox control: Gmail: Automating your Inbox.