How data groups link master and secondary sheets

A data group connects two sheets by a value they have in common. This page explains how that match works.

The matching value

Pick a column that exists on both sheets and identifies a record uniquely – most often an ID like a SKU, customer number, or order number. On the master sheet that column appears once per record; on the secondary sheet it appears on every row that belongs to that record.

For example, with products and specs:

• Master (products): one row per product, each with a sku.
• Secondary (specs): many rows, each carrying the sku of the product it describes.

The data group matches the two on sku. Product A-100 collects every spec row whose sku is A-100.

What to check on your data

• The matching column is named and filled consistently on both sheets – same values, no stray spaces or different spellings.
• Every secondary row carries a valid matching value, or it won’t attach to any record.
• The value identifies the master record clearly, so rows attach to the right one.

How a record reads its related rows

By default, your whole workflow runs in the context of the master sheet – each step sees one main record at a time.

To work with a record’s related rows, you switch that context. You connect the data group to the central endpoint node – currently supported for the table node, the one that turns many rows into a table. The moment it’s connected, the workflow’s context changes to the secondary sheet chosen in that data group: from then on, the whole workflow operates on the second sheet’s rows, which the data group delivers for the current record.

You still steer which master record you’re looking at through the preview – pick a master record there, and the data group feeds in exactly that record’s secondary rows.

Next

Narrow what each record pulls in: Filtering Records in a Data Group.