If you’re stuck wrangling data out of Jotform and into something your team can actually use, you’re not alone. Jotform’s great for collecting info, but the built-in reports leave a lot to be desired. That’s why so many people turn to Google Sheets: it’s familiar, flexible, and surprisingly powerful for real reporting—once you get your data in there.
This guide is for anyone who wants to take raw Jotform data, get it into Google Sheets, and actually make sense of it for team reporting. No fluff, no sales pitch—just what works, what’s a pain, and how to avoid the usual headaches.
Step 1: Export Your Data from Jotform
First things first: you need your raw data. If you haven’t used Jotform before, it’s an online form builder that collects responses into tables. Getting that info into Google Sheets, though, isn’t always as simple as clicking "Export." Here’s how to do it:
Option A: Manual Download (CSV/XLS)
- Go to your Jotform dashboard.
- Find your form, click “Submissions.”
- In the upper right, look for “Download All” or “Export Data.”
- Choose CSV or Excel (XLS/XLSX).
Pros:
- Simple, nothing fancy required.
- Good for a one-time export or small projects.
Cons:
- Data can get stale fast.
- You'll have to repeat this every time you want fresh data.
Pro Tip:
CSV is usually the safest choice—Excel files from Jotform sometimes have weird formatting issues.
Option B: Automatic Sync (Google Sheets Integration)
- In your form’s settings, look for “Integrations.”
- Search for Google Sheets and connect your Google account.
- Choose which fields you want to sync.
- Jotform will create a new Google Sheet and push new responses there automatically.
Pros:
- Hands-off: new submissions show up in Sheets instantly.
- No more manual exports.
Cons:
- Changes to form fields can break the sync or create new tabs in Sheets.
- Editing synced sheets directly is risky—Jotform can overwrite your changes.
Watch Out:
If you change your form (add/remove fields), Jotform sometimes creates a new worksheet in your Google Sheet, leaving you with a mess of old data and new tabs. It's annoying, but not a dealbreaker if you're careful.
Step 2: Clean Up Your Data in Google Sheets
Let’s be honest: the raw export from Jotform usually needs some tidying up before it’s useful. Here’s what to look for:
Common Issues
- Weird column names
Form questions become column headers. If you edited your form a lot, these can be long or unclear. - Extra columns
Junk like “Submission ID,” timestamps, IP addresses—sometimes useful, often not. - Date formats
Jotform exports dates in odd formats. Google Sheets prefers YYYY-MM-DD. - Multi-select answers
Checkbox responses may show up as comma-separated lists.
How to Clean It
-
Rename columns
Double-click the header row and use short, clear names. Your future self will thank you. -
Delete what you don’t need
Get rid of columns that aren’t helpful for reporting. -
Fix date formats
Use=DATEVALUE()or Format > Number > Date. -
Split multi-select answers
Use Data > Split text to columns, or formulas if you want to get fancy.
Pro Tip:
Always keep a raw “Data” tab and do your analysis/cleaning in a copy. That way, if something goes wrong (or the integration refreshes), you don’t lose your work.
Step 3: Analyze Your Data for Reporting
Now the fun part—turning that cleaned-up mess into something your team can actually use.
Useful Reporting Tricks
1. Filter by Team, Date, or Status
- Use Sheets’ built-in filter views to let teammates slice and dice the data without breaking anything.
- If you want, set up dropdowns with Data Validation for quick filtering.
2. Count and Summarize Responses
-
=COUNTIF(range, criteria)
Good for quick totals, like “How many people answered Yes?” -
=SUMIF(range, criteria, sum_range)
Handy for summing up numbers based on form answers.
3. Pivot Tables
- Select your cleaned data.
- Data > Pivot table.
- Drag fields to Rows/Columns/Values to group and summarize.
What Works:
Pivot tables are great for quick summaries: totals by week, counts by answer, etc.
What Doesn’t:
They’re not ideal for “live” dashboards—updating can get clunky, and they break if your data structure changes a lot.
4. Charts
- Highlight your summary table.
- Insert > Chart.
- Pick something simple—a bar or line chart usually does the trick.
Pro Tip:
Don’t overthink the visuals. If your boss says “Can I just see a chart of X by week?”—build exactly that and stop.
Step 4: Share and Automate Your Report
It’s one thing to have a nice spreadsheet; it’s another to actually get your team using it.
Sharing
- View-only links
Keeps your data safe from accidental edits. - Protected ranges
If some folks need to edit, lock down everything except what they need. - Commenting
Turn on comments for feedback, especially if you want the team to spot errors or suggest changes.
Automating Updates
If you set up the Google Sheets integration, new data flows in automatically. If not, you’ll need to re-export and paste new data—tedious, but sometimes safer if you want total control.
For recurring reports: - Use the “ImportRange” function to pull data from the synced sheet into your analysis sheet. This lets you keep your reporting logic separate from the raw data.
For charts and dashboards: - Use Google Data Studio (now called Looker Studio) if you want fancier dashboards. Just know it’s a learning curve and can be overkill for simple needs.
What to Ignore (Mostly)
- Jotform’s built-in reports
They look good in demos but are limited and hard to customize. - Third-party add-ons
Most promise “instant dashboards” but usually just add another layer of complexity and cost. - Macros/scripts
Unless you’re comfortable with code, skip these. Google Sheets formulas are enough for 99% of reporting needs.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
-
Breaking the integration:
Don’t edit the raw synced tab from Jotform; always work in a copy. -
Losing data after form edits:
If you change your Jotform form, double-check your Sheets mapping—sometimes fields shift around or get duplicated. -
Overcomplicating the report:
Stick to what the team actually needs. It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole with charts and conditional formatting no one cares about.
Keep It Simple—and Iterate
Getting Jotform data into Google Sheets isn’t magic, but it does take a bit of setup and patience. Start simple: get the raw data in, clean it up, and build just enough reporting to answer the questions your team actually asks. Once that’s running smoothly, you can always add bells and whistles later. And if something breaks or the team’s needs change, don’t be afraid to tweak your process—it’s all part of the game.