The pandemic has made digital business tools and apps popular for companies around the world. From the rise of Zoom to the frequently updated Microsoft Teams platform, several online resources can make life easier for professionals who work remotely. An increasingly popular type of business resource during and after the pandemic has been collaboration platforms that allow for remote communication while facilitating work. Google Tables is poised to be one of the more popular options available.
While Google Tables is still in beta through Google's Area 120 incubator, the collaboration platform dubbed Google Tables will eventually be rolled into Google Workspace packages, which include Gmail, Docs, Slides, Meet, and other tools from the tech giant. This addition will make Google Workspace an even more competitive option for small businesses looking to provide robust tools for employees working from home.
Here's what we know about Google Tables, who should use it, whether it costs money to use, and how to access it.
What is Google Tables?
Google Tables is a web application that acts as a collaborative database for professionals. Google Tables is a more advanced database, allowing for more information and visual elements while still providing the organization of rows and columns. On top of that, you can group and link tables into Workspaces, creating easy-to-use workflows, which can be injected with automations and no-code bots to streamline business processes and save your business time and money.
Those familiar with other business organization tools like Airtable, Trello, and Notion will recognize the interface. And while Airtable and other competitors may have integration capabilities with Google Workspace, it doesn't get much more integrated than being part of your Google Account like Tables eventually will be. This will mean you will soon be able to integrate it with other apps like Google Docs and connect it to your Google Drive for easier document sharing.
Is Google Tables currently available?
Google Tables is available to use and download, although the platform is in beta testing, so it may be rough around the edges. The platform launched in Area 120 in September 2020 and has been a roaring success for Google. This is why users should expect the product to transition to "a fully supported Google Cloud product" sometime in "the next year," according to the Google Support page about Google Tables.
As for pricing, Google Tables will be free for everyone, although the platform will be limited compared to the more expensive plans. For example, the free plan provides access to 100 tables with 1,000 rows per table, while the $10 per month will be allowed 1,000 tables with 10,000 rows per table. You also get more storage with the paid plan and more automated bot actions. You can test the paid version for three months with the free trial.
Who should use Google Tables?
If you've ever felt that Google Sheets wasn't doing enough to organize, streamline, and automate your business operations, Google Tables might be your best bet. This new collaboration tool is primarily aimed at companies looking for a robust solution for online business organization. Tables includes in-depth spreadsheets, grouped workspaces, and automation capabilities.
Has anyone in your company ever parroted the familiar line that "spreadsheets aren't databases" in response to your organization's methods? Google Tables could be the solution you need to keep your company in order more effectively. Even better, Google Tables works on Android tablets on the market, so you can take your newly organized business on the go.
As for what Google Tables can do, here are a few of the tasks that the platform can handle, according to Google:
- Lightweight projects or tasks
- Support tickets and product issues
- Customers and vendors
- Sales leads and orders
- Employees and teams
- Creative or hardware assets
You may think that some of these tasks can be achieved using Google Sheets. However, Google Tables offers more than just a simple spreadsheet service.
What's the difference between Google Tables and Google Sheets?
If you're just now learning about Google Tables, there's a good chance you're familiar with Google Sheets, the Microsoft Excel-like spreadsheet platform. While these Google apps may share some features, the reality is that the two systems are very different and serve decidedly different purposes.
Again, though, spreadsheets aren't databases. Even though many businesses use the spreadsheet service to manage customer data and other pertinent information, Google Sheets is not designed to house several data types or provide project management services. Simply put, it's a spreadsheet. You probably shouldn't be using it for more than that.
Google Tables, on the other hand, is a much more robust offering designed as a collaborative database rather than a simple spreadsheet. It allows team members to view real-time data in many ways and manage workflows through tools like Kanban boards. You'll find full-on checklists to get work done, rather than just a selection of checkboxes in a spreadsheet, so you'll enjoy a set of actually structured data.
How do I get Google Tables?
After all this information about Google Tables, it's understandable that you'd want to investigate for yourself. The platform sounds robust enough to handle most business tasks, so why wouldn't you want to install it at your business?
The good news is that you can use Google Tables right now. Head to the Area 120 website — Google's in-house incubator — to find a link to the beta version, or click this Google Tables link to get started. You can import data to improve existing data with more advanced functionality or start from scratch with a blank table that can be filled with anything you want. Google Tables also offers table templates that will get you started in an organized way.
What's next for Google Tables?
Google Tables hasn't fully rolled out as a Google Workspace integrated app yet, which means you won't have access to an API or the ability to connect data to the Tables from other platforms. Still, the future is bright for Google Tables, if only because Google is the company rolling it out, so you know it will eventually be part of the massive family of apps from the tech giant. Plus, Google still needs to compete with Microsoft and its Teams platform, and Tables is the best way to do that.
On top of that, a vast selection of employees still regularly work from home and need a platform to manage their data beyond a simple spreadsheet. And with over 85% of businesses with more than 50 employees using Google Workspace in some capacity, adding a dedicated project management database could make life easier for the average team member.