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Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

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Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#61
post #27

You can just use curl to get the csv from the gayest and pipe into SQLite using the .import command. Not sure what this has on top of that.

For one, there's no CSV standard and often csv based data exchange methods have lurking (and/or obvious) correctness problems. Maybe gsheets and sqlite are lucky there, maybe not. This project is also well documented including the gsheets side (which is quite non-obvious).

> Maybe gsheets and sqlite are lucky there, maybe not

Seems weird to to pooh-pooh the idea without any reason to think it isn't good. Also, it's not really a question of luck, is it? It's not that mysterious how to validate an integration like this.

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#62
post #33

Spreadsheets are rather peculiar. I don't think anyone would come up with the concept of them today. This "fill formula down/right" feature is so strange. A developer would be like: let's just set a formula for the entire column, and make it refer to another column. And let's name the columns something. Like Airtable. But its surpringly flexible and hackable. I wish there was something like GSheets + Airtable.

Hah, it's you again! I keep bumping into you on these threads and feeling like I'm reading my own words in your comments. Yes, spreadsheets are beautiful. Most developers are missing the vision (and I think they missed the point in your comment too)

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#63
post #24

In case you don't read the whole README, note this in limitations: > The extension will load the spreadsheet only once while creating a virtual table. If you want to pick up recent changes, drop the table and create it again.

That is along is already great! Could be a way to slowly migrate off google spread sheets.

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#64
Those setup instructions are so frustrating: https://github.com/0x6b/libgsqlite#setup-google-cloud

Why does this have to be so hard!? I really wish Google Cloud (and likewise AWS and many other providers) didn't force users to jump through so many steps to use tools like this.

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#65
post #64

Those setup instructions are so frustrating: https://github.com/0x6b/libgsqlite#setup-google-cloud Why does this have to be so hard!? I really wish Google Cloud (and likewise AWS and many other providers) didn't force users to jump through so many steps to use tools like this.

> Why does this have to be so hard!?

Well, in part because they are using the console rather driving it programmatically; all the cloud platforms are optimized for programmatic/IAC rather than console operations.

And in part because Google Cloud (as opposed to AWS) has a segregated-projects, and activate-options approach to manage the scope of management surface and costs, whereas AWS (unless you create separate accounts) is more of “lump everything together”, and within an account is everything-default-on.

If there was a similar thing for AWS, while there might be some configuration needed, the “create a project” and “activate the API” processes probably wouldn’t be part of the basic instructions.

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#66
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> let's just set a formula for the entire column, and make it refer to another column Meet Lotus Improv (1991): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Improv I think the patents have expired now.

Improv brought me joy. There isn’t anything like it.

I read this many times on HN. As far as I can tell Excel copied most of it about a decade later with pivot tables.

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#67

You can just use curl to get the csv from the gayest and pipe into SQLite using the .import command. Not sure what this has on top of that.

I wrote a little cli[1] that is a bit easier than curl for getting data to and from google sheets as csv. I do think this sqlite extension would be even more convenient if it supported writing data with INSERT/UPDATE. 1: https://github.com/cristoper/gsheet

This needs its own post

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#68
In ClickHouse, querying Google Sheets works out of the box, no plugins required:

    select * from url('https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XGCy0tYU5YcEouO09_ErZIyqjA-VJ4pidLZmMmJkEdk/gviz/tq?tqx=out:csv&sheet=Sheet1&range=A:C', CSVWithNames)

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#69
I’ve been using google sheets as the backend database storage for a few recent projects.

Using SQLite as the interface instead of the sheets API will be so nice.

Btw - highly recommend sheets as a backend. For my recent projects it has been such a time saver.

Re: Libgsqlite: A SQLite extension which loads a Google Sheet as a virtual table

#70
post #33

Spreadsheets are rather peculiar. I don't think anyone would come up with the concept of them today. This "fill formula down/right" feature is so strange. A developer would be like: let's just set a formula for the entire column, and make it refer to another column. And let's name the columns something. Like Airtable. But its surpringly flexible and hackable. I wish there was something like GSheets + Airtable.

It’s called coda.io I use it for small data and I love it.
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