Docs & spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel, Google Drive)

Some goals live in a spreadsheet someone updates by hand every week. Some context lives in a doc that's the source of truth for a project. Connect these and Brev reads from them so you don't have to copy-paste numbers or context.

What you can connect #

Google Sheets

Pin a goal to a specific cell. Brev reads the value on a schedule and writes it onto the goal's trajectory.

Excel Online (Microsoft 365)

Same shape as Google Sheets. Connect with your Microsoft account, then pick a cell when you connect a goal.

Google Drive

Brev reads the files you add to it as background for its AI: project docs, quarterly reviews, anything you keep as files instead of in a wiki. Only the files you pick are read, not whole folders.

Coda is in the catalog but can't be connected yet. Its card shows Request access, so you can tell the Brev team you want it.

How to connect #

1. 1
   Open the right card on Integrations

   Google Sheets and Excel Online are in the Data section; Google Drive is in the Context section. Click Connect.
2. 2
   Authorize

   You'll sign in with Google or Microsoft and approve access. Google Sheets only asks for access to the files you pick, and Google Drive asks to read your Drive files.
3. 3
   Pick what to point Brev at

   For Google Sheets: when you connect a goal, pick the spreadsheet in the Google file picker, then the sheet, column and row. For Excel Online: pick the workbook cell when you connect a goal. For Google Drive: Brev opens the file list straight away; see below.

Choosing Google Drive files #

Brev reads only the Google Drive files you add here, so this list is what Brev knows from your Drive.

1. 1
   Open the file list

   Right after you connect Google Drive the list opens on its own. Later, click Edit on the Google Drive card in the Connected section.
2. 2
   Add files

   Click Add Files. The Google file picker replaces the dialog while it's open. Select one or more Google Docs, Sheets or Slides, PDFs, or plain text, CSV or Markdown files, and confirm. You're brought back to the list and a Files added message says how many were selected.
3. 3
   Wait for the nightly run

   Brev processes new files in its daily batch at 4 AM UTC. The bottom of the list shows Last processed and Next batch (in your own time zone). A processed file is marked Processed; one that failed is marked Error, and hovering the word shows why.

• The heading shows how many files are in the list, for example 3 files selected. Remove one with the X next to it.
• Each nightly run skips files that haven't changed since they were last processed.
• There's no Save or Cancel: changes are saved as you make them. Close the dialog with its X.
• If the picker can't open, a Picker failed message explains why.

Where the data appears #

• Goal values from sheets/Excel: the goal's trajectory chart gets a new point each refresh, sourced from the connected cell. Useful for KPIs that someone maintains weekly in a sheet.
• AI context from Google Drive: the files you've added become organizational context Brev's AI can draw on, for example in goal insights.

How often it refreshes #

• Google Sheets and Excel refresh every 30 minutes from 11:00 to 23:59 UTC and every 4 hours overnight. Sheets also re-pulls on goal check-in submission so the displayed value matches what the goal owner just saw.
• Google Drive processes your files once a day (4 AM UTC). A file you add is picked up in the next run, within 24 hours.

Common issues #

My sheet value is showing as null

Open the goal's integration connection and re-check the cell address (sheets are case-sensitive, and ranges that span multiple cells return null instead of a number. Pick a single cell).

The KPI preview says "This cell isn't a number"

The cell holds text, a date, or a number with words around it (like "12 users" or "1.2M"), so it can't be a goal's KPI, and Connect stays disabled until you pick a cell with a numeric value. Currency symbols, thousands separators, a percent sign and a note in parentheses are fine. A number larger than 99,999,999,999,999 (either sign) shows "This number is too large to track" and can't be connected either. A long value in the preview is cut to one line; hover over it to read the whole thing.

Google Drive file content isn't being picked up

Brev reads only the files in the Google Drive card's file list, not folders or the rest of your Drive. Click Edit on the card, check the file is listed (add it with Add Files if not), and wait for the next 4 AM UTC run. A file marked Error couldn't be processed; hover over Error to see why.

"Brev couldn't set up the Google file picker"

Brev stops before opening the Google file picker when it can't set the picker up to share your picks with Brev, since a file picked then would never reach it. This is a problem on Brev's side rather than with your Google account, so reconnecting won't help. Close the message and try again later, and contact support if it keeps happening.

"Brev can't open this spreadsheet" when picking a sheet

Brev can read only the Google files you pick in the Google file picker: picking a file is what shares it with Brev. If Brev was never given the file, use Back and pick it again in the picker. If the owner removed the connected account's access, ask them to share the spreadsheet with the Google account shown in the message again, then use Try again. If the file was deleted, restore it from the Drive trash or pick a different spreadsheet.

"This file isn't a Google Sheet"

The picker's spreadsheet view only lists native Google Sheets, so this usually means an existing connection points at a file uploaded to Drive in its original format, such as .xlsx or .csv, which Brev can't read cells from. Open the file in Google Sheets, use File, then Save as Google Sheets, and reconnect using the converted copy. To connect a Microsoft-hosted workbook instead, use the Excel Online card.