Link data to a Lucidchart document

Import a dataset into Lucidchart

To import a dataset from Google Sheets, Excel, or a CSV file into a Lucidchart document, follow these steps:

1. Open a Lucidchart document.
2. Click the Data linking icon from the Primary Toolbar on the far left-hand side.
3. Click Link Data.
4. In the window that appears, click Import Your Data.
5. Select the file type (Excel, Google Sheets, XLSX, or CSV) that you would like to import, or select to choose a file that you have already uploaded to Lucidchart. 
6. Click Choose File.
   • If you are importing data from Google or Microsoft 365, you will need to grant Lucidchart permission to access your Google or Microsoft account. Click Authenticate, select your Google account, and click Allow to grant this permission.
   • If you don’t see Excel as an option, reach out to your Microsoft admin—they may need to grant Lucid access to your Microsoft account.
7. Follow the prompts depending on what type of data you are importing:
   • For an Excel or CSV file from your device and click Open.
   • For a Google Sheet or Microsoft 365 Excel workbook, select a sheet and click Select.
8. If applicable, select which pages of your spreadsheet you want to import and click Next.
9. After importing your data, Lucidchart will prompt you to identify the header row of your dataset. Select your header row.
10. Click Next.
11. In the next window, Lucidchart will prompt you to select a column of your data that contains reference keys for the contents of each row. Reference keys allow Lucidchart to keep track of your data even after you make structural changes to it, such as removing, adding, or reordering rows. Select the column that contains unique identifiers, if you have one. 
    • If you do not add a reference key upon import, you will not be able to add one in your document later unless you go through the entire import flow again.
12. Click Finish.

Manage a dataset

Once you have imported a dataset, the data is available in the Data linking panel. You can open or hide this panel at any time by clicking the Data linking icon .

Manage sync and refresh settings

If you have linked data from Google or Microsoft 365 rather than uploading a file from your device, you can determine how that data interacts with Lucid. The steps and capabilities for this differ between Google Sheets and Microsoft 365 Excel. Check out the corresponding sections below for more information.

For data linked from Google Sheets
With data linked from Google Sheets, you can determine if and how often data is refreshed from Google and reflected in Lucid.

To change refresh settings, follow these steps:

1. Click the Data icon from the Primary Toolbar to the far left-hand side.
2. Select the dataset you want to update settings for from the dropdown at the top-left of the Data linking panel.
3. Open the Manage Data menu at the top-right of the Data linking panel.
4. Click Manage Refresh.
5. Select a refresh option:
   • Automatic: Changes in Google are reflected in Lucid every 30 seconds.
   • Manual: Changes in Google are reflected in Lucid only when you click the Refresh data icon in the Data linking panel manually.
   • Never Refresh: Changes in Google are never reflected in Lucid.
6. Click Done.

For data linked from Microsoft 365 Excel
With data linked from Excel via Microsoft 365, you can determine how your data is synced between Excel and Lucid: manually, automatically one-way from Excel to Lucid, or automatically both ways.

To change how your data is synced, follow these steps:

1. Click the Data icon from the Primary Toolbar to the far left-hand side.
2. Select the dataset you want to update sync settings for from the dropdown menu at the top-left of the Data linking panel.
3. Click Two-way sync, Pull changes, or Manual sync at the top-left of your dataset in the Data linking panel.
   • This button will be different depending on what sync setting is currently selected for your data.
     
4. At the bottom of the panel that appears, click Manage sync settings.
5. Select a sync option:
   • Two-way sync: Lucid and Excel are automatically synced to each other. Changes in one update the data in the other.
   • Pull changes: Lucid updates automatically with changes made in Excel, but changes in Lucid don’t affect your original Excel workbook.
   • Manual sync: Lucid only updates when you manually refresh the data. Changes in Lucid don’t affect your dataset in Excel even when the data is refreshed.
6. Click Save.

Manually refresh your data
If you chose to have your data manually refreshed or synced, follow these steps when you want to update your data:

1. Click the Data icon from the Primary Toolbar to the far left-hand side.
2. Select the dataset you want to manually refresh from the dropdown menu in the top-left corner.
3. Click the Refresh icon from the top-right corner of the dataset.

Manually replace a dataset

If you uploaded your data to Lucid as a CSV or Excel (XLSX) file from your device, you need to replace the dataset when changes are made if you want them reflected in Lucid. You also need to replace the dataset if you want to overwrite any manual changes you made to the data in Lucidchart. To replace the dataset, follow these steps:

1. Click the Data icon from the Primary Toolbar to the far left-hand side.
2. Select the dataset you want to replace from the dropdown menu in the top-left corner.
3. Open the Manage Data menu at the top-right of the Data linking panel.
4. Click Replace dataset.
5. Follow the prompts to select a new or updated dataset.

Edit data manually in Lucidchart

You can make the following manual updates to your dataset directly in Lucidchart:

• Edit data: Double-click inside a cell to edit its content. 
• Add a row: Right-click the box to the left of a row and select Insert row above.
• Remove a row: Right-click the box to the left of a row and select Delete row.
• Add a column: Right-click the box above a column and select Insert column left.
  • After you add a column,  you also need to add the new data to the linked shapes on the canvas. Read the steps in the Add new data to linked shapes section to learn how.
• Remove a column: Right-click the box above a column and select Delete column.

Here are a few things to know about making manual changes to the data in Lucidchart:

• Any edits made in Lucidchart to data imported via Google Sheet, CSV file, or Excel (XLSX) file upload will only be represented in Lucidchart and not in the original data source.
• If you have set up two-way sync with Microsoft 365 Excel, edits made in Lucid will be reflected in the original Excel workbook.
• Refreshing your dataset does not overwrite edits you made in Lucid.
• If you replace your dataset, any changes made directly in Lucidchart will be overwritten.

Push manual changes from Lucid to Microsoft 365 Excel
Even if you haven’t enabled two-way sync between Microsoft 365 Excel and Lucid, you can manually push changes you make to the data in Lucidchart back to Excel. Doing so updates the data in the original data source to match the data in Lucidchart, reflecting any manual changes made. To push changes manually back to your Excel workbook, follow these steps:

1. Click the Data linking icon from the Primary Toolbar to the far left-hand side.
2. Select the Excel dataset you want to push changes from using the dropdown menu in the top-left corner.
3. Click the Push changes icon from the top-right corner of the dataset.

Manual updates you made to the data in Lucidchart will now be reflected in Excel.

Add new data to linked shapes

1. Select the linked shapes on the canvas by dragging a box around them.
2. Click the contextual panel icon at the top-right of the workspace.
3. Select the Layout tab.
4. Under “Header Fields,” check the box next to the title of your new column.

Change header row or reference key column

The header row will appear at the top of your dataset. The reference key (or unique identifiers) column will be highlighted in gray.

To remove header functionality from your header row, right-click on the header and select Remove Header Row. 

To assign a new header row, right-click on the number label to the left of a row and click Make Header Row. 

To remove reference key functionality from a column, right-click on the letter label above the column and select Remove Reference Key.

To assign a new reference key column, right-click on the letter label above a column and click Make Reference Key Column.

Manage multiple datasets

Lucidchart allows you to import as many datasets as you would like into the same document so that you can visualize data from multiple sources at once. Click on the name of the dataset currently displayed to view a list of all of your imported datasets. 

View a different dataset by clicking on its name. Import a new one by clicking Add New Dataset.

Expand data with the pop-out panel

For an expanded view of your dataset, click the pop-out panel button to move your dataset from the left panel to a separate window. You can move and expand this window within the editor according to your needs. 

To move it back into the panel, click the pop-out panel button again.

Add custom data

If you do not have a dataset to link to your diagram, you can create custom data fields by clicking the contextual panel icon on the far right of the toolbar. Here you can create custom data and link that data to shapes or other parts of your diagram.
 

To create custom data fields, follow these steps:

1. Select the shape(s) on the canvas that you would like to add a custom data field to.
2. Click New Data Field.
3. Fill out the custom fields.
4. Click the plus icon for each new field you would like to add. 
    

Assign data to objects on the canvas

Once you have imported a dataset, you can assign data to objects, groups of objects, or to your document as a whole.

Assign data to an object

To assign data to an object, follow these steps:

1. Click the Data linking icon from the Primary Toolbar to the far left-hand side.
2. Locate the cell or row of data you would like to assign to an object on your canvas. 
3. Drag and drop the cell or row of data onto the object.

Assign data to a group of objects

If you would like to assign data to a group of objects, follow these steps:

1. Click the Data linking icon from the Primary Toolbar to the far left-hand side.
2. Select the objects on your canvas that you would like to assign data to.
   • You can use Ctrl + click if on a PC, and Command + click if on a Mac, to select a group of objects.
3. Open the contextual panel, by selecting the contextual panel icon on the far right-hand side of the toolbar.
4. Drag and drop the cell or row of data into the top half of the contextual panel.

You will then see the custom data has been added in the contextual panel, and that it has been applied to multiple objects that were selected.

Assign data to a page

To assign data to a page of your document, follow these steps:

1. Click on the canvas (ensure no objects are selected).
2. Open the contextual panel, by selecting the contextual panel icon on the far right-hand side of the toolbar.
3. Drag and drop the cell or row of data into the top half of the contextual panel.

The contextual panel will then display the assigned data at the page level.

Assign multiple data fields

You can assign multiple data fields to the same document component; whether that is an object, group of objects, or page. When you assign data to a document component that already has data linked to it, you will see the following pop-up menu. 

From here, you can opt to replace the existing assigned data field or keep both data fields. If you opt to keep both, the second data field will show up below the first one in the contextual panel data tab.

Customize data-linked shapes

Lucidchart allows you to customize how the data you assign to shapes appears on the canvas.

To display a data label or value on an object, follow these steps:

1. Select the object on your canvas. 
2. Open the contextual panel, by selecting the contextual panel icon on the far right-hand side of the toolbar.
3. Hover over the desired row of data in the top half of the contextual panel.
4. Click the Add Text button that appears.

The data label or value will appear as regular text that you can style and embed in longer text strings. If you replace the data linked to an object with a new row or cell of data, the new data will automatically take on the format and style of the old data.

Pull fill color from Google Sheets

If you add fill color to a cell, column, or row of data in a linked Google Sheet, the color will automatically import to your data in Lucidchart. 

To display the fill color on a linked object in your diagram, follow these steps:

1. Select the object with linked data on your canvas. 
2. Open the contextual panel, by selecting the contextual panel icon on the far right-hand side of the toolbar.
3. Click the three dot menu icon next to a data value or label.
4. Select Apply Imported Fill Color.

The fill color will then be applied to the shape on your canvas you selected.

Privacy and security for data-linked documents

A “data-linked” document refers to any Lucid document where data has been imported from external sources such as Excel, Google Sheets, BambooHR, AWS, SQL, Salesforce, or a CSV file. This includes ERDs, org charts, Smart Containers, account maps, and other documents that contain imported data.

When you share a data-linked document with another Lucid user, they can see the full dataset linked to the document, even if the document is shared as “View only”. This includes data not attached to shapes on the canvas. If a collaborator copies your data-linked document, they gain full access to the data linked to it.

To control who can see data linked to your document, it is recommended that you make a copy of the document and remove any sensitive data before sharing it. You may also choose to export the document or publish it using area selection to share only part of the document.

To protect data in Lucidchart, it is best to use password protection when publishing documents. Be cautious with public access links, as anyone who finds the link can access your document and data.

FAQ

What is the file size limit for linked data sets? 
The file size limit is 3MB for Excel and CSV files. There is no file size limit for Google Sheets and Microsoft 365 Excel workbooks. 

Can I add shapes with assigned data to a custom shape library?
Yes. After assigning data to an object or group of objects, you can add them to a custom shapes library by right-clicking on the shape and then selecting Add to Custom Shape Library. 

Why did my data not display on the object properly?
Ensure that you have properly followed the steps as outlined in the display data on document components section of this article. Also, note that Lucidchart only supports single line headers. If you have a line break, you may not be able to successfully insert your data. You will need to reformat the data to fit within these parameters.

Why am I receiving an error when attempting to import data from Excel into Lucidchart?
Importing data from Excel is not supported for use in Firefox. We recommend using Google Chrome for the best Lucidchart experience.

Resources

To learn more about this feature, explore the additional resources below. These resources are available in English only.

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Customizing Your Visual Data

Visualizing Your Data

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