Goal: Configure Altera to export your Shopify data directly to Google Sheets on a schedule, making it easy to share, analyze, and collaborate on your store data without file size restrictions.
Video walkthrough: Watch the step-by-step video
Prerequisites:
You have Altera installed on your Shopify store
You have a Google account
Step 1 - Create a Google Sheets Connection
Before you can export to Google Sheets, you need to connect your Google account.
In your Shopify admin, open Apps > Altera, then:
Go to Settings in the left menu
Click on Remote Connections
Click New Connection
Step 2 - Connect Your Google Account
In the new connection dialog:
Select Google Sheets as the connection type
Click Connect Google Account
A popup will appear to authenticate with Google
Sign in and grant Altera permission to access Google Sheets
Note: Altera only has permission to access specific files that it creates or that you give it access to. It does not have full access to your Google Drive.
Step 3 - Create a New Export
Navigate back to the home page of the Altera app and click New Export.
Step 4 - Choose Data Type and Configure Fields
Select what data you want to export:
Data Type: Choose from Products, Orders, Customers, Collections, etc.
Fields: Select which fields to include in the export
Filters: (Optional) Apply filters to export only specific records (e.g., products with status "Draft", orders from the last 7 days)
Step 5 - Configure Scheduling (Optional)
To run this export automatically on a schedule:
Scroll to the Scheduling section
Enable Repeat this export
Choose your preferred frequency (e.g., Every hour, Every day)
Step 6 - Configure Export to Google Sheets
Scroll down to the Export Location section:
Click the Export Location dropdown
Select the remote connection you created in Step 1
Step 7 - Start the Export
Click Start Export to begin the export process.
Altera will generate the export file as usual (which you can still download)
The data will also be sent to a new Google Sheet
Step 8 - View Your Google Sheet
After the export completes, find your Google Sheet in the Remote Export section of the job detail page.
Click View Sheet to open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets. Your data will be formatted with all columns properly structured.
Outcome
Altera creates a Google Sheet containing your Shopify data in Matrixify format. If you configured scheduling, the data will automatically update at your specified intervals.
You can view completed exports on the home page under Recent Jobs. Each job shows links to both the downloadable file and the Google Sheet.
Working with Your Google Sheet
Once the sheet is created, you can:
Rename the sheet: Give it a descriptive name like "Draft Products" for easy identification
Add additional sheets: Create new tabs in the same workbook for analysis or formulas
Share with team members: Use Google Sheets' sharing features to collaborate
Naming Your Export Jobs
For scheduled exports, rename the job to something descriptive so you can easily find it later:
Click on the export from the home page
Click Edit
Update the job name (e.g., "Export Draft Products to Google Sheets")
Click Save
Triggering Manual Updates
You can manually update your Google Sheet at any time:
Go to the export job on the home page
Click Run Again to trigger an immediate export
The Google Sheet will update with the latest data
Example Use Cases
Team collaboration: Share a live view of inventory levels or product data with team members who don't need Shopify admin access
Reporting dashboards: Export order data to Google Sheets and use it as a data source for charts and reports
Data analysis: Export customer data for segmentation analysis using Google Sheets formulas or connected tools
Backup and audit: Maintain an automatically updated backup of key store data in Google Sheets
Important Notes
Each scheduled export updates the same Google Sheet rather than creating a new one. You can add additional tabs to the Google Sheet if you need to analyze the exported data.
Scheduled exports will continue running until you disable them, archive the job, or delete it
The downloadable export file is still available alongside the Google Sheets version