Today's Deep-Dive: Grist

Welcome back to the deep dive.

Look, we know you want knowledge you can use fast, no fluff.

Today, we're tackling something, well, almost universal.

That moment, your simple spreadsheet

just explodes into this unmanageable beast.

Broken links, copy paste errors, you know the drill.

Our sources today point towards something called Grist.

It's being called the evolution of spreadsheets.

Big claim.

It is a big claim, but maybe a necessary one.

If you're wrestling with Excel or Google Sheets

hitting their limits, Grist offers a different path.

So our mission today is to unpack that.

How does it mix that easy spreadsheet feel

with real database power?

And crucially, what does that actually mean for you

if you're just trying to get your data organized?

Okay, but before we really get into the weeds of Grist,

we absolutely want to thank the supporter

of this deep dive, Safe Server.

Safe Server is fantastic because they handle the hosting

for exactly this kind of powerful software.

Think of them as your partner

for that digital transformation,

making sure robust tools like Grist run smoothly.

You can check them out at www.safeserver.de.

All right, so let's unpack Grist.

The sources call it a modern relational spreadsheet.

What's behind that term for the everyday user?

Yeah, that phrase relational spreadsheet,

that's kind of the core idea,

and maybe where the initial adjustment comes in,

you still get that grid, that familiar spreadsheet look,

but underneath, it's enforcing some database discipline.

And probably the biggest single difference,

especially if you're coming straight from Excel,

is how columns work.

This is key.

In Excel, a column can be a total free for all, right?

Dates, names, numbers, whatever.

Total KO sometimes.

Exactly.

In Grist, columns are different.

They have a name, sure, but critically,

they hold one specific type of data, just one.

One type, like you decide this is currency and that's it.

Precisely, or this is a date,

or this links to another table, it only holds that.

And that structure, that discipline,

is what stops things from falling apart

when your data gets complex.

It allows it to scale.

Okay, I can see how that might feel restrictive at first,

if you're used to just dumping anything anywhere.

It can be, yeah.

A bit of a mindset shift.

But the payoff is reliability.

And if you've ever used something like Airtable,

this idea of linking tables, the relational part,

will feel pretty natural.

Grist actually has articles to help people

make that jump from Excel or Sheets.

That's helpful.

Now you mentioned something about its physical format

being interesting, Scolite.

Yes.

This is actually pretty cool, especially

if you care about owning your data.

Grist files are built on Scolite.

Scolite.

Isn't that like a super common database engine?

The most widely deployed database engine on the planet.

Yeah, it's everywhere.

OK, but why does that matter for my spreadsheet file?

Portability and control.

Massively.

Think about it.

Your data isn't locked into some weird proprietary format

only Grist can read because it's Scolite.

Almost any standard database tool

can pull out the basic text and numbers.

So even if Grist disappeared tomorrow,

your actual data is safe, accessible.

You can back it up reliably.

You're not trapped.

That's actually a really big deal.

Future-proofing your data from the get-go.

All right, let's shift gears.

Formulas.

This is where spreadsheets often show their power,

but also their pain points.

VLO cup nightmares.

Anyone.

Hey, yeah.

We've all been there.

Gris takes a radically different approach here.

We're talking like genuine data superpowers baked right in.

Superpowers.

Go on.

OK, so the headline feature.

Full Python syntax is supported directly in the formula cells.

Whoa, hold on.

Python.

Like, the programming language inside a spreadsheet.

Yeah, the programming language, including access

to a lot of its standard library so you

can do some seriously powerful data manipulation right there

in the grid.

That sounds incredibly powerful, but maybe a bit intimidating.

Or even, like, overkill for just adding two numbers.

It could seem that way.

First, security.

It runs in a controlled sandbox, so you're not

opening massive security holes by default.

It's designed carefully.

And for the overkill part, grist gets that.

It also includes lots of the familiar Excel functions,

so the easy stuff is still easy.

SUM, average, if they're there.

Ah, OK, so it caters to both ends.

Exactly.

But when you do hit a wall with standard functions,

maybe you need to parse complex text

or do some non-trivial date calculations.

Having Python right there is honestly a game changer.

And I saw something about AI helping out with this.

Because writing Python code isn't exactly

common spreadsheet knowledge.

Right.

There's an AI assistant built in specifically tuned

for writing grist formulas.

You can basically tell it in plain English

what you want to do.

Like, show me the average sales for last month

for the completed deals.

Pretty much exactly like that.

And it will generate the grist Python formula for you.

It really lowers the barrier to using

those advanced capabilities.

That makes a lot more sense.

OK, beyond just the raw power of formulas,

what about making data entry cleaner, more organized?

Yeah, good point.

There are several features for that, things like choices

and choice lists.

Like drop down menus?

Sort of, but often presented as colorful tags.

It means you pre-define the allowed values,

ensuring consistency, no more complete

versus completed versus done.

That alone would save headaches.

Totally.

And then there are references and reference lists.

Because it's relational, you can properly link records.

So this invoice record points directly

to the correct client record in the client's table.

No error-prone duplication.

Nice.

And I see specialized editors, too, for dates, currency.

Yep.

Those enforce the data types we talked about earlier.

Make sure a date is a date, currency is currency.

Helps keep data clean.

And conditional formatting.

Making cells change color based on rules.

Yes, and that's also controlled by formulas.

So you can set up quite sophisticated rules,

like flag any task that's overdue

and assign to a specific team.

Visual cues based on real logic.

OK.

Moving from putting data in to getting insights out.

Traditional spreadsheets often become this giant wall

of text and numbers.

How does Grist handle visualizing things?

This is another strong point, drag and drop dashboards.

You're not stuck just in the grid view.

So charts and things.

Charts, definitely.

Card views, which are great for seeing individual records,

calendar widgets, the usual suspects.

But the really unique thing is how you can link these widgets

together.

Link them.

How does that work?

Imagine you have your main table of data, maybe a chart showing

sales by region, and perhaps a detailed card view.

You can lay them out together on a dashboard page.

Then when you click on, say, a specific row in the main table,

maybe representing a single project,

the chart and the card view instantly

filter to show only the data related

to that specific project.

So clicking filters everything else automatically.

Exactly.

It makes exploring your data incredibly dynamic

without having to constantly create new siltered views

or cram everything onto one sheet.

It keeps the analysis separate but connected.

That sounds much cleaner.

Now, what about getting data into Grist easily,

like from forms or recurring imports?

Bank statements come to mind.

Oh, the dreaded CSV import reconciliation.

Yes, Grist has a feature called incremental imports,

which is fantastic for this.

Incremental imports.

Yeah.

Say you import your bank activity CSV for January.

Then in February, you get the next CSV

instead of dumping it all in and manually deleting duplicates.

Which takes forever.

Right.

Grist can intelligently look at the new file,

compare it to what's already there,

and only import the genuinely new rows.

It handles the deduplication.

It's a huge time saver for recurring data.

OK, that's brilliant.

And for collecting new data.

It has native forms.

You can design simple forms directly within Grist,

and the submissions feed straight into your tables.

No need for a separate tool like Google Forms or Typeform

if your needs are straightforward.

Very useful.

Now, collaboration means security.

How does Grift handle permissions,

especially if multiple people are using the document?

It offers really granular access control, much more detailed

than typical spreadsheets.

Granular how?

Like down to the column?

Down to individual rows, columns, or even entire tables.

OK, that's pretty standard for a database like Tools.

True, but here's the clever part.

The permissions aren't just static user rules.

They can be dynamic based on the data itself or user attributes.

Whoa, based on the data.

Give me an example.

OK, imagine a sales pipeline table.

You could set a rule saying users can only

see rows where the assign rep column matches

their own user email.

Or only users with the manager attribute

can see the commission amount column.

So the rules adapt to the data in real time.

Exactly.

That kind of dynamic data-driven access control

is usually found in much more complex and expensive enterprise

database systems.

It's pretty powerful for collaborative work.

And does it play nice with other tools, integrations?

Yep, it's built to connect.

There's a REST API, Zapier integration,

web hooks are supported, and standard import

text port with Google Drive, Excel, CSV.

It aims to be a hub, not an island.

This leads us nicely to a really defining aspect.

Grist is open source, or at least open core.

What does that mean, practically?

Right, the core engine, grist core,

is open source under the Apache 2.0 license.

This is significant for a few reasons.

Like what?

Why should the average user care if it's open source?

Three main things, I'd say.

First, independence.

You're not locked into Grist Labs forever.

If you self-host, the core tool keeps working.

Your data format, sweet light, is open.

You have options.

Second, trust.

The code is public.

Security researchers, or just curious developers,

can inspect it, find vulnerabilities, contribute fixes.

More eyes generally means more robust, trustworthy software.

And third, flexibility, especially around cost.

You can self-host grist core.

If you have the technical know-how,

you can run it on your own server, maybe

for internal use, without paying subscription fees.

OK, self-hosting sounds powerful, but maybe daunting.

How easy is it to actually try this grist core thing?

Surprisingly easy if you're comfortable

with basic tech tools.

The most common way is using Docker.

It's often just one or two commands in your terminal,

and you have a local grist instance running.

Docker.

OK, that's becoming pretty standard for developers.

It is.

Makes it quite self-contained.

There's also a dedicated desktop app, if you prefer that,

and even something called grist static,

which lets you embed a read-only grist

sheet in a static website without any back-end server

needed.

Lots of options, then.

But you mentioned open core.

That implies some parts aren't open source.

What's the deal with the hosted version at getgrist.com

versus this grist core?

That's a key distinction, especially for businesses,

maybe.

Grist core is the full open source product.

The hosted service, getgrist.com, includes that core,

but adds some extra non-open source extensions.

What kind of extensions?

Things that might be more enterprise-focused,

maybe specific integrations like an Azure back-end option,

advanced audit logging features, or the newer, more general

purpose Grist AI assistant that goes beyond just formula.

Why does that matter?

Transparency, mainly.

If your organization needs certain compliance features,

like detailed audit trails, you need

to know if that specific feature is

part of the open source publicly auditable code,

or if it's a proprietary extension provided

by Grist Labs.

They're pretty clear about it, but it's

important to understand which components are which,

especially if you choose to self-host and enable

those enterprise features.

Got it.

Transparency is good.

OK, let's try and wrap this up.

Key takeaways for someone listening.

Grist seems to tackle spreadsheet chaos

head on by mixing that familiar grid with strict database

rules, especially that one data type or column rule.

Right.

And it massively boosts what you can do with your data

by digging Python into the formulas,

but makes it accessible with things like the AI assistant.

And maybe most critically for the long term,

its open source foundation and use of SeqWite

mean you actually control your data, no vendor lock-in.

Exactly.

Which leads me to a final thought maybe a bit provocative

for you to chew on.

Given this combination powerful open scripting, like Python,

plus a universal open data format like SeqWite,

what does this trend really mean for all those closed off

proprietary low code platforms out there?

Are we maybe seeing the start of a shift?

A move away from platforms that deliberately

make it hard to get your data out or work

with it using other tools?

Is openness becoming the new competitive advantage?

That is definitely something to think about,

the future of data ownership and flexibility.

Excellent stuff.

Thank you for walking us through Grist today.

Thanks all of you for joining this deep dive.

And one last huge thank you to our sponsor, Safe Server.

Meet reliable hosting for powerful software like Grist

or help with your digital transformation.

You can find more info at www.safeserver.de.

You can find more info at www.safeserver.de.