Grids

Grids

Build your own data tables.
Ever needed a list that Sytex didn't give you exactly the way you wanted? A client's tasks cross-referenced with their forms, or stock by warehouse with your own totals? That's what grids are for.
A grid is a table you build yourself: you choose where the data comes from, which columns to show, how it's filtered, and how it's displayed. It's saved with a name, shared with your team, and can be exported whenever you need.
No coding or writing queries required. You build everything by clicking.


🗒️ Before you start: where to find them

In the left-hand menu you'll see the Grids option (with the table icon Spiral Notepad). It opens the finder with every grid you have access to.
You can also create one directly from the + (Add) button in the menu, under Grids.
Light Bulb Don't see the option? Grids depend on permissions. If it's not in your menu, message whoever administers Sytex in your organization to enable the view permission (and, if you'll be creating, the add one). It's a one-minute change.


Create your first grid

    Open Grids from the menu and choose New grid (or use the menu's + button).
    Give it a name. You can change it whenever you want — just click the title.
    The grid starts empty and asks you to Add a data source . That's the most important decision: it's the Sytex entity the grid reads from.
    Choose the source you need —tasks, projects, forms, sites, network elements, materials and stock, work reports, quotations, purchase orders, and several more— and that's it: you have your first table.
From there, it's all about adding: columns, filters, formatting. Take your time — it saves on its own as you work.
You can also add a description below the title. It's a small touch that helps a lot when someone else opens the grid and wants to know what it's for.


The grid's three modes

Top right there's a selector with three modes. Understanding the difference saves you a lot of confusion:
Mode
What it's for
👁️
View
Look at the data. The everyday read-only mode.
✏️
Edit
Adjust the presentation: reorder and rename columns, formatting.
⚙️
Configure
Change the grid's definition: data sources, columns, filters, formulas.
If something you want to change isn't showing up, it's almost always because you're in a "lighter" mode than you need. Switch to Configure and try again.


Shape the data your way

You do all of this from the right-hand panel, in Configure mode.
  • Data sources. You can use more than one and combine them, as long as they have a possible relationship (for example, tasks with their forms). If two sources can't be combined, Sytex tells you right away, not later.
  • Columns. Add the ones you need, remove them, rename them, and drag to reorder. Whatever you build is what everyone else sees.
  • Filters. Each source can have its own filters (by status, date, client, whatever applies). Active filters show as chips at the top, with a counter, and you can clear them all at once.
  • Formula columns. Need a calculation that doesn't exist as a field? Create a formula column by combining other columns: differences, sums, percentages. It behaves like any other column.
  • Totals and grouping. You can assign an operation to each column (sum, average, max, count, etc.) to get aggregated values instead of row by row.
  • Pivot view. If you need to see the data "cross-tabbed" —one column per value, e.g. one month per column— set the source to pivot mode and choose which column opens the columns and what's measured in each cell.


Make it clear at a glance

  • Conditional formatting (palette icon Artist Palette). Create rules to color cells by their value: overdue in red, completed in green, whatever works for you. The button shows a counter with the active rules, so you always know how many you have.
  • Search. The search field in the top bar filters what you're seeing, without touching the grid's configuration.
  • Full screen. The expand button hides the header and gives you the table full screen. Great for reviewing lots of data or projecting in a meeting.
  • Refresh. The reload button pulls fresh data without reloading the page.


Cell editing

When a column is editable, you can edit values directly in the table:
  • Double-click a cell to edit it.
  • Depending on the column type, editing can be a direct field , a reference (a picker opens to change the relationship), or a search by name .
  • Changes are saved when you confirm the edit and modify the real system data , so use this feature carefully.


Share, export, and reuse

  • Star Favorites. The star next to the title pins the grid to your left menu, so it's always at hand.
  • Share. Next to the title there's a label showing who can see it. Clicking it, you can open it to anyone with access to the grid's workspaces, or add specific users and roles. If you don't share anything, only you see it.
  • Copy link. Generates a direct link to the grid to paste into a chat or email. Whoever opens it needs access.
  • Export. From the Export button you can download the content as CSV or XLSX.
  • Duplicate. Want a variant without ruining the original? Duplicate it from the options menu (⋯) and work on the copy.
  • Convert to widget. This is the fun one: turn the grid into a widget and add it to a dashboard to see it as a chart or table alongside other metrics. We cover it in the Dashboards article.


Good to know

  • The data comes from the data warehouse. Sytex processes the information in the background so grids respond fast even with large volumes. That means something created a moment ago may take a few minutes to appear. If you don't see a record you just created, give it a few minutes and refresh again — it's not lost.
  • Row limit. To keep the screen from freezing, the grid loads a maximum number of rows. When that happens, a notice appears at the bottom with a Load all rows button (the full load can take a bit longer, which is expected).
  • Inactive grids. A grid can be deactivated instead of deleted: it can no longer be exported, but nothing is lost and you can reactivate it whenever you want. It's the gentle option when something is no longer used but you'd rather not delete it.
  • Delete. If you delete a grid, right afterward you'll see a notice that lets you undo the action. If you missed that moment, don't hesitate to write to us.
  • Locked definition. Some advanced grids use a custom SQL query. In those cases the configuration panel is locked and can only be changed by manually editing the query. If you run into one and need to change it, write to us and we'll help.
Export limits
Format
Row limit
Download type
On-screen view
10,000
N/A
Excel (.xlsx)
700,000 rows
Full file
CSV
No limit
Streaming (progressive download)


Still have questions?

Write to us from the support chat inside Sytex and we'll gladly walk you through building the grid you need. If you tell us what you want to see —"this month's closed tasks by technician," for example— we'll help you set it up step by step.