Data blending combines data from two different datasets—often from entirely different applications—into a single unified dataset. This enables analysis that would be impossible when data lives in separate systems.

Why Blend Data?

How Blending Works

┌────────────────┐     ┌────────────────┐
│   Dataset A    │     │   Dataset B    │
│  (e.g., CRM)   │     │ (e.g., Support)│
└───────┬────────┘     └───────┬────────┘
        │                      │
        ▼                      ▼
┌────────────────┐     ┌────────────────┐
│   Query A      │     │   Query B      │
│ (filter, cols) │     │ (filter, cols) │
└───────┬────────┘     └───────┬────────┘
        │                      │
        └──────────┬───────────┘
                   ▼
         ┌─────────────────┐
         │ Blend Condition │
         │  (JOIN logic)   │
         └────────┬────────┘
                  ▼
         ┌─────────────────┐
         │ Output Formulas │
         │ (new columns)   │
         └────────┬────────┘
                  ▼
         ┌─────────────────┐
         │ Blended Dataset │
         └─────────────────┘

Key Concepts

The Blending Process

Step 1: Create New Dataset

Select Existing Scoop Data when creating a new dataset:

Name your blended dataset:

Select Blended to combine two datasets:

💡 Aggregated Option: If you only need to filter/aggregate a single dataset, select "Aggregated" instead.

Step 2: Configure First Query

Define what data to pull from your first dataset:

See Dataset Queries for query configuration details.

Step 3: Configure Second Query

Define what data to pull from your second dataset:

Step 4: Define Blend Condition

The blend condition determines which rows from Dataset A match which rows from Dataset B:

How Blend Conditions Work

Scoop evaluates every row in Query A against every row in Query B. When the condition is TRUE, an output record is created.

Common blend conditions:

Match Examples

Simple ID Match:

=CustomerID_A = CustomerID_B

Match with Cleanup:

=TRIM(UPPER(Account_Name_CRM)) = TRIM(UPPER(Company_Support))

Date Period Match:

=AND(Transaction_Date >= Period_Start, Transaction_Date <= Period_End)

Step 5: Define Output Formulas

Create columns for your blended output using spreadsheet formulas:

Output formula examples:

Step 6: Preview Results

Click the Preview Data tab to verify your blend produces expected results:

Check for:

• Expected number of output rows
• Correct values in calculated columns
• No unexpected NULLs or errors

Step 7: Configure Auto-Refresh

Advanced Blending

Using the Full Spreadsheet

Click the spreadsheet icon in the upper left to open the full Google Sheets workbook. Here you can:

• Create helper calculations
• Add lookup tables
• Build complex multi-step formulas
• Document your logic

Aggregation Before Blending

Sometimes you need to aggregate data before blending (e.g., sum transactions to monthly totals):

1. In the Query configuration, enable Aggregate by selected attributes
2. Select grouping columns and aggregation period
3. Numbers will be summed, giving you summarized data to blend

Handling Many-to-Many Relationships

When one record in A matches multiple records in B:

Example: One customer, multiple support tickets

If you want one row per customer, aggregate Query B first to get ticket counts.

Common Blend Scenarios

CRM + Support Data

Goal: Add support ticket counts to CRM accounts

Query A (CRM): Accounts with ID, Name, Revenue Query B (Support): Tickets aggregated by Account, with Count

Blend Condition: =Account_ID_CRM = Account_ID_Support

Output: Account ID, Name, Revenue, Ticket Count, Revenue per Ticket

Budget vs. Actual

Goal: Compare planned budget to actual spending

Query A (Budget): Department, Category, Budgeted Amount Query B (Finance): Department, Category, Actual Spend

Blend Condition: =AND(Dept_A=Dept_B, Cat_A=Cat_B)

Output: Department, Category, Budget, Actual, Variance

Product Usage + Revenue

Goal: Calculate revenue per active user

Query A (Product): Account ID, Active Users, Features Used Query B (Billing): Account ID, Monthly Revenue

Blend Condition: =Account_A = Account_B

Output: Account, Users, Revenue, Revenue per User

Troubleshooting

No Output Rows

Symptom: Blend produces zero results.

Causes:

• Blend condition never evaluates to TRUE
• Key columns have different formats (case, spacing, data type)
• Filters too restrictive in source queries

Solutions:

1. Preview each source query separately
2. Check sample key values match exactly
3. Use TRIM/UPPER to normalize text comparisons

Too Many Output Rows

Symptom: Blend produces far more rows than expected.

Causes:

• Many-to-many relationship without aggregation
• Blend condition too loose

Solutions:

1. Aggregate one or both sources
2. Add additional match criteria to blend condition

Missing Data

Symptom: Some expected matches are missing.

Causes:

• Key values don't match (typos, formatting)
• Date ranges don't overlap
• Filters excluding needed records

Solutions:

1. Check source data for the missing records
2. Verify blend condition handles edge cases
3. Adjust filters to include more data

Performance Issues

Symptom: Blend takes very long to process.

Causes:

• Large datasets without aggregation
• Complex blend conditions

Solutions:

1. Aggregate data before blending
2. Filter to necessary time periods
3. Simplify blend conditions

Best Practices

Design for Maintainability

• Document blend logic in the spreadsheet
• Use clear, consistent naming
• Test with sample data before full processing

Optimize Performance

• Aggregate when possible to reduce row counts
• Filter source queries to necessary data
• Avoid unnecessary columns in output

Ensure Data Quality

• Validate key columns match formats
• Check for duplicates in source data
• Preview results before deploying

Related Topics

• Dataset Queries - Configure source queries
• Adding Calculated Columns - Formula syntax
• Reprocessing Data - Manual refresh
• CRM Writeback - Push blended data back to CRM