--- title: "OWOX Data Marts vs Connected Sheets for Google Sheets" canonical: "https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/owox-data-marts-vs-connected-sheets" updated: "2026-10-05" --- # OWOX Data Marts vs Connected Sheets: which one fits your reporting Connected Sheets gives an analyst with BigQuery access a live window on the warehouse. The OWOX Data Marts extension gives a business user without any warehouse access a governed Data Mart to pull into their sheet. This comparison explains who each is for, what Google's limits are, and when a team runs both. [Analytics Tools](/blog/topics/analytics-tools) · Updated October 2, 2026 · [Ruslan Obolonsky](/team/ruslan-obolonsky) · [Vadym Kramarenko](/team/vadym-kramarenko) · 6 min read ![OWOX Data Marts vs Connected Sheets: which one fits your reporting](https://cdn.owox.ai/www/content-marketing-article/owox-bi-vs-connected-sheets-comparison/thumbnail/2.png/public) > **_Note:_** _Originally published in December 2023. Fully updated in October 2026 for the current OWOX Data Marts extension, Google’s current Connected Sheets documentation, and multi-warehouse support._ Two tools put warehouse data into a Google Sheet without a CSV in between. **Connected Sheets** is Google’s own feature: a user with BigQuery access points a sheet at a table and works with previews, pivots and extracts of it. **The OWOX Data Marts extension** is a Google Workspace add-on: an analyst publishes Data Marts, and a business user with no warehouse access picks columns and filters from them and hits Run. They are not substitutes. They answer different questions: _can I see the warehouse from my sheet?_ and _can someone who will never see the warehouse get a trustworthy report?_ This comparison lays out who each is for, what Google documents as the limits, and when a team ends up running both. ## What Connected Sheets is Connected Sheets “brings the scale of BigQuery to the familiar Google Sheets interface”: you can “preview your BigQuery data and use it in pivot tables, formulas, and charts built from the entire set of data”, and refresh “either upon your request or on a defined schedule” (BigQuery documentation, checked October 2026). The prerequisites are the point. You need “a Google Cloud project that is set up for billing”, the BigQuery API enabled, and BigQuery permissions on the data; a user with “Google Sheets-only access” cannot refresh the data or schedule a refresh. In other words, **Connected Sheets is a warehouse client that happens to live in a spreadsheet**, and it assumes the person using it is allowed into the warehouse. Google also documents the working limits: a preview shows 500 rows, a pivot table returns up to 200,000 rows, and a data extract is capped at 50,000 rows without a cell limit, up to 500,000 rows within five million cells, and nothing above that (BigQuery documentation, checked October 2026). Query costs are billed to the Cloud project behind the sheet. ## What the OWOX Data Marts extension is [OWOX Data Marts](https://www.owox.com/app-signup) splits the job in two. An analyst defines a Data Mart in the warehouse as SQL, a table or a view, documents it, decides which Data Marts can be joined and on which keys, and sets who may read it. A business user then opens the [OWOX extension in Google Sheets](https://www.owox.com/google-sheets-extension), browses the published Data Marts, picks the columns they need, adds columns from related Data Marts, sets filters, and runs the report. **No SQL, no warehouse credentials, no ticket.** Refreshes can be scheduled hourly, daily, weekly or on demand. ![The OWOX Data Marts side panel open in Google Sheets, building an e-commerce report from a Products Data Mart with its columns selected and a scheduled refresh – a business user reading a governed Data Mart without any access to the warehouse](https://cdn.owox.ai/www/content-marketing-article/owox-bi-vs-connected-sheets-comparison/screens/1.png/public) The extension reads Data Marts on Google BigQuery, Snowflake, AWS Redshift, AWS Athena and Databricks, because the Data Mart is defined in OWOX rather than in a BigQuery-only connector. The Workspace Marketplace listing describes it as “the easiest to use and the most comprehensive alternative to Connected Sheets without row limitations” (Google Workspace Marketplace, checked October 2026). **OWOX does not transform data**; it publishes and schedules the analyst’s SQL and logs every run. ## The Turning Point OWOX Data Marts See your first report built in real time. _15 minutes._ 1. Connect your data warehouse 2. Pick your metrics 3. Get a live Google Sheets report In the time it takes to write a ticket. Then imagine never writing that ticket again. [Book a Demo](https://www.owox.com/demo) We'll use your actual use case ## The comparison, criterion by criterion ### Who it is for **Connected Sheets** is for the analyst or data-savvy manager who already has BigQuery access and wants the warehouse inside a sheet. **The OWOX extension** is for everyone else: marketers, finance, operations, the CEO, who need a number they can trust and will never open the BigQuery console. Most companies have ten of the second group for every one of the first. ### What the user has to know Connected Sheets assumes BigQuery vocabulary: projects, datasets, tables, and a column list the user has to interpret. The OWOX extension shows the analyst’s Data Mart with the analyst’s column names and descriptions. The learning curve is the difference between “which of these 40 columns is revenue?” and “tick Revenue”. ### Access and governance With Connected Sheets, access is BigQuery access: the user can read whatever their IAM role allows, in any sheet, and the data in the sheet is ungoverned once it lands. With the OWOX extension, access is to Data Marts, not to tables; the analyst decides what is published and to whom, and the Data Mart is the only thing the user can read. Every run is logged, so a number in a sheet can be traced to the query, the Data Mart and the person who ran it. ### Warehouses Connected Sheets is BigQuery only. The OWOX extension reads Data Marts on Google BigQuery, Snowflake, AWS Redshift, AWS Athena and Databricks, so a company on Snowflake gets the same spreadsheet workflow. ### Limits Google’s documented Connected Sheets limits are above: 500-row previews, 200,000-row pivots, extracts to 500,000 rows within five million cells. The OWOX extension writes the Data Mart’s result into the sheet and is bounded by Google Sheets’ own cell limit; the right pattern in either tool is to **aggregate in the warehouse and bring the aggregate into the sheet**, not the raw rows. ### Cost Connected Sheets is free; every refresh is a BigQuery query billed to the project, and a scheduled refresh on a large table is a recurring bill nobody sees. The OWOX Community edition is free and self-managed; the cloud editions are paid, and the [pricing page](https://www.owox.com/pricing) lists them. In both cases the way to control cost is the same: refresh a governed, aggregated Data Mart on a schedule, not a raw table on every open. ### Queries and reuse In Connected Sheets, a custom query lives in the sheet that holds it; reusing it means copying it. In OWOX, the Data Mart is the reusable object: written once, documented, shared, and read by every sheet, dashboard, Slack digest and AI assistant that needs it. That is the difference between a connector and a [Data Mart layer](https://www.owox.com/glossary/data-mart-layer). ### AI Both Google and OWOX now put an assistant next to the data. The question to ask of any of them is what it is allowed to read. An assistant with raw warehouse access invents joins; an assistant reading a published Data Mart runs the analyst’s query and can show it. [Governed MCP analytics](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/governed-mcp-analytics) walks through that difference in practice. ## When to use which **Use Connected Sheets when** the person doing the analysis is already a BigQuery user, the data is in BigQuery, and the sheet is an exploration surface rather than a report other people depend on. **Use the OWOX extension when** the people who need the data are not warehouse users, the numbers have to agree across teams, the warehouse is not BigQuery, or a report has to refresh on a schedule without anyone holding warehouse credentials. **Use both when** analysts explore in Connected Sheets, turn what they find into a Data Mart, and publish it through OWOX to the rest of the company. The exploration stays flexible; the reporting stays governed. ## Setting up the governed path 1. **Land the data.** The free OWOX connectors or another pipeline bring ad spend, orders and CRM records into the warehouse; the [Google Sheets to BigQuery workflow](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/google-sheets-to-bigquery-workflow) covers the spreadsheet-to-warehouse direction too. 2. **Define one Data Mart.** Start with the question people argue about most, such as ad spend by campaign and day. The [unified ad report in Google Sheets](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/unified-ad-report-google-sheets) walkthrough builds exactly that. 3. **Publish and share.** Set who may read the Data Mart and install the extension from the Workspace Marketplace. 4. **Build the sheet from the Data Mart.** Pick columns, filter, schedule. [Pivot tables in Google Sheets](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/pivot-tables-google-sheets) take it from there. 5. **Reuse the Data Mart elsewhere.** The same Data Mart feeds [Data Studio](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/bigquery-reports-in-looker-studio), Slack and email, so the sheet and the dashboard never disagree. The [free marketing analytics tools](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/free-marketing-analytics-tools) guide places both tools in the wider stack. ## Your New Normal Turn your data into decisions. Governed data marts give you the clean foundation ML needs to actually work. * No AI hallucinations * Analyst-governed definitions * Every number traces to SQL [Get started free](https://www.owox.com/app-signup) ## FAQ ## Frequently Asked Questions Which warehouses does each tool support? Connected Sheets works with Google BigQuery only. The OWOX Data Marts extension reads Data Marts defined on Google BigQuery, Snowflake, AWS Redshift, AWS Athena and Databricks, because the Data Mart is defined in OWOX rather than in a BigQuery-specific connector. Which is easier for business users, the OWOX extension or Connected Sheets? The OWOX extension. Connected Sheets needs a billed Google Cloud project, BigQuery permissions and BigQuery vocabulary; Google documents that a user with Sheets-only access cannot refresh or schedule the data. In the OWOX extension the user sees the analyst's Data Mart with named, documented columns, ticks what they need and hits Run. Does Connected Sheets have row limits? Yes. Google documents a 500-row preview, pivot tables of up to 200,000 rows, and data extracts of up to 50,000 rows without a cell limit, up to 500,000 rows within five million cells, and nothing above that (checked October 2026). Either tool works best when the warehouse does the aggregation and the sheet receives the aggregate. Which tool is better for governance and security? The OWOX extension, because access is to published Data Marts rather than to warehouse tables. The analyst decides what is published and to whom, the business user never holds warehouse credentials, and every run is logged so a number in a sheet can be traced to its query. With Connected Sheets, access equals BigQuery access and the data is ungoverned once it lands in the sheet. What is the difference between the OWOX Data Marts extension and Connected Sheets? Connected Sheets is a BigQuery client inside Google Sheets: a user with warehouse access previews tables, builds pivots and extracts, and refreshes on a schedule. The OWOX Data Marts extension reads governed Data Marts an analyst has published, so a business user with no warehouse access picks columns and filters and runs the report. One is a window on the warehouse; the other is a governed delivery layer. ## Who wrote this ![Ruslan Obolonsky](https://cdn.owox.ai/www/webflow/679201cfe3830455820fd576_22.png/public) [Ruslan Obolonsky](/team/ruslan-obolonsky) · Head of Product Ruslan Obolonsky is the Head of Product at OWOX, responsible for shaping the product vision behind OWOX Data Marts and the analytics platform. He brings years of experience in product management for data and analytics tools, focusing on making warehouse-native analytics accessible to business users. Ruslan writes about product strategy, analytics architecture, and building data products that scale. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruslan-obolonsky/) · [All articles](/team/ruslan-obolonsky) ![Vadym Kramarenko](https://cdn.owox.ai/www/webflow/6798e703afdf787334941cde_Vadym-Kramarenko.png/public) [Vadym Kramarenko](/team/vadym-kramarenko) · Growth Marketing Manager Vadym Kramarenko is a Growth Marketing Manager at OWOX, where he drives user acquisition and product-led growth strategies. He hosts the OWOX podcast, interviewing analytics professionals about data-driven marketing, attribution, and reporting best practices. Vadym specializes in turning complex analytics concepts into practical, actionable marketing frameworks. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/vadim-kramarenko/) · [All articles](/team/vadym-kramarenko) [Analytics Tools](/blog/topics/analytics-tools) ## Related articles [Google Sheets Tips · IF with VLOOKUP in Google Sheets: formulas and examples · October 2, 2026](/blog/articles/how-to-use-vlookup-with-if-statement-in-google-sheets) [Google Sheets Tips · VLOOKUP in Google Sheets: formula, another sheet and examples · October 2, 2026](/blog/articles/vlookup-in-google-sheets) [Google BigQuery · Google Analytics 4 to BigQuery: A 2025 Step-by-Step Guide · April 16, 2026](/blog/articles/google-analytics-4-to-bigquery-guide) [See all articles →](/blog/articles) ## References Pages this page links to, on this site and on docs.owox.com. Where the page has a Markdown twin, its address follows the link. - [Analytics Tools](https://www.owox.com/blog/topics/analytics-tools) — /blog/topics/analytics-tools.md - [Ruslan Obolonsky](https://www.owox.com/team/ruslan-obolonsky) — /team/ruslan-obolonsky.md - [Vadym Kramarenko](https://www.owox.com/team/vadym-kramarenko) — /team/vadym-kramarenko.md - [OWOX Data Marts](https://www.owox.com/app-signup) - [OWOX extension in Google Sheets](https://www.owox.com/google-sheets-extension) — /google-sheets-extension.md - [Book a Demo](https://www.owox.com/demo) — /demo.md - [pricing page](https://www.owox.com/pricing) — /pricing.md - [Data Mart layer](https://www.owox.com/glossary/data-mart-layer) — /glossary/data-mart-layer.md - [Governed MCP analytics](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/governed-mcp-analytics) — /blog/articles/governed-mcp-analytics.md - [Google Sheets to BigQuery workflow](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/google-sheets-to-bigquery-workflow) — /blog/articles/google-sheets-to-bigquery-workflow.md - [unified ad report in Google Sheets](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/unified-ad-report-google-sheets) — /blog/articles/unified-ad-report-google-sheets.md - [Pivot tables in Google Sheets](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/pivot-tables-google-sheets) — /blog/articles/pivot-tables-google-sheets.md - [Data Studio](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/bigquery-reports-in-looker-studio) — /blog/articles/bigquery-reports-in-looker-studio.md - [free marketing analytics tools](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/free-marketing-analytics-tools) — /blog/articles/free-marketing-analytics-tools.md - [Google Sheets Tips · IF with VLOOKUP in Google Sheets: formulas and examples · October 2, 2026](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/how-to-use-vlookup-with-if-statement-in-google-sheets) — /blog/articles/how-to-use-vlookup-with-if-statement-in-google-sheets.md - [Google Sheets Tips · VLOOKUP in Google Sheets: formula, another sheet and examples · October 2, 2026](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/vlookup-in-google-sheets) — /blog/articles/vlookup-in-google-sheets.md - [Google BigQuery · Google Analytics 4 to BigQuery: A 2025 Step-by-Step Guide · April 16, 2026](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles/google-analytics-4-to-bigquery-guide) — /blog/articles/google-analytics-4-to-bigquery-guide.md - [See all articles →](https://www.owox.com/blog/articles) — /blog/articles.md