Skip to main content

Understanding File & Sheet Processing Status

After you upload a spreadsheet file to Decode, it goes through several processing steps. Each sheet within your file is processed individually, and its status reflects where it is in the journey from raw spreadsheet data to structured table data. You will see these statuses in the Data Profile Dashboard or the Smart Upload section.

Here are the common statuses you might encounter:

  • PreviewReady:

    • Meaning: Decode has successfully processed the sheet, extracted its schema, and generated an initial mapping proposal. The Row Identifier column was successfully found and mapped automatically.
    • Action Needed: Crucial. You must now Review and Approve the Upload. Check the proposed mapping, make any necessary corrections (for simple or formula mappings), review the sample data, and then approve the sheet for ingestion into the Table.

  • MissingRowIdentifier:

    • Meaning: Decode processed the sheet but could not automatically find or map the critical Row Identifier column defined in your Table schema. This is a blocking issue, as the Row Identifier is essential for tracking records.
    • Action Needed: Urgent. You must go to the Review and Approve Uploads screen for this sheet and manually map the correct spreadsheet column to your Table's Row Identifier column. Once mapped and approved, processing can continue.

  • Ready:

    • Meaning: This status indicates that a sheet requiring review (PreviewReady or MissingRowIdentifier) has been successfully reviewed and approved by you, but the final data ingestion into the table might still be pending in the background queue.
    • Action Needed: None, the system is finalizing the data insertion.

  • Pending / Processing:

    • Meaning: Decode has received the sheet and is actively working on it. This includes extracting the data, analyzing its structure (schema), and attempting the initial automated column mapping against your target Table schema.
    • Action Needed: None. Wait for the process to complete.

  • Completed:

    • Meaning: The sheet has been fully processed, reviewed (if necessary), approved, and its data has been successfully ingested into the target BigQuery Table according to the final mapping.
    • Action Needed: None. The data from this sheet is now part of your Table.

  • Failed:

    • Meaning: The processing or ingestion of the sheet encountered an error it could not recover from.
    • Common Causes:
      • A Mandatory column (Static, Metadata, or Dynamic) was not mapped or was missing data in one or more rows of the spreadsheet.
      • Data type mismatch that couldn't be resolved (e.g., text in a number column after mapping).
      • Errors during formula calculation (if using Formula Mapping).
      • The AI incorrectly detected the spreadsheet structure (header/body row boundaries).
      • Internal system errors.
    • Action Needed:

Understanding these statuses helps you track your uploads and quickly identify sheets that require your attention for review or troubleshooting. The next critical step is learning how to Review and Approve Uploads.