Critical rules — read before editing
This article covers the rules that apply every time you use the spreadsheet. Getting them wrong causes upload failures, data loss, or duplicate records. For a full sheet-by-sheet walkthrough with video tutorials, see Scaler Spreadsheet Tutorials.
Upload behaviour and asset scope
The spreadsheet overwrites your data. When you upload, Scaler treats the file as the source of truth. Added cells are included in the platform. Edited cells are updated. Deleted rows are deleted from Scaler. Only include data you intend to keep. Only edit what you intend to change.
Deletions of historical reporting and consumption data are previewed. Before an upload is applied, Scaler shows a deletion preview listing the existing values the file would delete — for example rows cleared by an external contributor. Nothing covered by the preview is deleted until you confirm; Cancel leaves everything in Scaler untouched.
The deletion preview does not yet cover every sheet. Deleted rows on other sheets — for example Certifications — are still removed without a dedicated warning. For those sheets, the overwrite rule above applies in full: only include data you intend to keep.
Asset Details always exports and controls which assets are processed. Regardless of your custom selection, Asset Details is always included. Scaler will only process data for assets present in Asset Details in the same upload. If an asset appears in Asset Details, all its data across every other sheet is in scope for that upload.
Removing an asset from Asset Details does not delete it from Scaler. If you remove an asset's row from Asset Details, Scaler won't process that asset in this upload — it remains untouched in the platform. But if rows for that asset still exist in other sheets (Floor Areas, Meters, etc.), the upload will fail. You'll have to manually remove every orphaned row before it will go through. Be selective at download time instead. To permanently delete an asset: go to the asset in the platform → Asset Characteristics → Delete Asset.
Record matching and IDs
Never edit system-generated IDs. SCALER ASSET ID, METER ID, METER VERSION ID, CONSUMPTION ID — never edit these for existing records. Changing them causes Scaler to lose the match and create a duplicate instead of updating the original. Row 9 marks these columns Don't Change.
Renaming a METER ID deletes that meter's consumption. If you change a METER ID and re-upload, Scaler treats it as a new meter and removes all consumption tied to the old ID. Scaler now detects likely renames and shows a warning at import, listing how many meters would be renamed and how many consumption rows would be removed, so you can Confirm or Cancel before any data is deleted.
Asset identification requires an exact three-field match. Every row in every sheet links to an asset via SCALER ASSET ID, CLIENT ASSET ID, and ASSET NAME. All three must match exactly — same capitalisation, same spacing. Always copy-paste them from an existing row. Never type them manually.
File discipline
Download fresh — edit — upload in one session. Don't download a file and leave it for later. If someone else changes data in the platform in the meantime, your upload will overwrite their work.
Use Excel — not Google Sheets. Dropdown validation, date handling, and conditional formatting only work correctly in Microsoft Excel (desktop or OneDrive). Google Sheets silently breaks validation. Do not use Google Sheets, LibreOffice, or Numbers.
Dropdown fields must match exactly. Values must exactly match one of the available options — including capitalisation and spacing. Copy-pasting from external sources strips the dropdown validation and is a leading cause of upload failures. Always use the Excel dropdown to select. Never type or paste into a dropdown cell.
Don't touch the hidden sheets. The LISTS, METADATA-hidden, LISTS-hidden, and EXCLUDE tabs power dropdown validation across the entire file. Don't edit, rename, or delete them.
Deleted columns are skipped, not wiped. If you remove columns from the exported file before re-uploading — for example to avoid sharing historical data with an external contributor — Scaler detects the missing columns and skips them: the existing values in Scaler are preserved rather than overwritten with blanks. The Confirm asset changes step shows a warning listing the missing columns grouped by section, with the option to Cancel or Confirm.
Active data requests — If any of your selected assets have active data requests, Scaler will flag this during the download step. Uploading new data for that asset will supersede any pending changes from those open requests. Don't dismiss the warning without reading it.
When an import fails
If an upload contains validation errors, Scaler returns your file with an Import Errors sheet added as the leftmost tab (it only appears when there are errors). Each row lists the sheet, the field or column, the cell reference, and the error message, and the cell reference is a clickable link that jumps straight to the offending cell. The affected cells are also highlighted in red across the relevant tabs.
To fix a failed import: open the Import Errors sheet, work through each row (click the cell reference to jump to it), correct the red-highlighted cells, then re-upload the corrected file. The Import Errors sheet is removed automatically once the file imports without errors.
For walkthroughs of each sheet and field-by-field guidance, see Scaler Spreadsheet Tutorials.