Last September, Tables launched in Area 120, Google's internal incubator for experimental projects, with the goal of proving market demand for a solution to help teams organize and track work, and it was a success! Google Cloud has committed to investing in this product area long-term. Moving forward, the beta version of Tables will still be available until we release a fully-supported Google Cloud product – which we expect to complete in the next year. Please see below for FAQs.
General FAQ
Q: What’s changing?
- Tables is an experimental product built in Google’s in-house incubator, Area 120. Tables beta launched in the U.S. on September 22, 2020 and has since grown its user base and sufficiently proven market demand for a solution that helps teams organize and track work — validating its long-term value to Google. The beta version of Tables will still be available until we release a fully-supported Google Cloud product, at which time customers will be required to migrate.
Q: What is Area 120?
- Area 120 is Google’s in-house incubator. All Area 120 projects are exploratory and experimental, with the goal of becoming a fully-supported Google Product.
Q: When do you expect to have a fully-supported Google Cloud product available?
- The beta version of Tables will still be available until we release a fully-supported Google Cloud product – which we expect to complete in the next year.
Product FAQ
Q: How, if at all, will my experience using Tables be impacted?
- We do not anticipate any impact to the user experience in the near term, as the beta version of Tables will remain as is, however in the longer-term, when we release a fully-supported Google Cloud product, users may experience some change as we require users to migrate.
Q: Workspace related features such as Sheets import or the Drive column type are suddenly disabled with a message "Core data access restricted", is this related to the graduation?
- This change is unrelated to the graduation of Tables Beta. This is related to a Workspace admin policy that governs access to experimental apps and core data access. Tables Beta is considered as one of the experimental apps. By default, access to experimental apps is allowed, however, Core data access by experimental apps is disabled. This means that features such as Sheets import/export or the Drive column type will be disabled by default. Google Workspace administrator can update the access to the experimental apps or their access to the core data. Please see the following article for how to do this: Workspace experimental apps control. If you want to keep the Core data access off but still want to export your table's data, you can do it in CSV format and to do that please see this article.
Q: Will this change impact my existing Tables data?
- In the near-term, the beta version of Tables will remain as is until we release a fully-supported Google Cloud product, at which time we will require users to migrate. As a reminder, you can always “Export to Sheets” from any workspace or table.
Q: What happens when my 3-month Free Trial of Tables’ Paid Plan ends?
- The beta version of Tables has had a freemium pricing model since its public launch last September – including a Free Plan and a Paid Plan – and the team has been offering the Paid Plan for 3-months free and not collecting any payment details. Moving forward, the beta version of Tables will remain free to users no matter what plan they are on today, or if they decide to upgrade/downgrade moving forward.
Q: Is the beta version of Tables still accepting new users?
- Yes. The beta version of Tables will remain available to users (with a Google account and in the U.S.) until we release a fully-supported Google Cloud product. Please refer to our Help Center for more information about accessing Tables and related restrictions.
Support
Q: If I have questions not answered in this FAQ, how can I get in touch?
- If you have questions specific to the Tables product, please refer to our Help Center and YouTube Channel.