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Overview

Action columns let you run AI research with a simple click, gathering information automatically from various sources to save you time and effort. They work like smart buttons that, when clicked, start an AI research process and fill other columns with the information found.

Unlike other column types that primarily store data, Action columns are designed to do something - specifically, to trigger research and send the results to other columns in your sheet. They help you automate research tasks that would otherwise require manual browsing and data entry.

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Column Display

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Cell View

Action columns in cell view display as interactive buttons that trigger research:

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Action Results

Mapped columns are enriched with information as shown here:

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Use Cases

  • Company enrichment

    • Automatically gather company information from public sources
    • Research funding history, founding date, location, and size
    • Discover technologies used, market position, and competitive landscape
    • Identify key executives and leadership team members
    • Generate summaries of business models and value propositions

  • People profiling

    • Research professional backgrounds and career histories
    • Identify skills, expertise, and educational qualifications
    • Discover published content, speaking engagements, and thought leadership
    • Map professional networks and organizational relationships
    • Find social media presence and public engagement

  • LinkedIn post analysis

    • Extract insights from company social media content
    • Analyze engagement patterns and audience response
    • Identify key messaging themes and communication strategies
    • Track announcement timing and product launch information
    • Discover company positioning and market focus

  • Team discovery

    • Identify key team members and leadership at target companies
    • Map organizational structures and reporting relationships
    • Research team growth and hiring patterns
    • Discover team composition and roles distribution
    • Analyze team backgrounds and previous organizations

  • Specialized research triggers

    • Create custom research operations tailored to specific needs
    • Initiate targeted investigations with precise prompts
    • Conduct competitive analysis with structured output
    • Research industry trends with customized parameters
    • Generate market insights with specific focus areas

  • Data collection automation

    • Automate routine research tasks across multiple records
    • Set up batch processing for large datasets
    • Schedule recurring research updates to maintain fresh data
    • Create standardized research workflows for team consistency
    • Build automated data enrichment pipelines

  • External data integration

    • Pull information from multiple external sources
    • Integrate web data with your internal knowledge base
    • Connect public information with your proprietary data
    • Bring external context into your workspace
    • Create unified views combining internal and external intelligence

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Features

  • One-Click Research: Start research with a simple click

    • Click the research button in any Action column cell
    • Watch as the AI gathers information automatically
    • See progress indicators while research is running
    • Get notified when the research is complete
    • Retry if needed with another click

  • Research Tool Options: Choose the right tool for your needs

    • People Research: Find information about individuals like job history, skills, and education
    • Company Research: Gather details about organizations including size, funding, and industry
    • Social Post Analysis: Extract insights from LinkedIn and other platform content
    • Team Discovery: Identify who works at a company and their roles
    • Each tool is specialized for different types of information gathering

  • Easy Status Tracking: Always know what’s happening

    • See clear status indicators (waiting, running, complete, error)
    • Track progress for running research tasks
    • Get alerts if there are any issues
    • Easily identify which cells need attention

  • Results Distribution: Automatically fill multiple columns

    • Send research findings to the right columns automatically
    • Map different pieces of information to appropriate columns
    • Keep your data organized without manual copying and pasting
    • Configure which columns should receive what information

  • Customizable Research: Control what information is gathered

    • Create research instructions using simple templates
    • Specify exactly what information you want to find
    • Reference existing data in your research requests
    • Focus the AI on gathering the most important information

  • Visual Indicators: See what’s happening at a glance

    • Clear visual feedback on research status
    • Color-coded indicators for different states
    • Progress animation while working
    • Success/error indicators for completed research

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How Action Columns Work

Action columns are easy to use and follow a simple process:

  1. Click to Start: Click the research button in an Action column cell
  2. AI Does the Work: The AI automatically searches for information based on your settings
  3. Progress Updates: Watch the status indicators as the research runs
  4. Results Appear: See results automatically fill in connected columns
  5. Review Information: Check the findings and use them in your work

Unlike regular columns that store data, Action columns mainly serve as buttons to trigger research, with the actual results appearing in other columns you’ve set up to receive the information.

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Compatible Research Tools

Action columns support these specialized research tools:

  • PEOPLE_ENRICHMENT: Comprehensive research on people’s professional backgrounds, expertise, and careers
  • COMPANY_ENRICHMENT: Detailed company profiles including funding, technology, team, and market positioning
  • LINKEDIN_POSTS: Analysis of content and engagement from LinkedIn social posts
  • FETCH_PEOPLE: Discovery of team members and key personnel associated with companies

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Configuration Options

When creating or editing an Action column, you can configure these options:

  • Research Tool: Select which specialized research tool to use

    • PEOPLE_ENRICHMENT: For researching individuals’ professional information
    • COMPANY_ENRICHMENT: For gathering company data and intelligence
    • LINKEDIN_POSTS: For analyzing social media content
    • FETCH_PEOPLE: For discovering team members and organizational structure
    • Select the appropriate tool based on your specific research goals

  • Prompt: Customize the research instructions and focus

    • Write detailed research instructions to guide the AI
    • Specify exactly what information you’re seeking
    • Include variables to reference existing data (e.g., @Company_Name)
    • Use clear, specific language for best results
    • Add context about why you need the information

  • Web Search: Enable or disable web search capabilities

    • Enable for comprehensive research using the latest online data
    • Disable for faster results using only pre-trained knowledge
    • Configure search depth for more thorough or quicker results
    • Set specific domains to prioritize (e.g., company websites, news sources)
    • Specify time ranges for temporal relevance

  • Target Columns: Define which columns should be populated with results

    • Map specific research findings to appropriate destination columns
    • Configure multiple column mappings for comprehensive data capture
    • Set up field-specific formatting rules
    • Create logic for handling conflicting information
    • Specify data transformation rules when needed

  • Trigger Options: Configure when research should be initiated

    • Manual triggering: Research runs only when explicitly started

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Best Practices

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Getting Started

  • Plan your column setup first

    • Create the columns where you want results to appear before setting up Action columns
    • For example, add Text columns for descriptions, Number columns for data, and Select columns for categories
    • Give these columns clear names that match the information they’ll contain

  • Name your Action columns clearly

    • Use descriptive names like ‘Research Company’ or ‘Find People’
    • Consider adding an emoji (like 🔍) to make Action columns easy to spot
    • Keep names short but clear about what the column does

  • Start simple, then expand

    • Begin with basic research needs before creating complex setups
    • Test with a few rows before running research on your entire sheet
    • Add more detailed instructions once you’re comfortable with the basics

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Writing Effective Instructions

  • Be specific about what you want

    • Clearly state exactly what information you’re looking for
    • Use numbered lists to organize different information requests
    • Prioritize the most important information first
    • Keep instructions concise but clear

  • Use information you already have

    • Reference existing data using @ symbols (like @Company_Name)
    • Combine multiple pieces of information for better results
    • Make sure the referenced columns contain good data

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Getting Good Results

  • Check the results

    • Review information found by the AI before using it in important work
    • Compare key facts with information you already know is accurate
    • Look for any obvious errors or missing information

  • Try again if needed

    • If results aren’t what you expected, try adjusting your instructions
    • Be more specific about exactly what you want to find
    • Break complex research into smaller, more focused requests

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Working as a Team

  • Share successful approaches

    • When you find instructions that work well, share them with your team
    • Create templates for common research tasks
    • Document which Action columns fill which data columns

  • Consistent naming

    • Use similar naming patterns across different sheets
    • Make it easy for team members to understand what each Action column does

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Managing Large Sheets

  • Focus your research
    • Be specific about what you need rather than asking for ‘everything’
    • Create separate Action columns for different types of research
    • Consider running research in batches for very large sheets