7 min read
Grids vs. tables guide
How to select the best option for your needs.
What’s in this guide:
You’ll get...
- Creating a grid or table.
- When to use grids vs tables.
You’ll use...
- Grids
- Tables
- Slash command
1. What are tables and grids?
Grids and tables both display data in an organized format with rows and columns, but they have some key differences. Tables allow you to store data in a structured, connected way with rows and columns. Rows generally represent “things” (people, tasks, inventory items, etc.), and columns are generally “attributes” of those things (the quantity of an item, the due date of a task, a customer’s address, etc). In other words, each row is an individual data point, and each column represents an attribute of that data point. Coda has two types of tables: base tables and views. When you create a brand new table, you’re creating a base table. You can then create views of that base table. A view is essentially a connected “mirror” of that base table that lets you visualize the data in new ways—with different formatting or filtering—while keeping the data connected. Any change to the data in one view is reflected in the base table (and in all other views). Grids are designed to simply lay out information and provide basic functionality. Any grids that you add to your doc won’t be visible in the doc map or via the / command. Grid cells can include both formatted and unformatted text, including bulleted lists, checklists, quotes, and callouts, as well as images and other file attachments, links, emojis, and line separators. Grids also lack a few attributes of tables, such as filtering and views. This helps keep grids simple and lets your content speak for itself.2. When to use grids.
Grids are best suited to simple use cases. You can use grids for content like pro-con lists or other simple documentation that you might want to have in a doc, without needing to set up column types or filters. With basic formatting, you can focus on the content and display it in an easy-to-communicate way.
We’ve been seeing product teams use grids for:
- Showcasing lists of product requirements, product images, design mockups, and prototypes in a visually appealing and easy-to-parse way.
- Documenting team structure or important definitions for frequently used internal terms.
On the engineering side, teams are leveraging grids to:
- Display a gallery of code snippets, project screenshots, or technical diagrams in a visually organized format.
- Provide a table of contents for dense documentation.
- Define metrics or process names in a tabular, visually clear way.
3. When to use tables.
Tables are better suited for displaying structured data in rows and columns, and include more advanced functionality like filters, sorts, views, table names, and column names. When you want something that behaves like a database and can be filtered, formulaically interacted with, and connected to other data, use a Coda table. If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are some of the ways product and engineering teams use tables:
We’ve been seeing product teams use tables to:
- Manage and organize product feature lists, specifications, and requirements in a structured rows and columns format.
- Create detailed product roadmaps, release schedules, or sprint plans for better planning and tracking.
- Analyze user feedback, survey results, or A/B test data in a tabular format to identify trends and make data-driven decisions.
We also noticed engineering teams using tables for:
- Storing and displaying structured data such as database schemas, API endpoints, or system configurations in a clear and organized manner.
- Tracking and documenting software bugs, issues, and resolutions in a tabular format for efficient bug tracking and resolution.
- Managing and comparing performance metrics, code quality scores, or test results in tables to monitor and improve software development processes.
4. How to create a grid or table.
Both tables and grids are easy to create. You can add a grid to your docs through two primary paths: the Insert panel or the slash command. Type “/grid” into your doc canvas, then select grid from the list of options. Or, click the + icon that appears next to your cursor on a new line. This will open the insert menu. Select grid in the list of options. From there, you can move, customize, or edit your grid. To create a table, type “/table” on any blank line in your doc, then select table from the list of options. Choose to either start blank (to create a brand new base table), import data (more on this here), or connect to a table (to create a connected view of an existing table in the doc).Now what?
Want to learn more about what you can do with tables and views? Check out our New table or new view? Guide. Growing rapidly? Read our guide to Managing Row Count.Was this helpful?
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