How to Share Data Without Sharing Customer Data

Sharing business data shouldn't mean sharing customer data. But for most teams, getting real-time numbers to the right people still requires manual exports, shared logins, or sending spreadsheets with more information than necessary.

Every business runs on data. But sharing that data across teams often means exposing customer information that most people don't need to see. For small and medium-sized businesses, the choice has been awkward: either restrict access and slow down decisions, or share too much and accept the privacy risk.

There's a better way. By creating a privacy-safe working view in a spreadsheet your team already uses, you can share real-time business data without exposing customer identities. Orders flow in automatically. Names, emails, and phone numbers stay where they belong.

Why This Matters

Most teams solve this problem one of three ways: manual exports, shared logins, or full database access. None of them work well.

• Delays: Someone has to pull the report before the meeting can start

• Errors: Copy-paste mistakes compound over time

• Privacy risk: Partners and franchisees see more customer data than they need

• Compliance exposure: GDPR and similar regulations penalize unnecessary data sharing

A PII-safe working view eliminates all four issues. Your team sees the numbers. Your customers' identities stay protected.

How It All Works Together

You connect three pieces: your e-commerce platform, Zapier, and a spreadsheet. Here's the flow:

As the diagram shows, when an order or reservation happens, Zapier picks up the event and sends only the fields you've chosen to the spreadsheet — no customer details included.

1. Your platform fires an order or reservation event containing all transaction details

2. Zapier catches the event, applies filters (e.g., "paid orders only"), and maps only the fields you've approved

3. Your spreadsheet (Google Sheets / Excel) receives a new row with PII-safe data — totals, status, items — updated within minutes

The key principle: Customer identities stay in your platform; only operational data travels to the spreadsheet.

What to Include (and Exclude)

Once the automation is running, the key decision is which fields to include. The goal is simple: enough data to make decisions, nothing that identifies a customer.

You can share customer details with staff who need them — GDPR allows that for order fulfillment, support, and similar tasks. But for dashboards, huddles, and partner views, you usually don't need names to make decisions. Leaving them out is simpler and safer.

The Privacy Advantage

This approach isn't just about convenience. It's about building privacy into how your business operates.

When you share a spreadsheet with franchise partners, you're not trusting them with customer data — because customer data isn't there. When an employee leaves, you don't worry about the sales reports they downloaded. When auditors ask about data access, you have a clear answer: operational data goes to spreadsheets, customer data stays in the platform.

Privacy by design means fewer decisions, fewer risks, and fewer things that can go wrong.

How to Set Up Your Privacy-Safe View

With DG1 and Zapier, most users get their first working sheet live in a single session. Here's the step-by-step process.

Step 1: Prepare Your Spreadsheet

Google Sheets: Create a new worksheet with a header row matching your column names (orderid, store, orderdate, etc.).

Microsoft Excel: Create a workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint. Convert your data range into a Table (Insert → Table) and give it a name. This enables row lookups and updates.

Step 2: Set Up the Automation

Using Zapier:

1. Trigger event: Choose DG1 as the trigger and select the event Order or Reservation

2. Add account: Allow Zapier to access your DG1 account. Enter your DG1 URL and follow the on-screen instructions to authorize

3. Test the trigger to confirm Zapier can receive your data

Step 3: Map Your Fields

In your Zap's action step:

1. Choose Google Sheets → Create Spreadsheet Row (or Excel → Find Row / Create Row)

2. Select your spreadsheet and worksheet/table

3. Map only the PII-safe fields from DG1's payload to your columns

4. Set order_id as your unique key for updates

Step 4: Add Optional Filters

Before the spreadsheet action, add a Filter step:

• Only continue if status equals paid (or your preferred criteria)

• This keeps your sheet clean and focused on confirmed transactions

Step 5: Test and Activate

1. Run a test through the complete Zap

2. Verify the row appears in your spreadsheet with correct data

3. Publish the Zap to make it live

New orders will now flow into your sheet automatically.

Common Questions

Does this replace my DG1 dashboard?
No. Your dashboard remains the full view with complete customer details. The spreadsheet is a focused, shareable working view for huddles, partners, and quick analysis.

Do I need to export anything manually?
No. Updates flow automatically within minutes of each order.

What about multiple stores or brands?
This is where the approach shines. One spreadsheet can show a unified rollup across all locations, filterable by store, brand, or channel.

Google Sheets or Excel?
Use whichever your team prefers. For Excel, the file must live in OneDrive or SharePoint (not local), and data should be in a named Table.

Can I change columns later?
Yes. Update your spreadsheet headers, adjust the field mapping in your Zap, and re-test once.

Turn Data Into Decisions with DG1

Sharing business data doesn't have to mean sharing customer data. With the right setup, your team gets the numbers they need while customer identities stay exactly where they belong — in your platform, not in shared spreadsheets.

This isn't just a privacy win. It's an operational one. No more waiting for someone to pull a report. No more redacting spreadsheets before sharing them with partners. No more awkward conversations about who has access to what. The data flows automatically, and the boundaries are built in.

With DG1's webhook capabilities, your first privacy-safe "Today" view can be live in a single session:

• DG1 stays the source of truth for customer data

• Your team gets a live, filterable working view

• Partners and franchisees see what they need — nothing more

Ready to put your data to work without putting your customers at risk? If you're already a DG1 user, your webhook settings are waiting in the dashboard. If not, book a demo to see how privacy-safe reporting works in practice.