How to Connect a Database to Google Forms

Google Forms is a popular tool for creating surveys, quizzes, and forms due to its simplicity and integration with other Google Workspace apps. However, it lacks direct database connectivity, which can be a limitation when you need to store responses in a database for more advanced processing or analysis. 

Fortunately, with a bit of creativity, you can set up a system that connects Google Forms to a database. Below are the steps to achieve this.

Where Google Forms stores data

Advanced users already know the ins and outs of Google Forms, but not everyone is an expert. So, let’s first learn where Google Forms stores form data. You will see a bar with three tabs at the top of your form. The one in the middle, named Responses, is where you can check form responses. Once there, you can choose from the three tabs to see data one way or another: 

• In the Summary tab, you can see a quick overview of charts and responses
• The Questions tab allows you to view the responses for each question
• The Individual tab lets you see each response to the entire form. 

How to link Google Forms to Google Sheets

You can manage your data directly with Google Sheets. Although it is not a database, it’s a step towards connecting a database to Google Forms. 

Google Forms automatically stores responses in a linked Google Spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will act as the intermediary between your Google Form and the database.

• Open the Responses tab: In your Google Form, go to the Responses tab.
• Create a Spreadsheet: Click on the green spreadsheet icon to create a new Google Spreadsheet that will automatically store all responses.

Set up advanced data management with Google Forms

You can use the Google spreadsheet to connect it to an external database. Once you have the raw data, things get easier. Here are three ways to add your Google Form answers to a database:

• Link—You can link more Google Sheets together to create a manual database. It’s very labor intensive, but if you don’t need a complex data setup, it may be enough for you. 
• Add-on—The good news with Google is that you have a large collection of add-ons for forms and sheets at your disposal. Some are dedicated to database integration. Sadly, most of these add-ons only bring data from a database to Google Sheets.
• Universal connectors — They allow you to connect apps like Google Sheets with many other apps and share data. 

What are universal connectors?

Google Forms was launched at a time when third-app integrations were scarce. Back then, if you wanted to automate complex functions, you had to resort to programming. That led to the “birth” of many add-ons available today. They were created to solve problems people dealt with, and they were placed in the marketplace. 

Fortunately, now there are many universal connectors that you can use to assign certain actions to triggers. The triggers collect data and start an action in another app that receives that data. 

Zapier is the most popular universal connector around the world. It has thousands of integrations with many apps and services, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL and Snowflake. 

You can connect Google Sheets with the data from Google Forms and a database through Zapier to allow users to start different chains of events, such as sending data from Google Sheets to the database it is connected to and telling it what to do with that information. You must sign up for a Zapier account, and then you can set up Zaps (triggers) for your Google Sheets and other apps.

Zapier is easier than coding, but it can be a hassle to set it up. And , of course, there’s an easier way to connect form data to a database without going through all the hoops. 

Use 123FormBuilder as your form data collection and management solution

Google Forms is an older tool that doesn’t focus on connecting with other apps. Modern solutions, such as 123FormBuilder, take that into account and provide much more straightforward ways to collect data and send it to a database in another app. 

Connecting a database to 123FormBuilder

123FormBuilder is a popular form-building tool that provides direct integration with databases, making the process of connecting your forms to a database much more straightforward.

Step 1: Create a form in 123FormBuilder

• Log in to 123FormBuilder.
• Use the drag-and-drop interface to create your form, adding the fields you require.

Step 2: Set up database integration

123FormBuilder offers built-in options to connect your form to a database. Here’s how to do it:

1. Access Form Settings: Once your form is ready, go to the Set up section of your form.
2. Enable Database Integration:

• Under the Integrations tab, look for the Database option in the search bar.
• Select the database type you use (Virtual Database with MySQL or MariaDB).
• Configure Database Details: Enter the necessary database credentials and map the form fields to the corresponding database columns. After configuring the details, save the settings and activate the integration.

Step 3: Test your form

Submit a test response through your 123FormBuilder form. Check your database to ensure the data is being correctly inserted.

Conclusion

Connecting your forms to a database can greatly enhance your data management capabilities, whether you are using Google Forms or 123FormBuilder. Google Forms requires a bit more setup, but it’s a flexible and cost-effective solution. 

On the other hand, 123FormBuilder provides a more straightforward and integrated approach, ideal for users who prefer a no-code or low-code solution. 123FormBuilder’s built-in database integration offers a significant advantage over Google Forms as it reduces the need for custom coding and makes the process more user-friendly. It supports various database types and provides a more streamlined connection process.

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