Understanding Your Data Flow Options

sumApp is a tool designed to GATHER your network data in an easy, user-friendly platform. Once you have your data coming in, you need to get it into Kumu so that you can visualize and share it. There are 3 basic means of migrating your data into Kumu.

Note that sumApp was designed to enable what we call ‘evergreen’ data – meaning, once members input information about themselves and their relationships to one another, they don’t ever have to input that info again. All they need to do to keep the map current is to share info about new members who they didn’t see the last time they were in sumApp, update existing connections to reflect changes in their relationships, and tweak their own survey/profile info if it has changed. 

This means there can potentially be an ongoing flow of data from sumApp into Kumu. Methods 2 and 3 below move the data in real time, keeping the Kumu map current. Method 1 requires periodic manual updating if you want your map to be up-to-date over time.

The Three Options

There are generally three ways of getting your data from sumApp into Kumu – which you choose will depend on your context. Click on the headers to read more about each option.

1) Download to Desktop – Upload to Kumu

This is how sumApp began. The old Download then Upload routine. It still has it’s uses, but most of us no longer do it this way.

2) Live Link into Kumu

This is quick and clean, and the least likely process to give you data-flow headaches. All changes made in sumApp (whether to survey & connection options or to people adding connections) flow right into Kumu – within an hour at most – with no need for anyone to do anything.

3) Live Link into Google Sheets – Then Google Sheets Link into Kumu

This approach requires advanced data-flow skills, but it’s great when you need to combine multiple data-sets!

Finally – Embed Map into sumApp Map Tab

Once you have a prototype map set up in Kumu, with data flowing in, you have the option of embedding the Kumu map into the sumApp ‘Map’ tab. This enables your network members to watch the map get filled in over time, let’s them see what is happening with their data, enables them to notice if they’ve missed someone and easily switch to the ‘Connections’ tab to update it.

We encourage you to embed the map into your sumApp interface as soon as possible, to help encourage engagement.