From Manual Export to Automated Pipeline: A Practical Playbook

Two working automation patterns that require no database access, no paid tools, and no IT approval

Most data professionals have at least one workflow that should have been automated years ago. A weekly email with an attachment that gets manually copied somewhere. A folder of CSV exports that gets combined by hand every Monday. Work that doesn’t require judgment, just repetition, and repetition is exactly what code is for.

The first pattern uses Google Apps Script to automatically pull CSV attachments from Gmail and load them into a Google Sheet. The second uses Python and pandas to consolidate multiple CSV exports into a single clean output file on a schedule. Both have been tested and work.

The methods are practical enough for analysts automating their first workflow and straightforward enough for engineers who want a low-overhead solution they can hand off to a less technical teammate. Each section includes the code, setup instructions, and scheduling guidance.

All three files referenced in this article (both scripts and one sample CSV) are available in a secret gist for paid subscribers. The link is at the end.

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