An example we ran in our own workspace.
Before
The supplier list lives in a spreadsheet that gets emailed around. Someone overwrites a cell. Nobody is sure which copy is right, and there is no way back.
After
You import the spreadsheet once. Each supplier is a record with its own form and its own permissions. Each edit keeps the earlier version, and you can restore one. When you need a copy, you export the records.
Bring it in
Upload your spreadsheet as a CSV file. Each row becomes a record, and the import reports how many rows went in and how many did not. In our example, both rows went in and reading them back showed the right values.
Keep the earlier versions
Switch history on for a record type. From then on each edit keeps a full copy of the record as it was: the first version, then each change. You can open the list of versions for a record. History is something you switch on for each record type, and it keeps a limited number of versions.
Go back
Pick an earlier version and restore it. The record shows the old content again, and the restore is itself saved as a new version, so nothing is lost by going back.
Take a copy with you
Export your records as a CSV or JSON file whenever you want one. The file holds your records, not a copy of the database. It also holds the identifiers the product adds to each record, so do not expect a file with only your columns.
Who can change what
Each record type has its own permissions, so a person who can read the suppliers need not be able to edit them.
See how this works for your business.
Walk through your own spreadsheet with us, then see it as records, with history and a way back.