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Google Drive

Learn how to connect your Google Drive account and import files and folders directly into your Glossa projects

Written by Ali
Updated over a month ago

Overview

The Google Drive integration allows you to import files directly from Google Drive into your Glossa projects. This eliminates the need to download and manually upload files—you can select files and folders from your Drive and process them instantly.

Google Drive integration works on a per-project basis, giving you control over which Drive files are added to which projects. You can select individual files or entire folders to import.

How It Works

After connecting Google Drive to Glossa, you can import files for each project by selecting them from your Drive. Glossa processes these files just like manually uploaded files:

  1. Files are copied from Google Drive into Glossa

  2. Processing begins automatically

  3. Requirements are generated with citations to specific sections

  4. Files appear in your project's Files tab

Important: Files are copied at the time of import. If a file in Google Drive is later updated, Glossa will not automatically re-process it—you'll need to manually re-import the updated version.

Supported File Types

All file types supported for manual uploads are also supported through Google Drive integration.

  • Video: mp4, webm, ogg, mov, mkv, avi, wmv, flv

  • Audio: mp3, aac, m4a, ogg, webm, wav, flac

  • Documents: pdf, txt, csv, xml, doc, xls, docx, xlsx, pptx, ppsx, potx

  • Images: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, webp, svg, tiff, tif, bmp

Maximum File Size: 1TB

Setting Up Google Drive Integration

Step 1: Enable the Integration

  1. Navigate to Integrations in the main navigation

  2. Find Google Drive in the list of available integrations

  3. Enable using the slider

  4. Click Connect

Step 2: Authorize Access

You'll be redirected to Google's authorization page where you'll:

  1. Select the Google account that has access to your Drive files

  2. Review the permissions Glossa is requesting

  3. Click Allow to authorize the connection

After authorization, you'll be redirected back to Glossa.

Note: Only one Google Drive account can be connected at a time. If you need to access files from a different Google account, you can disconnect and reconnect with that account.

Importing Files from Google Drive

Once Google Drive is connected, you can import files on a per-project basis.

Step 1: Navigate to Files

  1. Open the project where you want to import Drive files

  2. Click the Files tab

  3. Click Add Input Data

Step 2: Select Google Drive

  1. In the Add Input Data menu, select Google Drive in the Select drives from your integrations menu

  2. X out of the Select service menu

  3. Click the pencil icon next to Google Drive

  4. A file picker interface will open showing your Google Drive contents

Step 3: Select Files or Folders

In the file picker, you can:

Select individual files:

  • Browse through your Drive folders

  • Click individual files to select them

  • Multiple files can be selected at once

Select entire folders:

  • Browse to the folder you want to import

  • Select the folder itself

  • All files within that folder will be imported

Mixed selection:

  • You can select a combination of individual files and folders

  • All selected items will be imported together

Step 4: Import

  1. After selecting your files/folders, click Import

  2. The files will be added to your project's Files tab

  3. Processing begins automatically

Processing Time

Processing time depends on:

  • Number of files being imported

  • Size of each file

  • File types (video/audio take longer than documents)

Typically:

  • Small documents: 2-6 minutes

  • Large documents or folders: 5-15 minutes

  • Video/audio files: May take longer

You can monitor processing status in the Files tab.

Folder Imports

When you import a folder from Google Drive:

What gets imported:

  • All files directly in the folder

  • All files in subfolders (recursive import)

  • All supported file types

What doesn't get imported:

  • Files Glossa doesn't support

  • Empty folders

  • Shortcuts or linked files (only actual files)

After import:

  • Each file appears as a separate item in the Files tab

  • The folder structure is flattened (all files shown at the same level)

  • Files retain their original names

File Updates and Re-importing

Important limitation: Google Drive integration does not automatically sync or re-process files when they're updated in Drive.

How File Updates Work

When a file in Google Drive is updated:

  • Glossa does not automatically detect the change

  • The file in Glossa remains at its original imported version

  • You must manually re-import the file to get the updated version

Tracking File Versions

In the Files tab, each Drive file shows:

  • Last Updated: When the file was last modified in Google Drive

  • Last Imported: When the file was last imported into Glossa

To check if a file needs re-importing:

  1. View the Files tab

  2. Compare Last Updated vs. Last Imported dates

  3. If Last Updated is more recent, the Drive version is newer

Re-importing Updated Files

To import an updated version of a file:

  1. Go to Files → Add Input Data → Google Drive

  2. Navigate to the file

  3. Select it and click Import

What happens:

  • The new version is processed

  • New requirements may be generated

  • Existing requirements from the old version remain

  • The file in the Files tab shows the new import date

Best practice: Review the Files tab regularly and re-import files that have been updated in Drive since they were last imported.

Viewing Drive File Citations

When requirements are generated from Google Drive files:

  1. Open the requirement in Glossa

  2. Navigate to the Reference Data tab

  3. You'll see citation(s) showing:

    • Date the file was imported

    • File name

    • Who imported it

    • Relevant text excerpt or timestamp

    • "Open Preview" button

  4. Click Open Preview or the file name to view:

    • The full file content

    • Highlighted relevant sections (for documents)

    • Specific timestamps (for audio/video)

Note: Citations reference the imported version of the file in Glossa, not the live version in Google Drive.

Managing Google Drive Integration

Disconnecting Google Drive

To disconnect your Google Drive account:

  1. Go to Integrations

  2. Find Google Drive

  3. Click Disconnect

Important: Disconnecting Google Drive does not delete:

  • Files that were already imported from Drive

  • Requirements generated from those files

  • Citations to those files

It only prevents future imports.

Reconnecting Google Drive

If your Drive connection fails or you need to connect a different account:

  1. Go to Integrations

  2. Find Google Drive

  3. Click Disconnect (if currently connected)

  4. Click Connect

  5. Follow the authorization flow again

Troubleshooting

Cannot See Files in Drive Picker

Possible causes:

  • Files are in a different Google account

  • Files are in a shared drive you don't have access to

  • Files are in folders you don't have permission to view

  • You just set up the Google Drive integration (known issue)

Solutions:

  1. Verify you're connected to the correct Google account

  2. Check file/folder permissions in Google Drive

  3. If files are in a shared drive, ensure you have access

  4. If you just set up the Google Drive integration, log out of Glossa and log back in again - and then re-attempt

Files Not Processing After Import

Possible causes:

  • Unsupported file type

  • File is corrupted or password-protected

  • File size exceeds limits

Solutions:

  1. Check that file type is supported

  2. Verify file opens correctly in Google Drive

  3. Check file size (very large files may time out)

  4. Try uploading the file manually instead

  5. Contact support if issue persists

Imported File Not Generating Requirements

This can happen when:

  • File doesn't contain actionable requirements (templates, invoices, etc.)

  • Content is too vague or high-level

  • Glossa determined the content wasn't requirement-related

What to check:

  1. View the file in the Files tab to confirm it was imported

  2. Open the file and review—does it contain clear requirements or decisions?

  3. Try uploading more detailed or specific documents

  4. Consider manually creating requirements and adding the file as a citation

Need to Import Same File Multiple Times

If you need different versions of a file in Glossa:

  • Each import creates a separate file entry

  • Both versions appear in the Files tab

  • Requirements can cite either version

  • Consider using clear naming conventions to distinguish versions

Best Practices

Organize Drive Files First

Before importing from Google Drive:

  • Organize relevant files into project-specific folders

  • Use clear, descriptive file names

  • Remove outdated or irrelevant files

  • This makes selection easier and faster

Import by Folder When Possible

For project documentation:

  • Create a Drive folder with all relevant files

  • Import the entire folder at once

  • This ensures nothing is missed

  • Easier than selecting individual files

Check for Updates Regularly

Since automatic sync isn't supported:

  • Review the Files tab weekly or monthly

  • Check Last Updated vs. Last Imported dates

  • Re-import files that have been updated

  • Consider setting a reminder for critical documents

Combine with Other Sources

Google Drive works best as one of multiple input sources:

  • Import Drive documents for formal requirements

  • Use meeting integrations for discovery sessions

  • Add emails for client communications

  • Tag Slack for internal discussions

Glossa will detect contradictions across all sources.

Use Descriptive File Names in Drive

Files imported from Drive retain their Drive file names:

  • Use clear, descriptive names in Drive (e.g., "Q3_Requirements_v2" not "Document1")

  • Include dates or version numbers when relevant

  • This makes files easier to identify in Glossa's Files tab

Review Generated Requirements

After importing Drive files:

  1. Review newly created requirements in the Requirements tab

  2. Verify requirement accuracy

  3. Edit titles or descriptions as needed

  4. Check that citations link to the correct file sections

Limitations

  • One Google account at a time: Only one Google Drive account can be connected

  • No automatic sync: Files are copied once; updates in Drive don't automatically sync

  • Manual re-import required: Must manually re-import files to get updated versions

  • No live linking: Citations reference the imported copy, not the live Drive file

  • Folder structure flattened: Imported folders appear as flat file lists in Glossa

  • No Google Apps Script files: Some advanced Google file types may not be supported

Security & Privacy

Data Access

The Google Drive integration requires read-only access to your Google Drive to:

  • Browse files and folders

  • Read file contents

  • Download selected files for processing

Glossa never modifies, deletes, or creates files in your Google Drive.

Data Storage

Files imported from Google Drive are:

  • Copied into Glossa's secure storage

  • Encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+)

  • Encrypted at rest (AES-256)

  • Stored on secure servers

Revoking Access

You can revoke Glossa's access to your Google Drive at any time:

  • From Google Account settings (myaccount.google.com → Security → Third-party access)

  • From Glossa (Integrations → Google Drive → Disconnect)

Revoking access doesn't delete files already imported into Glossa.

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