Migrating from Smartsheet to Datadog
The main reason teams move from Smartsheet to Datadog is infrastructure monitoring and application performance monitoring. Datadog's approach — unified observability platform — infrastructure monitoring, apm, logs, rum, synthetics, and security all in one place, reducing tool sprawl — suits scaleup and enterprise teams that have outgrown Smartsheet's model. Here's how to migrate without losing historical context.
At a Glance
- Spreadsheet-familiar interface makes adoption easy for teams transitioning from Excel — minimal training needed for basic use
- Extremely powerful Gantt chart and dependency tracking capabilities, ideal for traditional project management and waterfall methodologies
- Robust automation engine with conditional logic, approval workflows, and automated notifications that scale across the organization
- Unified observability platform — infrastructure monitoring, APM, logs, RUM, synthetics, and security all in one place, reducing tool sprawl
- 750+ out-of-the-box integrations covering virtually every cloud service, database, framework, and DevOps tool in modern stacks
- Watchdog AI automatically detects anomalies and correlates issues across the entire stack, significantly reducing mean time to resolution
You leave behind
- −Kanban boards
- −Gantt charts
Migration Steps
Audit and export your current workspace
Before touching Datadog, document what lives in Smartsheet: projects and tasks, custom fields, automations, integrations, and team permissions. Export a full CSV backup — most tools support this from Settings → Export. Pay particular attention to any custom fields and workflow automations that your team relies on daily.
Set up your Datadog workspace
Create your Datadog workspace and replicate your project structure using tasks and projects. Start with the free tier — it covers the core workflow before you commit to a paid plan. Run with a single pilot team before migrating everyone.
Map your workflow equivalents
Find the closest Datadog equivalent for each Smartsheet feature your team relies on. projects and tasks in Smartsheet maps to tasks and projects in Datadog. Datadog supports custom fields — recreate your Smartsheet field schema here first. Prioritise the critical path: task creation, status tracking, and assignment.
Import your data
Datadog supports CSV import for tasks and projects and has 20+ native integrations. After importing, rebuild your key automations — Datadog's automation engine can replicate most rules you had in Smartsheet. Start with your most active project rather than importing everything at once.
Onboard your team
Run a 30-minute walkthrough covering the daily workflow: how to create tasks and projects, update status, and find your board. Datadog has a steeper learning curve. Budget 2–3 weeks for full adoption and schedule follow-up sessions after week one.
Run Smartsheet in parallel for two weeks
Keep Smartsheet read-only while your team works primarily in Datadog. This reduces risk and lets people reference historical context — old decisions, archived tickets, past sprint data — without slowing the migration. After two weeks with no new work going into Smartsheet, archive the workspace and make Datadog the official home.
Ready to switch?
Read the full Datadog review for pricing, integrations, and team fit details.