Please add the option “Use column headers as IDs of the columns” to the Google Sheets Search Rows module, similar to the functionality already available in modules such as Add a Row and Update a Row.

Currently, Search Rows appears to identify its output fields based on their column positions. This makes existing scenarios very fragile when the structure of a Google Sheet changes.

For example, I had an existing sheet with:

Column A: Group date

Column B: Email

Column C: Name

etc.

Several Make scenarios used the output of Search Rows. I then inserted a new column at the beginning of the Google Sheet.

After rebuilding Search Rows, the module correctly recognized the new structure. However, existing downstream mappings were no longer reliable. For example, a field that had previously mapped the participant's email address could suddenly point to the group date instead.

This is particularly dangerous because the scenario does not necessarily fail with an error. It can continue running with incorrectly mapped data. In a scenario that automatically creates invoices and sends emails, this can potentially result in emails being sent using incorrect data.

The existing “Use column headers as IDs of the columns” functionality would solve this problem.

Ideally, Search Rows should use the header name as a stable field ID, so that a mapping such as:

Email

continues to refer to the Email column even if another column is inserted before it and Email moves from column B to column C.

This should allow users to:

insert new columns anywhere in a Google Sheet

reorder existing columns

remove unrelated columns

without breaking existing downstream mappings, as long as the mapped column headers themselves are not renamed.

This would make Google Sheets automations considerably safer and more maintainable, especially for larger Make setups with many scenarios relying on the same spreadsheet.

Expected behavior

When “Use column headers as IDs” is enabled in Search Rows, existing mappings should remain connected to the same column header regardless of changes to the physical column position.

Current behavior

Changing the column structure can change the output field positions of Search Rows and consequently cause existing downstream mappings to reference incorrect columns.