💰 Automate Currency Rates Update in Invoices with Google Sheet, ExchangeRate API

Tags: Automation, Finance, Google Sheets, API

Note: This workflow uses the Exchange rate API and requires a valid API key.

Context

I’m a Supply Chain Data Scientist who builds automations to streamline operations, reduce manual tasks, and boost decision-making through real-time data.

In this workflow, I automated the task of fetching live currency exchange rates, updating a Google Sheet with the latest values, and archiving historical records — all without writing any code.

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Who is this template for?

This template is perfect for:

• Finance teams tracking multi-currency cashflows
• Analysts building dashboards or models requiring updated FX data
• Anyone working with spreadsheets who needs up-to-date exchange rates

It updates:

• A live sheet with the latest USD-based exchange rates
• An archive tab to track historical changes over time

How does it work?

This workflow runs in N8N and performs the following steps:

1. 🌐 Calls the ExchangeRate API to get the latest rates based on USD
2. 🧠 Extracts and formats key fields: base currency, timestamp, and conversion values
3. 📊 Updates a main Google Sheet with the latest data (using upsert logic)
4. 🗂️ Appends all rates to a second Google Sheet tab for historical tracking

You can schedule this workflow to run daily, hourly, or on-demand.

What do I need to start?

You don’t need to write a single line of code.

Prerequisites:

• A Google Sheet with two tabs: Rate Sheet and Archives (Link of the publicly available example in the template)
• A valid Exchangerate API key
• Google Sheets API connected via OAuth2

Next Steps

Use the sticky notes in the workflow to understand how to:

• Add your Exchangerate API key
• Map the fields to match your Google Sheet layout
• Schedule the run frequency using the Cron node
• Optionally add Slack or email alerts if the base rate changes

For more information, check my tutorial:

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🚀 Want to build finance automation workflows like this?
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Notes

• You can adapt this template for other currencies by changing the API endpoint

This workflow was built using n8n 1.85.4
Submitted: April 15th, 2025