Google Drive integration allows supported Novus workflows to organize files and archives outside Discord.
While Google Sheets is best suited for structured records, Google Drive is better suited for file-based information such as:
- Ticket transcripts
- Reports
- Exported summaries
- Application documents
- Support archives
- Other supported files
A typical workflow may look like:
Discord Ticket
↓
Novus
↓
Ticket Closed
↓
Google Drive
↓
Correct Archive Folder
The exact actions available depend on the Google Drive integration and workflow enabled for your Novus installation.
Google Drive vs Google Sheets
Google Drive and Google Sheets solve different problems.
Google Sheets
Best for structured information such as:
- Ticket ID
- Member
- Category
- Status
- Resolution
- Dates
- Form responses
Google Drive
Best for:
- Full transcripts
- Files
- Reports
- Long-term archives
- Documents
A mature Novus setup can use both together.
Example Combined Workflow
A Technical Support ticket closes.
Novus can use Google Sheets to store:
- Ticket ID
- Member
- Category
- Status
- Resolution
- Closed date
While Google Drive stores the associated transcript or archive file.
This gives you:
Google Sheets = Searchable operational record
Google Drive = Detailed archive
Before Connecting Google Drive
Decide what you actually want to store.
For example:
Goal: Archive closed ticket transcripts.
Then determine:
Google Account: Which account should own or access the archive?
Drive Folder: Where should the files be stored?
Organization: Should tickets be separated by category, year, or month?
Permissions: Who should be able to access the archive?
Planning these before enabling the workflow prevents your Drive from becoming disorganized.
Connecting a Google Account
When Google Drive integration is available and enabled, connect the Google account that has access to the intended Drive destination.
For organizational use, a dedicated account is usually preferable to a personal account containing unrelated private files.
The connected account must have sufficient access to the folders used by the integration.
Use Only the Permissions You Need
If Novus only needs to create archive files in a specific support location, avoid exposing unrelated Drive content whenever the provider and integration permissions allow more limited access.
This reduces unnecessary access to organizational data.
Creating Your Archive Folder
Before configuring mappings, create a clear root folder.
For example:
Novus Ticket Archive
Instead of storing every file directly in the root, create subfolders:
- General
- Technical
- Payment
- Applications
- Bug Reports
This makes long-term maintenance easier.
Category-to-Folder Mapping
Different Ticket Categories can use different destinations.
| Ticket Category | Google Drive Folder |
|---|---|
| General Support | /Novus Ticket Archive/General/ |
| Technical Support | /Novus Ticket Archive/Technical/ |
| Payment Support | /Novus Ticket Archive/Payment/ |
| Bug Report | /Novus Ticket Archive/Bug Reports/ |
| Applications | /Novus Ticket Archive/Applications/ |
When supported by the enabled integration workflow, Novus can use the Ticket Category to determine the appropriate archive destination.
Why Separate Categories?
Suppose you store:
- General Support
- Payment Support
- Staff Applications
inside the same folder.
Anyone with access to that folder may potentially see all three types of archives.
Separate destinations make it easier to apply different access policies.
Recommended Small Server Structure
A smaller community can keep the structure simple:
Novus Ticket Archive
→ General
→ Technical
→ Payment
→ Applications
There is usually no need to create dozens of folders when ticket volume is low.
Recommended Larger Server Structure
A larger community may use:
Novus Ticket Archive
→ Support
- General
- Technical
- Account
→ Transactions
- Payment
→ Development
- Bug Reports
→ Community
- Guild Applications
- Streamer Applications
This creates clearer departmental separation.
Organizing Archives by Date
Servers with many tickets may benefit from date-based folders.
For example:
Novus Ticket Archive
→ Technical
→ 2026
→ August
→ Ticket Files
Another option is:
Novus Ticket Archive
→ 2026
→ August
→ Technical
Choose one structure and use it consistently.
When Should You Use Date Folders?
Date folders are useful when:
- Ticket volume is high
- Archives are kept for long periods
- Staff frequently searches by month
- Reports are generated monthly
- Storage needs to remain organized
For a smaller community with only a few tickets per day, category folders alone may be enough.
File Naming
Use predictable file names.
Recommended:
NOVUS-1042-transcript.html
or:
NOVUS-1042-transcript.txt
depending on the export format supported by your workflow.
Avoid names such as:
technical-problem-final-fixed-new.html
A Ticket ID provides a much more stable reference.
Why Ticket ID Is Better
Consider:
Ticket ID: NOVUS-1042
The same identifier can appear in:
Discord: NOVUS-1042
Google Sheets: NOVUS-1042
Google Drive: NOVUS-1042-transcript.html
This makes records easier to correlate across systems.
Avoid Sensitive Information in File Names
Do not create archive filenames such as:
JohnSmith-payment-problem-5000php.html
or:
player-account-recovery-password-issue.html
File names can sometimes be visible in places where the complete file contents are not.
Prefer neutral identifiers such as:
NOVUS-1042-transcript.html
Transcript Archive Workflow
A conceptual native workflow can be:
Ticket Created
↓
Member + AI + Staff Conversation
↓
Resolution / Closing
↓
Transcript Processing
↓
Google Drive Archive
↓
Discord Channel Deletion
When Drive archiving is enabled, required archive processing should happen before information needed for the archive becomes unavailable.
Native Ticket Transcript Destination
Google Drive archiving should not be confused with the native Discord transcript destination.
A Novus native setup may already have a:
Default Transcript Channel
such as:
#ticket-transcripts
Google Drive can serve as an additional long-term archive when the corresponding integration is enabled.
The two destinations have different purposes.
Discord Transcript Channel
Useful for:
- Staff reviewing recent tickets
- Quick Discord access
- Support oversight
Google Drive Archive
Useful for:
- Long-term file storage
- Organized folders
- External records
- Historical archives
You can use one or both depending on your requirements.
Category-Specific Archives
A larger support team may configure different archive locations.
For example:
Technical Support
Discord Transcript: #technical-transcripts
Google Drive: /Novus Archive/Technical/
Payment Support
Discord Transcript: #payment-transcripts
Google Drive: /Novus Archive/Payment/
This keeps the same logical separation across Discord and Google Drive.
Payment and Sensitive Tickets
Sensitive categories require extra care.
For example, Payment Support may contain:
- Transaction references
- Payment confirmation
- Account information
- Staff verification
Do not store these archives in a folder accessible to every moderator.
Use a restricted destination.
Example Privacy Structure
General Support
Archive: /Novus Archive/General/
Access: Support Team
Technical Support
Archive: /Novus Archive/Technical/
Access: Support Team + Technical Team
Payment Support
Archive: /Novus Archive/Payment/
Access: Authorized Transaction Staff
Applications
Archive: /Novus Archive/Applications/
Access: Application Review Team
The exact permission model depends on your organization.
Google Drive Permissions Are Separate From Discord
This is extremely important.
A private Discord ticket does not automatically create a private Google Drive file.
Discord permissions and Google Drive permissions are separate systems.
For every archive folder, review:
- Owner
- Editors
- Viewers
- Shared links
- Organization-wide access
Avoid Public Sharing Links
Do not configure sensitive ticket archives with:
Anyone with the link
unless public access is intentionally required.
Support transcripts should normally remain restricted.
Google Drive + Google Sheets Mapping
Google Sheets and Google Drive become especially useful when connected through the same Ticket ID.
For example:
| Ticket ID | Category | Status | Archive |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOVUS-1042 | Technical | Resolved | Transcript Reference |
Google Drive contains:
/Novus Ticket Archive/Technical/NOVUS-1042-transcript.html
Both records refer to:
NOVUS-1042
This makes it easier to locate the detailed archive from a structured support record.
Example Technical Support Workflow
A member creates:
Technical Support
↓
Ticket ID:
NOVUS-1042
↓
Novus assists with troubleshooting.
↓
Technical Staff takes over.
↓
Problem is resolved.
↓
Google Sheets record can contain:
Status: Resolved
Resolution: Launcher configuration corrected
↓
Google Drive stores:
NOVUS-1042-transcript.html
↓
Ticket closes.
This creates both a structured operational record and a detailed archive.
Example Bug Report Workflow
A member submits a Bug Report.
The form collects:
- Bug Title
- Description
- Steps to Reproduce
- Affected Area
- Frequency
Google Sheets can store the structured Bug Report information.
Google Drive can store the ticket transcript or another supported archive file.
This gives developers:
Google Sheets for tracking bugs.
Google Drive for detailed historical records.
Example Application Workflow
A Streamer Application could use:
Google Sheets
Store:
- Applicant
- Platform
- Channel
- Schedule
- Status
Google Drive
Store:
- Transcript archive
- Supporting files when supported
- Final application records when required
This prevents the spreadsheet from becoming overloaded with long-form content.
Google Drive Is Not the Knowledge Base
A Google Drive archive containing hundreds of ticket transcripts should not automatically become AI Knowledge.
A transcript may contain:
- Failed troubleshooting
- Incorrect assumptions
- Member-specific information
- Staff-only discussion
- Sensitive details
- Unrelated conversation
Knowledge should contain verified, reusable information.
Correct Knowledge Workflow
A better workflow is:
Ticket Transcript
↓
Resolution Analysis
↓
Reusable Solution Identified
↓
Staff Review
↓
Add to Knowledge Base or Ignore
↓
Verified Knowledge
This is safer than treating every archived conversation as trusted AI information.
What Should Be Archived?
Only archive information that has a clear operational reason.
Good examples include:
- Required ticket transcripts
- Support reports
- Approved exports
- Application records
- Required attachments
Do not automatically copy every possible file simply because storage is available.
Archive Retention
Decide how long ticket archives should remain stored.
Possible policies include:
- Short-term operational retention
- Several months
- One year
- Longer when required by organizational policy
There is no universal retention period for every community.
Choose one appropriate for your requirements and privacy obligations.
Review Old Archives
Periodically review whether old archives are still necessary.
Keeping every support ticket forever increases:
- Storage usage
- Privacy exposure
- Search clutter
- Administrative overhead
Retention should always have a purpose.
External Ticket Systems
If you use:
Ticket Provider: EXTERNAL
your third-party ticket system may already generate its own transcripts.
Before enabling another Google Drive archive workflow, determine:
Who owns the official transcript?
If your external ticket provider already exports transcripts, a second archive may be unnecessary.
Avoid Duplicate Archives
A poor configuration might create:
External Ticket Bot
→ Transcript Archive A
Novus
→ Transcript Archive B
Another Automation
→ Transcript Archive C
Now staff has three versions of the same ticket.
Prefer one authoritative archive whenever possible.
External Ticket Data Limitations
When Novus works inside an externally created ticket, provider-specific information may not always be available.
Do not automatically assume Novus has access to:
- External provider Ticket ID
- Provider archive URL
- Provider close reason
- Provider-specific metadata
Use fields that are reliably available to your configured integration.
Recommended External Archive Setup
If your existing ticket bot already creates reliable transcripts:
External Ticket Provider
→ Creates ticket
↓
Novus
→ Provides AI assistance
↓
External Provider
→ Closes ticket
↓
External Provider
→ Generates transcript
↓
Existing Archive Workflow
→ Stores transcript
There may be no need for a separate Novus Google Drive archive.
Recommended Native Archive Setup
For Novus In-House Ticketing:
Novus
→ Creates ticket
↓
Handles configured support lifecycle
↓
Processes native transcript
↓
Sends transcript to configured Discord destination
↓
Archives supported file to Google Drive when enabled
↓
Completes closing workflow
This gives Novus clearer ownership of the lifecycle.
Testing With a Dedicated Folder
Before using your production archive, create:
Novus Drive Integration Test
Then create subfolders:
- Technical
- Payment
- Applications
Run test tickets through each workflow.
Verify Folder Mapping
For each category, confirm that the file reaches the correct location.
Technical Ticket
Expected:
/Novus Drive Integration Test/Technical/
Payment Ticket
Expected:
/Novus Drive Integration Test/Payment/
Application Ticket
Expected:
/Novus Drive Integration Test/Applications/
Do not assume one successful category means every mapping is correct.
Verify File Naming
Check that archived files use predictable names.
Recommended:
NOVUS-1001-transcript.html
NOVUS-1002-transcript.html
NOVUS-1003-transcript.html
Avoid unpredictable names that make searching difficult.
Verify File Content
Open the test archive.
Confirm that the expected information is present.
Check:
- Correct ticket
- Correct conversation
- Correct member context where appropriate
- Correct timestamps where supported
- Correct final ticket information
Never rely only on seeing that a file exists.
Test Restricted Archives
Create a test Payment Support ticket.
Archive it.
Then use an account that should not have access to the Payment archive.
Verify that the account cannot open the file.
This is an important privacy test.
Test Missing Folder Behavior
During testing, verify how your enabled workflow behaves if a configured destination becomes unavailable.
Possible causes include:
- Folder deleted
- Permission removed
- Connected account changed
- Destination moved
- Connection expired
The system should not silently pretend an archive was successful when it was not.
Common Problem — Wrong Folder
Symptom: Technical transcripts appear inside Payment.
Check:
Ticket Category
↓
Category-to-Folder Mapping
↓
Selected Google Drive Destination
Common Problem — No File Created
Check:
- Google account connection
- Destination access
- Archive workflow
- Selected folder
- Integration permissions
- Whether the expected trigger actually occurred
Do not immediately recreate the entire integration.
Identify which stage failed first.
Common Problem — Duplicate Files
If the same ticket produces several identical archives, review:
- Archive trigger
- Retry behavior
- Closing workflow
- Duplicate automation
- External ticket provider archive behavior
Determine whether the duplicate is coming from Novus or another system.
Common Problem — Wrong Permissions
A file may be created successfully but still be accessible to the wrong users.
That is not a successful configuration.
Verify the permissions of the:
- Parent folder
- Created archive
- Connected Google account
where applicable.
Common Problem — Sheet Works but Drive Fails
Google Sheets success does not guarantee Google Drive success.
Each service has its own:
- Connection
- Permissions
- Destination
- Mapping
- Failure conditions
Test them independently before combining them.
Recommended First Google Drive Configuration
For your first setup, use:
Root Folder: Novus Ticket Archive
Subfolders:
- General
- Technical
- Payment
- Applications
Filename: Ticket ID + transcript
Example:
NOVUS-1042-transcript.html
Avoid advanced date routing until the basic archive works reliably.
Recommended Advanced Configuration
For higher-volume support:
Novus Ticket Archive
→ 2026
→ 08-August
→ General
→ Technical
→ Payment
→ Applications
Alternatively, organize by department first if that better matches your staff permissions.
The important part is consistency.
Google Drive Production Checklist
Before enabling Google Drive archiving for real tickets, verify:
- Correct Google account is connected.
- Correct root folder is selected.
- Connected account has required access.
- Folder structure is understandable.
- Category mappings are correct.
- File naming is predictable.
- Ticket ID is used where possible.
- Sensitive information is not exposed through filenames.
- General and sensitive archives have appropriate access.
- Discord and Google permissions have both been reviewed.
- Transcript files contain the expected information.
- Duplicate archives are not being created.
- External provider transcripts are not unnecessarily duplicated.
- Missing destination errors can be identified.
- Permission errors can be identified.
- Test tickets have been archived successfully.
- Sensitive test tickets remain inaccessible to unauthorized users.
- Retention requirements have been considered.
- Google Sheets and Drive mappings use consistent Ticket IDs when both are enabled.
Recommended Architecture
For a complete support environment:
Discord
Live support conversation
↓
Novus Ticket System
Ticket lifecycle
↓
Google Sheets
Structured operational data
↓
Google Drive
Detailed file archive
↓
Knowledge Base
Verified reusable solutions
Each system has a specific purpose.
Keeping these responsibilities separate makes integrations easier to maintain, easier to troubleshoot, and reduces unnecessary duplication.
Next Step
Continue to Data Mapping & Field Mapping Rules.