This user has built a practical daily system that is now straining under its own logic. They copy a template sheet each day, log client visits, select a task from a dropdown, and want a single Database sheet that automatically collects every row from every daily sheet, filtered by task type. The FILTER function works for one sheet, but not for a growing set of sheets. This is not a failure of effort. It is a moment when a manual workflow hits the ceiling of what traditional spreadsheets can do without a structural change.
The solution lies in shifting from sheet-per-day architecture to a single flat table, then using a pivot table or FILTER to slice by task. The user can keep their template, but instead of copying it as a new sheet, they should paste new daily data into a master sheet named "Database" with the same column headers. A single FILTER formula on a separate sheet can then pull all "water leak" rows from that master sheet. This eliminates the need to reference multiple sheet names. It also makes the database searchable by any column, not just task. The dropdown validation stays; the data entry habit stays; only the storage location changes.
What this reveals is a broader truth about data management: structure matters more than effort. The user has been disciplined, consistent, and thoughtful. They built a validation list. They kept daily records. They asked the right question. But the spreadsheet itself was not designed to scale across time. A tool that makes copying a template easier can accidentally make aggregation harder. The fix is not a more complex formula. It is a simpler data model, one table, one source of truth, and a filter that reads from it.
For anyone facing a similar problem, the practical takeaway is this: resist the urge to create a new sheet for every day, every client, or every project. Instead, stack all records in one table and use filters, pivot tables, or query functions to organize the view. The daily template can still exist as a data entry form. The database becomes the single place where every logged action lives. That is the difference between a workbook that manages data and one that merely stores it.