Manage data using Google Sheets
1. Manage data using Google Sheets
Welcome to Module 2: Manage Data using Google Sheets. After a spreadsheet has been created, data can be added in multiple ways. In this module, we'll explore adding and organizing data with Google Sheets. You'll learn how to add, paste, and import data, and you'll also learn how to sort and filter data in a spreadsheet, which is especially useful when working with large datasets. Spreadsheet data is contained in cells. Cells are identified by their location or address in the spreadsheet by column and row. The cell in the upper-left corner of the spreadsheet is A1, and the cell to its right is B1, and below it is A2. Understanding cell addresses is essential for creating formulas and functions. The simplest way to add data to a spreadsheet is to type numbers or text into a cell. Another option for adding data to a Google Sheets spreadsheet is by pasting it from another source, like from another spreadsheet, or from within the existing sheet, or a Google Doc, et cetera. If the data has been copied to the clipboard of your device, it can be pasted into the sheet. Select a cell or range to paste the data into. To paste, open the Edit menu and select Paste. This is a simple option that will paste the data in with its original format. To choose which formatting to include, hover over Paste Special and choose one of the options. There are several Paste Special options to choose from. Take a moment to explore them. The keyboard shortcuts Ctrl V on Windows and Command V on Mac OS will also work to paste when you are using the Chrome browser. Google Sheets supports importing data from other file formats like Microsoft Excel. The files can be stored either in Google Drive or on your device. To import data, open the File menu and choose Import. To find a file stored in Google Drive, you can browse the My Drive, Shared With Me, Shared Drives, and Recent tabs. Select Upload to browse your device's storage for a file, then choose how to import the data. You can create a new spreadsheet, insert a new sheet, replace the current spreadsheet, replace the current sheet, append new rows to the current sheet, or replace data in a selected cell. Select Import to complete the process. When you're working with datasets, especially very large sets, it can be helpful to sort data to gain fast access to the necessary cells. You can sort an entire sheet by a column, or you can sort a range of cells. To sort the entire sheet, right-click the letter of a column to sort by and choose whether to sort in ascending or descending order. Alternatively, select a column, open the Data menu, then choose Sort Sheet by Column and either A to Z or Z to A. To sort a range, highlight the group of cells you want to sort. Open the Data menu and select Sort Range. Select Add Another Sort Column to choose another column to sort by next. The sorting is processed in order from first selection to last. If your spreadsheet contains header rows, you can freeze these rows so they are not included in the sort. Filtering data can also help with analyzing a subset of the data in your spreadsheet. Select a range of cells to filter. For example, select a column. Then, from the Data menu, select Create a Filter. A Filter button will appear in the top right of the selected range. Select the Filter button to open the filter options menu. You can filter by condition, which includes values and color. You can also search for data points by typing in the Search box. To remove a filter, open the Data menu and select Turn Off Filter to remove it or select the Turn Off Filter icon from the toolbar. Filters can also be saved as filter views, which we'll look at next. When you're working with large datasets in a spreadsheet, the filter view allows you to see just the data that's important and relevant to you without changing the underlying data. To use a filter repeatedly, create a filter view. There are two ways to define the data range for the filter view. Either drag across the rows and columns to highlight the cells to be included before creating the filter view, or manually specify the data range while creating the filter view. To create a filter view, open the Data menu, and select Create filter view. Select Save view and give the filter view a descriptive name when prompted. If you already highlighted the cells to be included in the filter view, the selection will be displayed next to the Range field. This can be edited if required. If you did not highlight a range, select the field next to Range and set the beginning and ending cells for the filter. Click on the X button to close the filter view. Your new filter is now saved, and it will be added to the Filter Views menu for you and other collaborators to use later. Editors of the spreadsheet will be able to change the filter view. Viewers can also create filter views, but they won't be saved.2. Let's practice!
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