1. Navigating Google Sheets
Welcome to the course! I'm James, and I'll be your instructor on this journey into the world of Google Sheets.
2. Google Sheets
Google Sheets are one of the most popular data analytics tools out there, with millions of users worldwide! They provide an intuitive interface that we can use to quickly drill into our data, create visualizations, and generate a report in just a handful of clicks!
3. Coming Up...
Chapter 1 will get us familiarized with the spreadsheets interface, including adding data, creating formulas, and formatting cells.
Chapter 2 will extend these concepts further by introducing cell references, and explaining how they can be used to bring our spreadsheets to life!
4. Opening Google Sheets
To begin, we can either start with a blank Google Sheet or open an existing Google Sheet. To open an existing Google Sheet, navigate to File, and select Open. We can then choose to open the it from a local or cloud-based source.
5. Importing data
In most cases, though, we'll have to create our own Google Sheet from scratch. To begin, we'll import the data by going to File, and selecting Import. Google Sheet supports a whole host of common file types, including CSV, TXT, TSV, and XLSX files.
By default, a new spreadsheet will be created to house the imported data, but we can also import to specific locations in our existing spreadsheet.
6. Navigating Google Sheets
Once imported, we can see that the data is tabular, where information is stored in rows and columns, and each value in the spreadsheet is stored in an individual box, which are called cells. Cells are the fundamental building blocks of Google Sheets, and can contain data or perform calculations.
7. Cell addresses
Each cell has a column label, denoted by letters, and a row label, which are numbers. These labels are combined into a cell address, which like a street address, uniquely identifies the cell in the spreadsheet.
For example, the highlighted cell containing 2000 dollars belongs in column B and row 3, so its cell address is B3.
8. Adding and amending data
New values can be added to the spreadsheet by adding data to a blank cell, or amending the contents of an existing cell. To change a cell's contents, select the cell and type the new value. To store this new value, we must hit Enter or Return, or navigate to another cell.
9. Cell ranges
We've discussed how to identify individual cells with cell references, but how about groups of cells? Cell ranges define rectangular groups of cells. For example, the cells from C2 to C5 can be defined by the range C2:C5.
10. Cell ranges
For a group of cells across columns, we define the cell range using the top-left cell and bottom-right cell. The example shown has the cell C2 in the top-left and D5 in the bottom-right, so it can be defined by the cell range C:D5.
11. Cell ranges
Notice also, that when selecting cells, the address or range appears in the top-left corner of the page.
12. Let's practice!
Alright, now it's your turn to familiarize yourself with Google Sheets!