Google Sheets is an innovative spreadsheet application that enables real-time collaboration among users, while supporting advanced features like conditional formatting and machine learning.
Cloud storage ensures data is automatically saved and saved up to 10 million cells at any one time.
It allows users to freeze/unfreeze cells, create drop down lists and split/merge columns.
Basics
Google Sheets presents you with a blank table when you open it for the first time, where all your data will reside – rows marked with numbers and columns marked with letters will provide space to organize all of it into rows marked with numbers or letters for easier tracking and organizing. There are various ways you can organize this data – ascending or descending order sorting and selection of range of cells can all help keep things under control.
Utilize your spreadsheet’s menu options to add labels and filters for easier data search, file organization and clear formatting. In addition to keyboard shortcuts for clearing formatting, selecting multiple cells at once or hiding rows or columns there are also clear formatting keyboard shortcuts and making the spreadsheet available offline allowing you to work even when there is no Internet connectivity.
Google Sheets supports real-time collaboration and tracking all modifications with version history, and provides access and editing from multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets and computers. Plus, its integration with other Google products such as Drive and Forms makes the experience seamless and straightforward.
Google Sheets’ great advantage over Excel lies in its accessibility for free use; no hidden fees or charges apply, although a Google Account will be needed in order to access and work on spreadsheets.
Google Sheets stands out from other spreadsheet programs with its advanced features, which allow it to support more complex formulas and produce interactive charts – an advantage for businesses seeking insight from their data. In addition, it has functions such as autocomplete and data validation which make collaborating on projects with multiple users much simpler; plus it features apps such as Explore that let you ask questions of your data to gain answers; generate charts visually depicted over time and construct pivot tables – an essential feature when working in teams.
Functions
Google Sheets provides a range of functions to assist with data manipulation and calculations of strings and numbers, from simple calculations like adding up rows of text strings to complex ones like using TODAY to display current date/time information in cells to cleaning text strings by eliminating extra blank spaces at either end or multiple consecutive spaces, etc.
Custom functions in Sheets allow you to perform specific tasks easily. This is particularly useful if you need to repeat calculations or manipulate large volumes of data frequently – saving both time and effort over manually entering this information in each cell individually.
Google Sheets makes a fantastic collaborative tool. Multiple users can edit documents simultaneously, easily identifiable by their cursor colors and character-by-character edits visible within a document. In addition, sidebar chat capabilities and revision history enable collaborators to discuss changes as they occur and go back and change at any point in time.
Google Sheets features several helpful spreadsheet functions, including SUM, AVERAGE, and COUNT. These functions calculate values across an entire range of cells automatically as you add or edit information in them. Furthermore, there are other useful functions like QUERY and COUNTIFS which enable you to query, filter, and sort data based on various criteria.
Google Sheets’ spreadsheet functions include the XLOOKUP function, which is an advanced and flexible version of VLOOKUP that enables you to lookup data either from below or left, using binary search to locate values.
Google Sheets’ Importrange function can also be helpful if you need to synchronize data from multiple worksheets at once.
Variables
Google Sheets allows you to easily create variables, which act like containers of information. After naming and inserting a variable into your spreadsheet, its value automatically updates everywhere it appears throughout your document if the value changes. Variables can be used for names, dates, costs or any other form of data without tedious find-and-replace operations – eliminating tedious updates across multiple documents!
Google Sheets files typically contain data in the form of numbers, either whole numbers or decimals, entered directly or calculated using formulae. Google Sheets handles calculations based on operator precedence – for instance, multiplication operations will always come before addition unless an operator is enclosed by parentheses to alter this order of operations.
Google Sheets allows users to enter text that may include letters, numbers and other symbols. When entering non-numerical values that don’t fall into either of these two categories, Google Sheets automatically sets its formatting to Plain text – this displays it just like text! Alternatively, manual settings of formatting are also an option if preferred.
Google Sheets not only handles data efficiently, but it offers other features that make it a convenient solution for teams. These features include its seamless integration with other Google apps and services as well as its built-in search function that makes finding information in large Excel files a snap, as well as its support of keyboard shortcuts familiar to those familiar with Microsoft Office.
Google Sheets makes it easy to export files in various formats, including XLS, PDF and CSV. This feature can help when sharing or importing data into another program; alternatively you could connect Google Sheets to an automation service like Zapier that automates tasks using triggers and actions such as adding new data into Google Sheets files or sending notifications when they change.
Charts
Google Sheets offers a range of charts and graphs for you to add to your spreadsheet, from those automatically generated by Explore to ones manually added within any spreadsheet within the app. A selection of options are available to visualize data such as scattered, bar, line, and pie charts.
Step one of creating a chart involves opening your spreadsheet of choice and clicking on the Chart button. A pop-up window will allow you to choose your chart type and will display sample data that gives a good indication of how the final product should look like.
After selecting the chart type, a sidebar will appear that allows you to customize its settings. Here you can change its title and legend as well as which columns will display as data points. It will also automatically update as soon as new information comes in.
Clicking the Edit Chart button will launch the chart’s editor and allow you to modify its appearance by rearranging rows or columns, altering which data points are displayed, adding additional series, etc. Furthermore, there is an exclusive tab within the Chart Editor dedicated to setting up its data range.
When using the Chart Editor, you can also click the icon in the upper-left corner to adjust its style. There are numerous options available here from color schemes to fonts and borders; even altering its overall appearance to suit preexisting color schemes or brand colors could be possible.
Once your chart is edited and ready to share with others via a link, or exported as PNG or SVG file format. However, keep in mind that some Google visualizations require end-user credentials in order to access private spreadsheets shared this way – something some may find discouraging.
