Google Sheets: Top 5 tips and tricks you should know
Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet platform that not only allows users to crunch data but also collaborate with others free of cost. There are several tricks to make your work faster and more efficient. They come in handy when dealing with large volumes of data. Let us have a look at some features that will surely save your time.
Alternate rows can be highlighted for better visibility
To differentiate datasets in Google Sheets, every other row can be highlighted in a slightly different color so that they do not appear monotonous. To do this, select the rows which contain the data, and tap on 'Alternating Colors' in the 'Format' menu. Users can also change the shades from the 'Alternating Colors' window on the right side of the Google Sheets window.
Data can be imported from a URL
The IMPORTDATA function can be used to import data from a website to a Google Sheet. It converts the data into a format that can be displayed in the spreadsheet and saves a lot of time as users don't have to manually enter the data. The function has to be typed in this format: IMPORTDATA ("https :// sample.com/csv/ spreadsheet.csv"). Always enclose URL within quotes.
All empty rows can be removed at once
To delete empty rows, tap the 'Filter' icon in the toolbar, click the filter icon of any column, and then press the 'Clear' option. All figures from the list of values will be unchecked. Now, tap the value mentioning 'Blanks,' press 'Ok,' and only blank rows will be seen. Select them, right-click, and tap 'Delete selected rows.' All blank rows will be removed.
Google Sheets provides a VLOOKUP function
VLOOKUP function allows users to search for a value in a column and fetches a value from a different column in the same row. Its format is VLOOKUP (D3, A2: B6, 2, FALSE). The first parameter is the value you are searching for, the second one is the range of search, and the third is the column index from where data will be retrieved.
Email IDs can also be validated
To find out whether an email address in a particular cell is valid, use the ISEMAIL function followed by the cell number. For example, ISEMAIL (D1). If the address is valid, a TRUE result will be returned, and if not a FALSE statement will appear.
