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Learn about the main ways you can add data to a spreadsheet.
Terms
- CSV: comma-separated value. CSV files store tabular data (numbers and text) in plain text. Each line of the file is a data record. Each record consists of one or more fields, separated by commas. The use of the comma as a field separator is the source of the name for this file format.
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[MUSIC]
0:00
Earlier in this course I showed you how
to create a spreadsheet with sheets.
0:05
In this video,
0:09
we're gonna talk about other ways
to get started with spreadsheets.
0:10
First as a manual input,
you just start from scratch and
0:13
manually input your data
set into the spreadsheet.
0:16
I do this all the time for
ad hoc analysis.
0:19
Indeed, I'll often use a spreadsheet
instead of a calculator just this way.
0:22
For example,
here I'm just doing some calculations.
0:26
I manually inputed that data.
0:31
You might also be provided
a spreadsheet with existing data.
0:34
For example, you're handed a report
from a colleague or your boss.
0:37
Don't worry about the actual
content in this spreadsheet.
0:41
It's just an example.
0:43
Indeed an existing spreadsheet might come
in a variety of different formats that you
0:45
may or
may not want to change to suit your needs.
0:49
Regardless it's often the case that you're
given a spreadsheet with data that already
0:52
exists as a starting point for
your own work.
0:56
Third, is that you import
data from an external source.
0:58
This can happen both automatically and
manually.
1:01
Utilizing a CSV file is a common way to
manually import data into a spreadsheet.
1:04
I'm going to demo importing
a CSV file right now.
1:09
Go to File>Open.
1:14
Here's my CSV file.
1:23
It's uploading.
1:26
And here we are.
1:31
This is a file that I downloaded from the
Internet and now is in the spreadsheet.
1:32
A lot of software will have options
that allow you to export data.
1:38
Oftentimes, that data is
exported in the format of a CSV.
1:42
This is why understanding how to use
CSVs in the context of a spreadsheet and
1:44
import data from a CSV into
a spreadsheet is useful.
1:50
Finally, you can set up a spread
sheet using formulas and
1:54
plugins to connect to a database and
automatically update with the latest
1:57
database information, this is an advance
object that l won't cover in this course.
2:01
But you may incur it as you start to use
spreadsheets for business applications.
2:07
I definitely used automatic
updating from external sources
2:11
all the time when I was working
as an investment professional.
2:15
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