Section 2. Migrating from Excel to Google Spreadsheets

If you've decided to give Google Spreadsheets a spin, the first question (if you've used Excel at all in the past) is how to transfer your existing Excel spreadsheets to Google Spreadsheets. Fortunately, it's pretty easy.

As you'll learn in the "Importing a Spreadsheet from Excel" section of this document, it's easy to open your Excel spreadsheets from within Google Spreadsheets. All you have to do is click the File button and select the Open command, then select and upload the spreadsheet you want to import. In most cases, the Excel spreadsheet imports into Google Spreadsheets with only superficial formatting changes.

In some instances, however, Google Spreadsheets won't be able to import an Excel spreadsheet. You'll probably run into problems if you try to open a spreadsheet that has embedded charts or graphics, that include macros or pivot tables, or are overly large.

In some cases, these spreadsheets simply won't import; Google will give you a message saying that it couldn't open the file. In other cases, Google Spreadsheets will be able to open the file, but the non-Google features will be carved off. Even with fully compatible spreadsheets, it's not uncommon to find some formatting changes when you import into Google Spreadsheets; for example, the cell backgrounds might be one color in Excel and another in Google Spreadsheets. Full compatibility is just a dream at this point.

It's also possible to export from Google Spreadsheets back into Excel's XLS format. This lets you work on your spreadsheets online, for sharing and collaboration, but then go offline with an Excel file for more private or detailed work. Just click the File button and select Download as XLS; this downloads an XLS-format version of the spreadsheet file to your computer.

Section 3. Navigating the Google Spreadsheets Workspace

The Google Spreadsheets workspace looks a lot like every other PC-based spreadsheet application you've ever used. Whether you started with VisiCalc, 1-2-3, Quattro Pro, or Excel, you'll recognize the row-and-column grid you see when you first access Google Spreadsheets. Sure, the buttons or links for some specific operations might be in slightly different locations, but pretty much everything you expect to find is somewhere on the page.

Understanding Elements of the Workspace

Let's take a quick look at what's where in the Google Spreadsheets workspace. The first thing to note is that the workspace changes slightly, depending on which tab (Format, Sort , or Formulas) you select at the top of the page. You can view the three different tabs in Figures 6, 7, and 8; Table 2 details all the functionality of the various workspace elements.

Figure 6. Google SpreadsheetsFormat tab.

1 File button

2 Save button

3 New link

4 Open link

5 Title and info

6 Show/Hide Sharing Options

7 Format tab

8 Sort tab

9 Formulas tab

10 Cut

11 Copy

12 Paste

13 Undo

14 Redo

15 Column headings

16 Row numbers

17 Add Sheet

18 Choose different sheet

19 Reference area

20 Choose Format

21 Bold

22 Italic

23 Underline

24 Font Family

25 Font Size

26 Text Color

27 Background Color

28 Clear Format

29 Align

30 Insert

31 Delete

32 Wrap Text

33 Merge Across

Figure 7. Google SpreadsheetsSort tab.

1 File button

2 Save button

3 New link

4 Open link

5 Title and info

6 Show/Hide Sharing Options

7 Format tab

8 Sort tab

9 Formulas tab

10 Cut

11 Copy

12 Paste

13 Undo

14 Redo

15 Column headings

16 Row numbers

17 Add Sheet

18 Choose different sheet

19 Reference area

20 Freeze Rows

21 Sort A>Z

22 Sort Z>A

Figure 8. Google SpreadsheetsFormulas tab.

1 File button

2 Save button

3 New link

4 Open link

5 Title and info

6 Show/Hide Sharing Options

7 Format tab

8 Sort tab

9 Formulas tab

10 Cut

11 Copy

12 Paste

13 Undo

14 Redo

15 Column headings

16 Row numbers

17 Add Sheet

18 Choose different sheet

19 Reference area

20 Sum

21 Count

22 Average

23 Min

24 Max

25 Product

26 More formulas

Table 2. Elements of the Google Spreadsheets Workspace

Element	Tab	Description
File button	All	Lets you save, open, import, and export spreadsheet files
Save button	All	Saves the current spreadsheet
New link	All	Opens a new spreadsheet in a new browser window
Open link	All	Opens a previously saved spreadsheet, or uploads an XLS spreadsheet file stored on your computer
Spreadsheet title and info	All	Displays the title of the current spreadsheet, as well as when it was last saved (visible only when using a saved spreadsheet)
Share This Spreadsheet link	All	Saves the current spreadsheet and displays sharing options (visible only on newly createdthat is, unsavedspreadsheets)
Show/Hide Sharing Options link	All	Lets you invite other users to share or view the current spreadsheet (visible only when using a saved spreadsheet)
Format tab	All	Displays formatting controls
Sort tab	All	Displays sorting controls
Formulas tab	All	Displays formula controls
Cut button	All	Cuts the data in the selected cell (s)use when you want to move data to another location
Copy button	All	Copies the data in the selected cell(s)
Paste button	All	Pastes cut or copied data
Undo button	All	Undoes the most recent entry, edit, or operation
Redo button	All	Redoes an undone operation
Add Sheet button	All	Adds a new sheet to the current spreadsheet
Sheet 1, Sheet 2, etc.	All	Click to select different sheets within the current spreadsheet
Reference area	All	Displays the contents of the current celleither raw data or the formula behind the numbers
Choose Format button	Format	Selects a number, date, or plain text format for the selected cell(s)
Bold	Format	Bolds the contents of the selected cell(s)
Italic	Format	Italicizes the contents of the selected cell(s)
Underline	Format	Underlines the contents of the selected cell(s)
Font Family	Format	Applies a particular font (typeface) to the selected cell(s)
Font Size	Format	Changes the font size of the selected cell(s)
Text Color	Format	Changes the color of the contents of the selected cell(s)
Background Color	Format	Changes the background color of the selected cell(s)
Clear Format	Format	Clears all formatting from the selected cell(s)
Align button	Format	Changes the alignment (left, center, right, etc.) of the selected cell(s)
Insert button	Format	Inserts new rows or columns into the spreadsheet
Delete button	Format	Deletes rows or columns from the spreadsheet
Wrap Text	Format	When checked, wraps long text to additional lines within the selected cell(s)
Merge Across	Format	Merges adjacent cells into a single cell
Freeze Rows	Sort	When sorting, freezes the top row(s) of the spreadsheet as header rows
Sort Sheet by Selected Column: A > Z	Sort	Sorts the spreadsheet by the currently selected column, in alphabetical (or numerical) order
Sort Sheet by Selected Column: Z > Z	Sort	Sorts the spreadsheet by the currently selected column, in reverse alphabetical (or numerical) order
Reference area	Formulas	Displays the name of the selected cell
Sum	Formulas	Calculates the total of a group of cells
Count	Formulas	Counts the number of cells in a range that contain numeric values
Average	Formulas	Calculates the mean average of a group of numbers
Min	Formulas	Returns the minimum value in a range of cells
Max	Formulas	Returns the maximum value in a range of cells
Product	Formulas	Calculates the product of the specified valuesthat is, it multiplies all the values together
More>>	Formulas	Displays all available Google Spreadsheets functions