Have you ever wanted to import external data into your Google Sheets spreadsheet? Well, you’re in luck! Google Sheets provides robust functions that allow you to easily import data from various sources. In this tutorial, we will learn how to use these functions and unlock a world of possibilities for your data analysis.
IMPORTDATA: Importing CSV and TSV Files
One of the simplest file formats available on the internet is the CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file. It consists of entries arranged in a table, with cells separated by commas and rows separated by line breaks. CSV files are popular for storing data as they are easily readable in simple applications like Notepad.
Another related format is the TSV (Tab-Separated Values) file, where cells are separated by tabs instead of commas. TSV files are visually formatted like real tables, making them more readable than CSV files.
Google Sheets allows you to directly import CSV and TSV files hosted on the internet using the IMPORTDATA function. Simply provide the URL of the hosted file, and Google Sheets will import the data for you. For example:
=IMPORTDATA("http://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2010-2019/national/totals/nst-est2019-alldata.csv")IMPORTFEED: Bringing RSS and ATOM Feeds to Google Sheets
RSS and ATOM feeds are formats used to distribute news updates from a source to a device. By using the IMPORTFEED function, you can add dynamic content to your Google Sheets dashboard. Specify the URL of the feed, what you want to retrieve from it, whether to include headers, and limit the number of items to load. For example:
=IMPORTFEED("http://www.cnbc.com/id/19746125/device/rss/rss.xml")IMPORTHTML: Extracting Data from Webpages
Sometimes, valuable data is presented in tables on regularly updated webpages. With the IMPORTHTML function, Google Sheets can analyze a webpage for a specific table or list and import it into your sheet. Specify the URL, whether you want to import a table or a list, and optionally specify the index if there are multiple tables or lists on the webpage. For example:
=IMPORTHTML("https://weather.gc.ca/canada_e.html","table","1")IMPORTRANGE: Importing Data from Other Sheets
If you have access to another Google Sheets workbook, you can use the IMPORTRANGE function to import data from multiple sheets. Simply provide the URL of the workbook and the range of data you want to import. Note that the workbook must be public or accessible to you, and if it’s your own workbook, you will be prompted to connect the sheets. For example:
IMPORTRANGE("url_of_workbook", "data_range")Conclusion
With the IMPORT functions in Google Sheets, you now have the power to import data from various sources directly into your spreadsheets. Whether it’s CSV or TSV files, RSS or ATOM feeds, tables on webpages, or other Google Sheets workbooks, you have everything you need to enrich your data analysis. So don’t hesitate to explore these functions and unlock the full potential of your spreadsheets!
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