Introduction

Google Sheets is a web-based spreadsheet application developed by Google. It is part of the Google Drive suite of productivity tools and is a free, cloud-based alternative to traditional spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel. It is important to note that google sheets allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on spreadsheets online in real-time, making it a popular tool for remote teams and virtual collaborations. It also offers features like sharing and commenting, data visualization tools, add-ons, and integration with other Google products like Google Docs and Google Forms.

To get started with Google Sheets, you can create a new spreadsheet from scratch or import an existing spreadsheet from Excel or CSV format. You can then enter and format data, add formulas and functions, create charts and graphs, and customize the appearance of your spreadsheet. It is well known for it versatile nature and ease of usage for managing data, conducting analysis, and collaborating with others in real-time, all within the web browser.

In this article, I will walk you through the following content highlighted below:

1. The significance of using Google Sheets in comparison to other spreadsheet software.
2. Some key tasks that can be carried out in Google Sheets
3. Practical steps to connect a Google Sheet with Tableau
4. Basic data visualization and inferences

The significance of using Google Sheets in comparison to other spreadsheet software.

Here are some of the key advantages of using Google Sheets:

1. Collaboration: One of the biggest advantages of Google Sheets is its ability to allow multiple users to work on a single document simultaneously. This makes it an ideal tool for collaborative projects, as team members can work together in real-time without the need for constantly sending updated versions of the file.
2. Accessibility: Because Google Sheets is cloud-based, it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This means that users can work on their spreadsheets from any device, whether it’s a laptop, desktop, or mobile device.
3. Cost: Google Sheets is free to use, whereas other traditional spreadsheet software often requires a paid subscription or one-time purchase.
4. Integration: Google Sheets can easily be integrated with other Google tools, such as Google Forms, Google Docs, and Google Slides. This allows users to streamline their workflow and use multiple tools within the same ecosystem.
5. Automatic Saving: Google Sheets automatically saves changes made to a document, ensuring that users never lose their work due to a power outage, system crash, or any other unexpected event.
6. Data Visualization: Google Sheets provides a variety of visualization tools such as charts, pivot tables, and conditional formatting to help users better understand and analyze their data.

Key task that can carried out on Google Sheet

Some key tasks that can be carried out in Google Sheets includes but not limited to:

1. Data Entry: Google Sheets can be used for data entry and management. Users can create a new sheet and enter data into individual cells or import data from other sources.
2. Data Analysis: Google Sheets offers a range of tools for data analysis, including functions, charts, pivot tables, and data validation. Users can use these tools to summarize, visualize, and interpret data.
3. Collaborative Editing: Google Sheets allows multiple users to edit a spreadsheet simultaneously, making it ideal for collaborative projects. Users can leave comments, view revision history, and share spreadsheets with others.
4. Budgeting and Financial Planning: Google Sheets can be used to create and manage budgets, track expenses, and plan financial goals. Users can create formulas and functions to automate calculations, and use conditional formatting to highlight important information.
5. Project Management: Google Sheets can be used to manage projects by creating task lists, timelines, and Gantt charts. Users can use conditional formatting to track project progress and update the team on milestones.
6. Survey and Forms: Google Sheets can be used in conjunction with Google Forms to collect data from users. Responses are automatically entered into a Google Sheet, making it easy to manage and analyze data.

Practical steps to connect a Google Sheet with Tableau

To start with, in order to connect to a Google Sheet in Tableau, you need to have a Google account and the Google Sheets add-on for Tableau. The add-on is available for download from the Tableau website. Additionally, you should ensure that the Google Sheet you want to connect to is set to "Anyone with the link can view" or "Public" in its sharing settings.

To connect a Google Sheet to Tableau, follow these steps:

• Open Tableau and click on "Connect to Data" on the start page.

• In the "Connect" pane, select "More" and the “Google drive” from the list of available data sources.

• In the "Google Sheets" dialog box, sign in to your Google account if you haven't already.

• Select the Google Sheet you want to connect to Tableau.

Note: For the purpose of the article, I will be leveraging the employee data of XYZ which I have already stored on my google drive here

Also, If you want to use a specific worksheet from the Google Sheet, select it from the "Worksheet" drop-down list then Click "Connect" to proceed.

• In the "Connect" pane, you can preview the data in the Google Sheet and select the columns you want to use in your analysis.

It is important to note that some of the significance of connecting your google sheet data to tableau as opposed to loading the data from a local system includes the following:

1. Data Integration: Google Sheets is a powerful and versatile tool for data entry, storage, and management. By connecting it to Tableau, you can integrate your data from various sources and leverage Tableau's powerful data visualization capabilities to analyze and present your data.
2. Real-time Updates: Google Sheets can be updated in real-time, which means that any changes made to the data will reflect immediately in Tableau. This ensures that you always have access to the latest data, without having to manually update your visualization.
3. Collaboration: Google Sheets is a collaborative tool that allows multiple users to work on the same data simultaneously. By connecting it to Tableau, you can share your data and visualizations with others, allowing them to explore and analyze the data further.

Basic Data Visualization and inferences in Tableau

• Drag and drop the fields you want to use from the "Data" pane onto the "Rows" or "Columns" shelves to create your visualization.

Note: This chart above gives an insight into the salary tier (Tier 1 - 4) of each occupation/role in the company based on their gender with respect to range of their yearly bonus

Note: This chart above gives an insight into the salary tier (Tier 1 - 4) of the education status of the employees based on their gender with respect to range of their yearly bonus

You can leverage Tableau's features to customize your visualization, such as adding filters, changing chart types, or creating calculated fields to further explore the employee data.

Once you have created your visualization, you can save it to your Tableau workbook and share it with others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, connecting Google Sheets to Tableau can be highly beneficial for data integration, real-time updates, collaboration, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. By leveraging the capabilities of both tools, you can easily analyze and visualize your data, regardless of its size or complexity. Whether you are a small business owner, a data analyst, or a large corporation, the integration of Google Sheets and Tableau can help you make data-driven decisions and achieve your business objectives.

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