Google Sheets

Organizations moving to Google Workspace, or onboarding staff who have only used Excel, often see spreadsheet work slow down. Shared files get edited by the wrong people, data needs to be prepared consistently, and reports are rebuilt by hand. This foundational course gives IT Directors and Training Managers a standard baseline in Google Sheets for technical and non-technical staff alike.

Role fit: This course is a good fit for new hires, business users who support IT, and long-time Excel users moving to Sheets. Experienced Sheets users can skip the opening fundamentals and go straight to formulas, pivot tables, or collaboration.

Time investment: The course runs about 6 hours across six skills. Team Leads can assign it as a compact sequence or split it across team schedules without pulling staff off the job for extended blocks.

Risk and change management: The collaboration skill covers sharing files, protecting sheets and ranges to restrict editing, working on one file at the same time as others, working offline, and converting Excel files. These are practical controls that reduce accidental overwrites during a platform migration. Lessons on formulas, functions, charts, lists, and pivot tables help teams prepare and present spreadsheet data more consistently.

How CBT Nuggets supports the outcome: Each skill includes supplemental practice files so learners can follow along hands-on. Team Leads can bundle this course into Playlists for onboarding and use Team Reporting to confirm completion across the group.

Spreadsheets in most organizations are long-lived files that grow over years, pull from multiple data sources, and get edited by different people on different devices. This training prepares teams to work in that reality, so data stays accurate and shared files stay usable.

• Cleaner data from other systems: Your team will import CSV exports into Google Sheets, then tidy them with Trim whitespace and Remove duplicates before analysis. This cuts down on bad reports built from messy source data.
• Faster data review: Conditional formatting helps important values stand out with rule-based formatting that updates as the data changes. That makes spreadsheet reviews easier before reports reach stakeholders.
• Safer collaboration on shared files: Teams learn to share Sheets files, protect specific sheets or ranges to restrict editing, and work in the same file at the same time while seeing changes appear in real time. Several people can contribute without losing track of who is editing what.
• Smoother transition for Excel users: Staff moving from Excel learn to open and convert Excel files, work offline, and use the Sheets mobile app. This supports onboarding when your organization standardizes on Google Workspace.

The course moves from formulas such as SUM, COUNTIF, IF, and VLOOKUP to pivot tables, about 20 chart types, recorded macros, and Google Forms surveys. Supplemental follow-along files let learners practice on realistic data rather than a blank workbook.

Knowledge

• How the Google Sheets interface, file management, version history, and sheet structure — including hiding, grouping, and freezing rows and columns — work
• Core formula and function logic, including SUM, AVERAGE, COUNTIF, IF, VLOOKUP, text functions, and date and time calculations
• When to use conditional formatting, sparklines, charts, and visualizations to present spreadsheet data clearly
• How filters and pivot tables organize and analyze list data
• What macros, scripting, themes, templates, add-ons, and Google Forms add to a spreadsheet workflow
• How Excel files behave when converted to Sheets, and how sharing, protection, offline work, and mobile access support collaboration

Ability

• Build and format spreadsheets quickly using the fill handle, keyboard shortcuts, and number and cell formatting
• Write and copy formulas across ranges, and check which cells a formula uses with color-coded references
• Import CSV exports from other systems, then clean the data by trimming whitespace and removing duplicates
• Spot input errors and trends with color scales, and present results in clear, persuasive charts
• Record macros, assign them to images or drawings, and create surveys with Google Forms
• Share files, protect sheets and ranges to restrict editing, and co-edit with colleagues in real time or offline