Google Sheets - Sparkline Function

While attending a great presentation on Standards Based Grading presented by WW-P HSN's Tovi Spero, I noticed Tovi's use of a minichart within Google Sheets. A little research unveiled a powerful data analysis function called SPARKLINE.

In general, charts in Google Sheets are really useful when you want to visualize data sets. Usually these charts contain legends/keys, titles, axis labels, and descriptions with them. The Sparkline function is a bit different as it only allows for a quick look at data trends via a mini-chart within a single cell. For a quick idea of what they look like see the bottom two cells in the screenshot below.

Here's a quick video tutorial by the Google Guru:

Here's a link to Google's own whitepaper on Sparkline.

Activate link sharing quickly via the “Get sharable link” icon in Drive web

Posted: 29 Mar 2016 01:01 PM PDT

Google Drive allows users to easily share files with collaborators through access control permissions and sharable links. With today’s launch, we are making it even easier to turn on file sharing in Drive on the web. Just select a file and click on the “Get sharable link” icon on the top right-hand side menu. The sharing link will be copied to the clipboard for easy distribution and will provide view access to anyone in your domain who receives the link.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Change your filters, themes, and layouts in the Google Sheets and Slides apps for iOS

Change your filters, themes, and layouts in the Google Sheets and Slides apps for iOS

Posted: 24 Mar 2016 04:55 AM PDT

New versions of the Google Sheets and Slides apps for iOS are available in the App Store. With these updates, you can now:

§ View and modify existing filters in the Google Sheets iOS app.

§ Change the theme or layout of a presentation in the Google Slides iOS app.

Check out the Help Center articles below for more information.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Support for more file formats in the Google Sheets and Slides Android apps

Support for more file formats in the Google Sheets and Slides Android apps

Posted: 23 Mar 2016 12:50 PM PDT

Updated versions of the Google Sheets and Slides apps for Android are now available on Google Play. Check out what’s new below:

In the Sheets Android app, you can now:

§ Send a copy of or save a spreadsheet as an HTML web page file (provided in a .ZIP folder) from the Share & export menu.

§ Save the sheet you’re currently viewing as a .CSV or .TSV file from the Share & export menu.

§ View Google Drawings in spreadsheets (note that Drawings will not be visible in frozen rows and columns).

In the Slides Android app, you can now:

§ Send a copy of or download the slide you’re currently viewing as a .JPEG, .PNG, or .SVG file from the Share & export menu.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace: 
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Reverse sort and instantly edit with your favorite apps in the new Google Drive for Android app

Reverse sort and instantly edit with your favorite apps in the new Google Drive for Android app

Posted: 21 Mar 2016 09:37 AM PDT

A new version of the Google Drive for Android app is available in Google Play. New features include:

§ Reverse Sort: We’ve heard feedback that you want more flexibility in how files are sorted. We’re adding the popular request to allow reverse sorting. Simply tap the sort column at the top of Drive to swap the sort order.

§ Instantly edit with your favorite apps: If you have an editor app installed on your device, you can now jump into the editor directly from the file preview in Google Drive. This is great if you want to make changes on the fly and have those changes saved back to Google Drive. Some common editor apps include Google Photos, Google Docs, and more.

Launch Details

Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Connect with more people using Google Hangouts video calls

Connect with more people using Google Hangouts video calls

Posted: 16 Mar 2016 10:06 AM PDT

Google Hangouts video calls make it easy to connect and interact to get things done. With today’s update, to make it easier to connect with more people, we’re raising the participant limit for Hangouts video calls from 15 to 25 for Google Apps customers.

To help ensure a high quality experience on a variety of computers, only the 10 most active video call participants will have their video feeds visible at the bottom of the screen at any given time.

No action is required to make use of this new participant limit. Check out the Help Center for more information on Hangouts video calls.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Set expiration dates for access to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides files

Set expiration dates for access to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides files

Posted: 15 Mar 2016 12:05 PM PDT

We know that businesses today don’t operate in isolation; employees work not only with one another, but with third-party vendors, clients, customers, and other businesses as well—and often on a temporary basis. To keep your organization’s information safe in these situations, we’re introducing the ability to set an “expiration date” for specific user access to files in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

For instance, imagine your business hires an outside contractor for a project lasting three months. To complete the job, that contractor needs to view a spreadsheet containing the contact information of your employees. Following this launch, you’ll be able to share your employee list in Sheets with the contractor, give them view access only, and set that access to expire when their contract does (in three months). If the contractor attempts to open the spreadsheet after the expiration date has passed, they’ll be denied access.

This functionality, coupled with the Information Rights Management (IRM) features we launched last July, should significantly increase the security of your organization’s documents and information.

Please note that you’ll only be able to set expiration dates for users with comment or view access; you will not be able to set expiration dates for file owners or users with edit access.

IMPORTANT: This feature will roll out gradually over the course of two to three months; please note that you may not see the feature in your domains until mid- to late Q2 2016.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (2–3 months for feature visibility)

Create better presentations and collaborate more easily on documents with the latest Google Slides and Docs apps for Android

Create better presentations and collaborate more easily on documents with the latest Google Slides and Docs apps for Android

Posted: 10 Mar 2016 09:51 AM PST

New versions of the Google Slides and Docs apps for Android are now available on Google Play.

In the Slides Android app, you can now create and edit presentations that read from right to left, a necessity when presenting in languages such as Hebrew and Arabic.

In the Docs Android app, you can now select, copy, and comment on content in Print Layout view.



Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Improved Trash support and folder colors in the Google Drive for iOS app

Improved Trash support and folder colors in the Google Drive for iOS app

Posted: 09 Mar 2016 11:48 AM PST

An update to the Google Drive for iOS app is coming to the App Store. New features will include:

§ Trash View: You’ll now have the ability to view, restore and delete items in your trash from within the iOS app.

§ Folder Colors: You can now view and modify your Google Drive folder colors on the fly.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Export Google Docs files as EPUB publications

Export Google Docs files as EPUB publications

Posted: 07 Mar 2016 01:58 PM PST

EPUB is the most widely supported file format for publishing accessible documents and digital books, allowing people to consume long-form content in their preferred apps on a diverse range of screen sizes and devices, including smartphones, tablets, and eReaders. To make it easier for authors, publishers, and academic institutions to create works that can be consumed digitally, today we’re launching the ability to export Google Docs files as EPUB publications. Simply go to the File menu > Download as > EPUB Publication (.epub).

Check out the Help Center for more information.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

New templates in Google Docs: designed by experts, made for you

New templates in Google Docs: designed by experts, made for you

Posted: 02 Mar 2016 12:50 PM PST

(Cross-posted on the Google for Work Blog.)

We launched a collection of templates in Docs, Sheets, and Slides in September to give your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations the extra polish they deserve. Today, we’re adding to that collection with new templates designed by five experts in their fields. All templates are available on the web and on Android and iOS.



For your big ideas, at work and on the go
Intuit's QuickBooks software helps small business owners get more out of financial planning with tools like automated budgeting, tax time reports, and payroll. Use the new annual business budget template by QuickBooks in Sheets to easily manage your budget so you can focus on building your business.



GV provides venture capital funding to bold new companies. In the fields of life science, healthcare, artificial intelligence, robotics, transportation, cyber security, and agriculture, GV’s companies aim to improve lives and change industries.The new GV pitch template in Slides helps entrepreneurs share their vision, based on proven presentation tactics.



And, in the bestselling book, Made to Stick, brothers Chip and Dan Heath revealed that “sticky” messages of all kinds draw their power from the same main traits. In their big idea template in Slides, they use these principles to help you build and deliver your most memorable presentation yet.



For a head start, at school and beyond
Reading Rainbow, the third-longest-running children's TV series in US history and award-winning digital service, has been inspiring children to read for more than 30 years. Reading Rainbow created a lesson plan and a book report template in Docs to help teachers and students get things done.



The Google Science Fair (GSF) is an annual online science and engineering competition open to teens globally. In the competition, young scientists have tackled issues like world hunger, life-threatening diseases and the energy crisis. Use GSF’s science fair template in Slides for a head start on your next project—or for this year’s GSF.



Jump-start your next project with these easy-to-use templates in Docs, Sheets, and Slides—available on the web and on your Android device or iPhone. Let us know what you create!

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Easily convert text to columns in Google Sheets

Easily convert text to columns in Google Sheets

Posted: 01 Mar 2016 01:55 PM PST

We know that copying data and pasting it into a spreadsheet can be a pain if the data does not separate neatly into columns. With that in mind, today we're launching a feature in Google Sheets that allows you to split delimited data (e.g. data separated by commas) from one column across multiple columns.

There are a few ways you can split delimited data across columns. For example, you can select the columns you want to split, and click Data > Split text to columns. A menu will then appear underneath the data, allowing you to split the data using commas, semicolons, periods, spaces, and even custom separators.

In addition to the “Split text to columns” option, you can also format cells containing delimited data using a contextual menu that appears immediately after you’ve pasted data, as shown in the animation below. You can choose a custom separator through this method also. See the Help Center to learn more.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming in two weeks.

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)