Lesson 8: Sharing Your Data

Total video watch time - 33:42

LESSON OBJECTIVES

Insert notes and comments
Notify collaborators with direct comments and email functions
Assign action items to collaborators
Use the people chip
Use data validation to create a drop down list in a cell or range of cells
Methods of protecting and safeguarding data from viewers and editors

Ways to Communicate with Collaborators within a Sheet

Improve communications with spreadsheet collaborators by learning how to use notes, comments, direct comments, action items, people chips, and email functions.

Data Validation

Data validation is a tool in Google Sheets that lets you add rules, only allowing certain kinds of information in a particular cell, row, or column. This could mean only allowing dates, offering a dropdown collection of words, or limiting numbers to a particular range. Data validation is a great way to make sure collaborators only add relevant information and can prevent your spreadsheet from getting unruly. In this tutorial we will look at two different ways to use Data Validation in your spreadsheet.

First, we will look at how to use Data Validation to create a drop down list within a cell or a range of cells. Second, you will see how to use Data Validation with checkboxes to assign numerical scores which is perfect for creating checkbox rubrics (you may have noticed that the Instructor Rubric tab in each practice task utilizes this).

Protect Your Data From Viewers

In this video we will take a look at some tips for safeguarding sheet data from collaborators with view access. You'll see:

How to prevent viewers from downloading, printing, and copy sensitive data
Options for sharing your spreadsheet data without giving access to your actual spreadsheet
Different methods for selecting which data will be visible to viewers

Protect Your Data From Editors

Just like there are ways to safeguard your sheet from Viewers, there are options for doing so with Editors. Knowing some of these ways are probably more important as Editors have direct access to your sheet and are able to make changes. In this video you will see how to prevent editors from making inadvertent or unwanted changes to your sheet.

Specifically you will learn how to:

Restrict editors from changing sharing permissions
View sheet and cell history
Set up notifications to be alerted about changes to your sheet
Use data validation to ensure consistency of data input
Protect set ranges or entire sheets from editing

LESSON TASK

IMPORTANT: Before opening the practice task, make sure you are viewing this page with your personal Google Chrome account. This will ensure that a copy of the task is created in your personal Google Account. If you open the task in your school account, some features may be blocked and you will not be able to submit the assignment to Google Classroom.

Click the Practice Task button below, then select the "USE TEMPLATE" button to create an editable copy of the task in your Google Drive.
Follow the steps in the INSTRUCTIONS tab
Click the Solution File button to check your work. This is a view only link. It contains an image of what the Chaperones tab would look like after completing this task. You will notice:
1. The option File-Make a copy and download is restricted
2. Note and commment indicated in cells A2, C1 and a direct comment in Cell A6
3. In the View menu you will see there is a hidden sheet, but won't be able to unhide it
4. While I could have given you edit rights to this sheet to test the protected range, I would have been unable to protect the notes and comments from being deleted or resolved. I wanted to make sure those elements would be visible. If you want to test that your protected range works, give another account you have access to rights to edit the file, and test the protected range from that account.
When you have completed the task to the best of your ability, find the "TURN IN" tab in the Practice Task for instructions on how to submit your work.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Google Sheets Download Options - This post explains the various ways to download your data if you don't plan to share it within Sheets.

Publish Your Sheet as a Webpage - You can publish your entire spreadsheet or a single sheet as its own web page. This is useful if you want to show the Sheet to a large audience.

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