zaro

How do I clean data from sheets?

Published in Data Cleaning 2 mins read

Cleaning data in Google Sheets is crucial for accurate analysis and reporting. A common method to clean your data is by removing duplicate entries, which Google Sheets makes easy with a built-in tool.

Learn how to remove duplicate data directly within Google Sheets using the steps provided below.

Removing Duplicate Data in Google Sheets

Duplicate rows can skew your data analysis and make your spreadsheet messy. Google Sheets provides a straightforward way to identify and remove these duplicates from a selected range.

Here are the steps to remove duplicates, based on the standard Google Sheets functionality:

  1. In Sheets, open a spreadsheet. Navigate to the specific Google Sheet document you want to clean.
  2. Select the data range that you want to remove duplicate data in. Click and drag your cursor to highlight all the cells, rows, or columns you want to check for duplicates.
  3. Click Data. Located in the menu bar at the top of your spreadsheet.
  4. Remove duplicates. From the "Data" dropdown menu, select this option.
  5. Select which columns to include and whether the data has headers. A dialog box will appear. You can choose which columns the tool should check for identical values (selecting multiple columns means a row is a duplicate only if all selected columns match another row). If your selection includes header row, check the box indicating "Data has header row" so it isn't treated as data.
  6. Click Remove duplicates. After configuring the options, click this button to initiate the process.
  7. In the status window, click OK. Google Sheets will process the selected range and show you a summary of how many duplicate rows were found and removed. Click OK to close the status window.

By following these steps, you effectively clean your selected data range by eliminating redundant entries based on your chosen columns. This helps maintain data integrity and improves the reliability of your spreadsheet for further use.

For effective data cleaning, consider these points:

  • Understand Your Data: Know which columns are truly indicative of a unique record before removing duplicates.
  • Backup: Always consider making a copy of your spreadsheet before performing major cleaning actions like removing duplicates.
  • Refine Selection: Carefully select the range; accidentally removing data outside your intended scope can be problematic.

Removing duplicates is just one aspect of data cleaning, but it's a fundamental one supported directly within the Google Sheets interface.