Google Spreadsheets are getting even better!

As Google Apps resellers one of the hardest tasks we are faced with is convincing users to change to Google Docs and to move away from using their comfortable and well known Microsoft Office Suite. 

We started using Docs about 5 years ago - and initially the going was tough. You could not use formulae, formatting was difficult and a number of other features were just not available yet. 

Then things changed. And changed. And they have just not stopped changing. 

Google announced that they are going to be spending time working on Google Spreadsheets - with this update being the largest one in recent memory. Now that makes my ears perk up - because with all the awesome changes that have already come in - what else are they going to pull out of the hat?

New Google Sheets: faster, more powerful, and they work offline.

You can now really plough through work using the new Spreadsheets. They are safer, faster, boast a number of new features and on top of all that - they work offline now. 

Bigger and faster spreadsheets.

At OpenNetworks we do a lot of Apps Scripting - and in a couple of projects we have run into data limits on spreadsheets. Crazy - we know - but one particular client just has so much data that needed to be dealt with. So the addition of support for millions of cells eliminates the need for complex solutions. Loading sheets and doing calculations are all quicker even in complex spreadsheets - and that makes the use of the spreadsheets for tasks a complete no-brainer. 

Filter views.

This is a feature that I personally have been waiting for. And just in time for Christmas - here it is! You can now name, save and share different views of your data. I especially like that when collaborating - so I can sort a spreadsheet for my needs and the team collaborating on it do not have to see my filters on their screen. And vice versa. 

Using formulae and complex functions

Using basic formulae or getting stuck into complex functions? New function help makes it much easier and with error highlighting and colouring to spot your mistakes, fixing them is a cinch. 

Offline and need to work? No worries!

Being online all the time is a bonus. But let's be honest, it is not always a reality. So Google have come to our rescue and you can now make edits to Google Spreadsheets offline. When you reconnect to the internet - your edits automatically sync. Want to get set up for that - then follow these instructions to set up offline for Chrome. 

So are you keen to try it out?

Turn on new spreadsheet features by checking the “Try the new Google Sheets” box in your Google Drive settings. From then on, all new spreadsheets you create will work offline and include these new features. Google will be working on Spreadsheets for a while still. They are going to be adding a small list of missing features in the coming months, so keep an eye out for the changes!

Want to know more? Get hold of OpenNetworks on +27 11 317 4900 or mail us on sales@opennetworks.com.

The difference between Add and Move in Google Docs.

It's very easy to drag files and folders around in Google Drive, too easy in fact, and dragging items moves them for everyone in your domain... so take care.

One of the best things about Google Drive is the ability to store folders - which may be hidden many levels down in a Company folder hierarchy - directly in the top level of your My Drive.

Let's say you have a Marketing folder and you are always working in "Marketing/Years/2013/PR - 4 levels down, you can move that PR folder to your My Drive for easy access. Brilliant, but be careful that you don't also move the folder for everyone else. A simple way to ensure you keep the folder structure in place is always press Ctrl and then drag. Alternatively, use the Move to menu item - whilst remembering to click Ctrl when ticking "My Drive" in your folder tree. Both of these actions "Add" a folder rather than "Move" a folder - it's exactly how Windows handles it.

If you are about to "Move" a folder Google does warn you - so watch out for pop up windows warning about sharing, if you see one, carefully consider whether you do want to "Move" the folder out of a shared area.

In our experience, the best practice for an administrator is to consider folder permissions and encourage users to Add items rather than Move them. 

Take a look at this example:

• Caroline and Tori work in Marketing and share a Marketing folder
• Tori creates a folder Marketing and adds 3 sub-folders to it (Logos; PR; Case Studies) along with all the relevant files. She then shares the folder with Caroline.
• Caroline is responsible for PR and just wants the PR sub-folder. If she drags the folder into My Drive she actually moves the PR folder from the top level Marketing folder.
• When Tori next checks the Marketing folder the PR folder has "disappeared".

In this example, a quick fix is for Caroline to go to hes My Drive and "Add" the PR folder back in to the Marketing folder, but if a lot of users are using "move" it could get very messy. Tori can also stop Caroline from removing anything by giving her "view only" access to the Marketing folder.

The best advice is to consider folder permissions when initially setting up Google Drive and educate users to make use of the "Add to My Drive" button or remember to hold the Ctrl button when dragging files.