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Using Columns
- Each column should...
- Correspond to a single "variable"
- A thing you might measure, or that can change from measure to measure, instance to instance
- Contain only a single "type" of data
- Separate text from numbers
- Instead of "4 pm", use "16:00", or separate columns for "4" and "pm"
- Instead of putting units in the same cell as a numeric measurement, try...
- Placing in a separate column
- Making part of column header
- Identifying in a separate file containing metadata
- Don't put notes about your data in the same column as the data itself. Instead, try...
- Defining a separate column for notes and callouts
- Putting notes in a separate metadata file
Handling Dates
- When you can, avoid using Excel's built-in Date format
- Excel files from different regions may index dates differently, leading to inaccuracies when importing/exporting data
- However, you may prefer the Date format if you expect to perform calculations on dates, such as
- Calculating the number of days or weekdays between two dates
- Automatically referencing the current date
- Alternatives to the Date format
- Store dates as plain text
- Store dates in three columns for month, day, and year
-
| Month |
Day |
Year |
or |
Month |
Day |
Year |
| 02 |
25 |
2020 |
|
February |
25 |
2020 |
- Whichever you choose, set column formats to text, numbers, or dates as appropriate before you begin recording data