Copying and Pasting in Data Tables

Learn about the new power of copy-paste strategies!

Trevor Register avatar
Written by Trevor Register
Updated over a week ago

You can now copy and paste data from a spreadsheet program, such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, into Pivot Interactives.

Note: At this time, you cannot copy and paste from Pivot Interactives into a spreadsheet program.

Let's see how this works.

The Basics

To move data from a spreadsheet to Pivot Interactives, simply select the data in the spreadsheet, then copy it. (I used the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C to copy this data.) Then, select the first cell where you want to start pasting in Pivot Interactives and paste it in! (I used the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V to paste this data.

Look at how easy that is! Now you can move TONS of data in just a few seconds.

Next Question: What if I have MORE data in my spreadsheet than the Pivot Interactives Data Table?

Let's take a look. In this example, my spreadsheet has six rows of data, but Pivot can only hold five rows. Check out what happens:

Any data that doesn't fit is simply ignored. To avoid this, click the three dots next to a row and add some extra rows before you paste data over.

Next Question: What if I have LESS data in my spreadsheet than the Pivot Interactives Data Table?

Great question! In this example, my spreadsheet has four rows of data, but Pivot can hold five rows. Check out what happens:

The 5th row in the Pivot table is simply left blank. If you don't need that row, consider using the action dots on the row to delete it.

What if I'm bringing over calculated data?

Calculated columns are a scientist's best tool! In this example, my 2nd column is a calculated column. Notice what happens when I copy it over.

The data is moved as it is displayed. It will not copy over the column formula - it will simply copy over the displayed values.

What about WORDS?!

As we tell our students all the time, we must label our data!!! So, we need to be able to move over our words too. Let's look at an example. My spreadsheet has two columns of text, but my Pivot Interactives table is set up different; it allows numbers on the left and text on the right:

Notice that:

  1. It copies everything over! 🥳

  2. The number column on the left gives an error.

This is a really easy fix. Simply click the action menu for the column, then select Column Settings. Check the box to Allow Text Data. Then POOF! Your errors are gone.

Copying over previous work

You typed everything into Pivot Interactives. Then... you realized it: you made a mistake. Can you quickly paste over your original data? Let's see:

Yes, you can. Simply copy the data and select the starting cell. Then, your data will replace what you had before.

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