Google is preparing an update for “Sheets” which, as the name suggests, is an application for creating and managing spreadsheets similar to Microsoft Excel. Next software version adds 11 new functions to help data analysts and other professionals make their documents more dynamic.
Part of the new functions are especially aimed at organizing large databases, such as MARGINOFERROR, which calculates random sampling errors in a range of cells and returns a confidence interval. Most of the additions have been present for several years on the rival platform developed by Microsoft.
One of the functions, on the other hand, is unprecedented, and promises to facilitate the work of developers and other specialists. EPOCHTODATE, for example, converts an epoch given in seconds by Unix into a standard date and time format automatically, without the need to do manual calculations in document cells.
Check out the list of new features coming to Sheets:
- EPOCHTODATE: Converts a Unix date/time in seconds, milliseconds or microseconds to a UTC date or time;
- MARGINOFERROR: Calculates the amount of random sampling errors given a range of values and their confidence interval;
- TOROW: Turns an array or range of cells into a single row;
- TOCOL: Transforms an array or range of cells into a single column;
- CHOOSEROWS: Creates a matrix from selected rows in an existing range;
- CHOOSECOLS: Creates an array from selected columns in an existing range;
- WRAPROWS: Encapsulates a row or column of cells given by rows after a specified number of elements to form a new matrix;
- WRAPCOLS: Wraps a row or column of cells given by columns after a specified number of elements to form a new matrix;
- VSTACK: Adds ranges vertically and sequentially to return a larger array;
- HSTACK: Append ranges horizontally and sequentially to return a larger array;
- LET: Names calculation results and defines variables within an express formula.
Google claims that the functions will be available to all Workspace users, so a workspace account is not required. The expectation is that the new features will arrive over the next two weeks as part of a strategy to make the suite more popular, even if with delays in relation to the competition.
