Processing Reports with Spreadsheets

In order to use a spreadsheet to add custom calculations to a Responserack report, follow these typical steps:

• Export the report output to a spreadsheet.
• Populate an empty adjacent column with a calculation (using cell addressing).
• Copy that calculation down the column.
• Add a function to do more still; sum the results to a total.

Report Output

Pressing the “Spreadsheet” button will download a CSV (comma separated variable) file format, which all spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, and others) can import.

If there are multiple tables in a report a ZIP (archive) file format will be created, containing multiple CSV files. Import or open one CSV at a time, as needed.

Calculation

Spreadsheets operate on rows and columns with each cell being uniquely addressed by a letter (column) and number (row) combination. A1 is the top/left cell, A2 is below it, and B1 is to the right of it.

A cell value that starts with an equals sign = is a calculation. Basic spreadsheet calculations can be addition + or multiplication * or division /.

In the following example =B2*20 means multiply the value in the cell at B2 by 20 (e.g. 20 dollars.) The result will be displayed in the cell; 29 * 20 = 580.

Copy Down

Spreadsheets have a copy down or fill down ability, often by dragging the cell, or selecting some cells and using a menu item. The first calculation might be B2*20, and copying it would make B3*20 (note: the B2 becomes B3.)

Notice as the single calculation is copied down, the resulting values displayed are based off the input values.

Function

Adding =SUM is a calculations that calls a function on a range of cells. F2:F10 is a column of cells, so SUM(F2:F10) adds all the values in that column … doing a summation (total) over them all.

Spreadsheets

Exporting Responserack reports to a spreadsheet allows a myriad of custom calculations to be made.

Here is the example on Google Sheets