Tracy van der Schyff

#Office365Challenge – Importing a spreadsheet into SharePoint can be used to quickly populate a list in SharePoint – without building all the columns yourself.

“Create a list which duplicates the columns and data of an existing spreadsheet. Importing a spreadsheet requires Microsoft Excel or another compatible program.”
See more about Apps: Around the Office in 365 Days: Day 74 – Adding Apps in SharePoint Online

To import a spreadsheet, click on the settings wheel > Add an app. Search for Import or simply click on the icon. I do not create the List with the name (My Team’s Donations), I use Acronyms. This keeps the URL short and clean as spaces are replaced with %20. I then rename the application afterwards:

You’ll see that SharePoint asks you to Browse to the file you would like to import. Click on Browse (1), find the file and click OK. When you click on Import (2), the Excel spreadsheet will open. I’ve changed the Range Type to Range of Cells then I selected the area in the Excel spreadsheet that SharePoint must use.

This is the end result. Voila!!

Keep in mind that SharePoint will import most data as Single line of Text as it’s most probably not sure of the format or type of data. And this is exactly why I don’t really use this function. I would rather built the list with the correct columns, then copy and paste the data in Quick Edit View.

Overview of my challenge: As an absolute lover of all things Microsoft, I’ve decided to undertake the challenge, of writing a blog every single day, for the next 365 days. Crazy, I know. And I’ll try my best, but if I cannot find something good to say about Office 365 and the Tools it includes for 365 days, I’m changing my profession. So let’s write this epic tale of “Around the Office in 365 Days”. My ode to Microsoft Office 365.

Keep in mind that these tips and tricks do not only apply to Office 365 – but where applicable, to the overall Microsoft Office Suite and SharePoint.