Google Workspace Changes

Google Sheets introduces two new functions, =SHEET and =SHEETS, to help users manage and reference spreadsheet tabs.

Google Sheets is adding two new dynamic functions: =SHEET and =SHEETS. The =SHEET function returns the sheet number of a specified sheet name or reference, while =SHEETS returns the total number of sheets in the spreadsheet. These functions automatically recalculate when sheets are added, deleted, moved, or renamed, ensuring data analysis remains accurate as the spreadsheet structure changes.

New =SHEET and =SHEETS functions added to Google Sheets for enhanced tab management.

Google Sheets is introducing two new functions, =SHEET and =SHEETS, to enhance the management and referencing of multiple tabs within a spreadsheet. The =SHEET(value) function returns the sheet number of a specified sheet, or the current sheet if no argument is provided. The =SHEETS() function returns the total number of sheets in the spreadsheet. These dynamic functions automatically recalculate when sheets are added, deleted, moved, or renamed, ensuring data analysis accuracy.

Connected Sheets for BigQuery now allows users to generate data forecasts using BigQuery ML and the TimesFM model.

Google is introducing a new forecasting capability in Connected Sheets for BigQuery, leveraging BigQuery ML (BQML) and the TimesFM foundation model. This allows users to predict future business metrics like sales or demand without writing SQL or Python. Key features include a user-friendly configuration pane, customizable prediction horizons and confidence intervals, support for granular breakouts by data dimensions, and automatic visualization of forecasts against historical data.

Google Sheets now allows direct import of large .csv files to BigQuery for analysis.

Google Sheets has enhanced its capabilities by enabling users to directly import large .csv files into BigQuery for analysis. This new feature streamlines the workflow, allowing users to open and analyze massive datasets from Google Drive or via the Data > Data Connectors menu in Sheets. Once imported to BigQuery, users can leverage familiar Sheets features like charts, pivot tables, and formulas through Connected Sheets, significantly expediting the process from raw data to insights.

Added drill down functionality to Connected Sheets pivot tables for granular data access.

Users can now drill down into Connected Sheets pivot tables to immediately access granular data. By double-clicking a pivot table cell or using the "Show details" menu option, users can instantly create a pre-configured extract focused on the specific records contributing to the summary metric.

Doubled row capacity for Connected Sheets pivot tables backed by BigQuery.

The row capacity for pivot tables backed by BigQuery in Connected Sheets has been doubled from 100,000 to 200,000 rows. This enhancement allows users to analyze substantially larger BigQuery datasets within a single pivot table in Google Sheets.

The AI function in Google Sheets is now enhanced with Google Search results for more up-to-date answers.

The AI function in Google Sheets has been enhanced to automatically ground its responses in Google Search results. This allows the AI function to access up-to-the-minute information from the web to answer user prompts. For example, users can now use the AI function to find daily box office schedules, track market sentiment for new products, or get the latest weather information directly within their spreadsheets.

Increased limit for conditional notifications in Google Sheets to 20.

Google Sheets now allows users to set up to 20 conditional notifications per spreadsheet, significantly increasing the previous limit of 5. This enhancement provides greater flexibility for users to create detailed notification rules that trigger alerts based on specific changes within their spreadsheet data, improving data monitoring and responsiveness.

Google Sheets introduces a new condensed view for version history, displaying only rows with changes for quicker edit identification.

Google Sheets is rolling out a new condensed view for its version history feature. By default, this view will now only display rows containing cells that have undergone changes in the selected version. This enhancement aims to help users identify relevant edits within a spreadsheet more quickly and efficiently. Users can revert to the previous full version history view by selecting the 'Show unmodified rows' checkbox, which will highlight changes across the entire sheet.

Gems, custom AI experts, are now available directly in the side panel of Google Sheets, allowing users to leverage customized AI assistance without switching applications.

Gems, which are custom AI experts designed to help complete specific goals, tasks, and workflows, are now integrated directly into the side panel of Google Sheets. This integration allows users to utilize both custom and pre-made Gems, such as a writing editor or sales pitch ideator, within the Google Sheets application. The feature aims to enhance efficiency by minimizing repetitive prompting and enabling tailored AI assistance for various tasks like creating content, generating sales interactions, or reviewing documents, all without needing to navigate away from the current application.

New AI function in Google Sheets allows users to generate text, summarize, and categorize data directly within cells.

Google Sheets now integrates a new AI function, powered by Gemini, enabling users to perform various data manipulation tasks directly within spreadsheet cells. This includes generating tailored text using spreadsheet information, summarizing data by highlighting key parts, and categorizing data into meaningful groups to detect patterns. This feature aims to help users create hundreds of rows of data quickly, such as categorizing user feedback or writing personalized emails, without needing extensive data or spreadsheet expertise.

Support for file and people smart chips is now available with the Google Sheets API.

The functionality of the Google Sheets API has been extended to include the ability to write and read file and people smart chips. This enhancement allows developers to programmatically interact with these rich data types within Google Sheets, further integrating and automating workflows.

Gemini in Google Sheets now supports more languages.

Gemini in Google Sheets can now provide insights and generate charts based on data in Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, and German. This allows users to analyze data and identify trends without writing code.

Direct access to BigQuery saved queries in Connected Sheets.

Users can now quickly and easily create a new Connected Sheet by selecting a previously saved query under any project they have access to.

API support for tables in Google Sheets is now available, allowing users to create and modify tables via the Sheets API.

Following the improvements made to tables in Google Sheets in March and April, we’re excited to introduce API support for tables. Now, users will be able to take basic actions to create and modify tables via the Sheets API.