Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start
Do three everyday spreadsheet jobs with Python in the free Google Colab, typing every line yourself: total and rank a sales export, combine three monthly exports into a quarter, and clean a messy invoice export before you total it.
Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start is a free, hands-on AI course for office managers, bookkeepers and analysts who total, combine and fix the same exports by hand every month: 3 short modules (about 36 minutes in all) where you do each step yourself in a safe practice copy of Google Colab, which checks your work. No coding, no cost, and you can start without signing up.
Who it’s for: Office managers, bookkeepers and analysts who total, combine and fix the same exports by hand every month. A free Google account and a browser; nothing to install.
Why this course
Spreadsheet jobs that repeat (total the export, paste three months together, fix names and remove duplicates) take time every month and go wrong when a row is missed. A few lines of Python with pandas do them the same way every time.
This jump start follows a made-up office-supply shop through three of those jobs. Every practice screen is a real Google Colab screen, and you type every line yourself, one or two lines per step, so the commands make sense when you use them on your own files.
What you’ll build
- Module 1: A Colab notebook with five short cells: load pandas, two lists (customers and amounts), a DataFrame, the quarter total and a ranked total per customer.
- Module 2: One quarter table with six orders and a month column, plus totals by month and by customer.
- Module 3: A clean invoice table (three invoices, tidy names, amounts as numbers) and a total per client.
- Module 1 · Google Colab · Beginner · ~12 min
Python: Total a Sales Export by Customer in Google Colab
Priya (made up) runs the office at Lakeside Office Supply. Every quarter she totals the sales export by customer with a calculator, and every quarter one total is off by a missed row.
- Module 2 · Google Colab · Beginner · ~12 min
Python: Combine Monthly Sales Exports into One Quarter
The sales system at Lakeside Office Supply (made up) exports one file per month. For the quarterly review someone copies July, August and September under each other, deletes the repeated header rows and hopes nothing was skipped.
- Module 3 · Google Colab · Beginner · ~12 min
Python: Clean a Messy Invoice Export Before You Total It
Real exports are messy. At Lakeside Office Supply (made up) the invoice export has "maple dental " with a trailing space, "COBALT LEGAL" in capitals next to "Cobalt Legal", amounts stored as text like "1,250", and one invoice exported twice.
Prerequisites
- For the practice: a web browser. Each module runs in a copy of the real tool’s screens, so you need no account and no sign-up to start module 1.
- To do it for real: a free Google account. Each module says which one it uses.
Time to complete
About 36 minutes of hands-on practice across 3 modules (36 steps in all). Modules take about 12 minutes each, so you can do one in a sitting and come back for the next.
Take it with you
Python for spreadsheet work cheat sheet: the settings and words from this course on one printable page. Read it online · Download the PDF
Glossary
Questions about this course
Is Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start free?
Yes. All 3 modules of Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start are free, and you can start module 1 without signing up.
How long does Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start take?
About 36 minutes of hands-on practice across 3 modules, beginner. Each module takes 12 to 12 minutes, so you can do one at a time.
Which tools will I practice in?
Google Colab. You practice in a copy of each tool's real screens that checks every step, so nothing touches your real accounts, and no coding is needed.
Who is Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start for?
Office managers, bookkeepers and analysts who total, combine and fix the same exports by hand every month. A free Google account and a browser; nothing to install.
Where do I start?
Start with module 1, Python: Total a Sales Export by Customer in Google Colab. The modules are in order, so each one builds on the last.
Do I need to install Python?
No. Google Colab runs Python and pandas in your browser for free with a Google account; the first time, Colab asks you to accept its terms.
Will this work on my real exports?
Yes. Upload the CSV in Colab's Files panel and load it with pd.read_csv('file.csv') instead of typing the sample lists; the other lines stay the same.
Do I have to type the code?
Yes, on purpose: every step is one to three short lines you type yourself. In the practice, line breaks are optional.
What do I need before I start Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start?
Only a web browser for the practice: it runs in a copy of each tool's screens, so you need no account and no sign-up to start module 1. To repeat a module in your own tools afterwards, the modules list a free Google account.
What will I build in Python for Spreadsheet Work Jump Start?
A finished result in 3 of the 3 modules, for example: A Colab notebook with five short cells: load pandas, two lists (customers and amounts), a DataFrame, the quarter total and a ranked total per customer; One quarter table with six orders and a month column, plus totals by month and by customer; A clean invoice table (three invoices, tidy names, amounts as numbers) and a total per client.