Module 1 · The sheet that survives a handover Lesson 1 of 15
A sheet is a model, not a table
One row per record, one column per field, a header row that never moves, and no blank rows in the middle. That is the whole rule, and it is what makes sorting, filtering and pivoting work later.
The concept
A spreadsheet is a small model of a business: one row per record, one column per field, one header row, and the totals kept away from the data. Every function, pivot and chart in this course assumes that shape, so the sheet you build first is the one that makes the rest possible.
Set the column order once — id, date, category, amount, notes — and never move it. Format dates as dates and amounts as numbers, which you can check by the fact that real numbers sit on the right of the cell by default. A number stored as text is invisible to SUM and to every pivot.
id | date | category | amount | notes
1 | 2026-01-04 | travel | 240.00 | auto
2 | 2026-01-05 | food | 180.00 |
Rules: one header row . no blank rows . no merged cells .
totals kept OUTSIDE the data .
dates are dates and numbers are numbers.
A number stored as text sits on the LEFT and is invisible to SUM.Common mistakes
The mistake is a merged header across three cells and a blank row between months. A merged cell breaks sorting and a blank row splits the data into two tables, so the pivot quietly ignores half the sheet. Colour the headers instead, and never leave a gap.
Worked example
A sales sheet with a blank row between months sorts the months alphabetically and breaks every total below it. The blank row was a design choice, and it was the wrong one.
Your practice task
Take any sheet you already have and rewrite it as one clean block: single header row, no blanks, no merged cells in the data area, and one column per fact.
Do this before moving on. Reading a solution teaches the shape of it; typing it teaches you.
Key takeaway
A spreadsheet is a small model of a business: one row per record, one column per field, one header row, and the totals kept away from the data.
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