Google soups up Sheets by adding in a little machine learning

Data can be overwhelming to manage in mass quantities, so this is Google's way of offering to take over the hard stuff.

Google's cluster of professional, document making apps is still one of the most robust office suites available, and today's update includes several new feature additions that might make it even more attractive to use. Now, Sheets can build your chart for you using the same machine learning technology that's available in many other Google products.

From the official blog post:

Now, we're using the same powerful technology in Explore to make visualizing data even more effortless. If you don't see the chart you need, just ask. Instead of manually building charts, ask Explore to do it by typing in 'histogram of 2017 customer ratings' or 'bar chart for ice cream sales.' Less time spent building charts means more time acting on new insights.

The new feature takes advantage of some of the machine learning capabilities we've already seen shown off at various Google I/O keynotes and demonstrations. But in this case, the algorithm is parsing your data into visually appealing, presentable information.

A helpful GIF from Google depicting how to use the "Explore" button in Google Sheets.

Other feature additions include new keyboard shortcuts, which you can now customize to your liking, as well as a bevy of new functions you can plug into your spreadsheets. There's even an updated print preview experience, so you know exactly what's coming out the other end before you waste paper, and an improved chart editor. Google has also added the ability to make 3D charts for iOS users — enjoy, iPhone and iPad-using brethren!

Curious about what else Sheets can do? Google has a webpage for that, including how to effectively switch over from Microsoft Excel.