How to Clean Data in Google Sheets with AI (Easy)

👉 Use AI Sheets in Google Sheets to unlock effortless formulas that extract, categorize, and clean your data in seconds.

Overview

Data clean-up is one of the most time-consuming tasks in any data analysis workflow. Whether you're dealing with inconsistent formatting, missing values, or messy text data, AI Sheets can dramatically cut down your clean-up time from hours to minutes. This powerful Google Sheets add-on leverages AI to automate tedious data cleaning tasks that would otherwise require complex formulas or manual editing.

In this guide, I'll share my favorite prompts, tips, and tricks for using AI Sheets to clean up your data efficiently, allowing you to focus on analysis and insights rather than data wrangling.

Getting Started with AI Sheets for Data Clean-up

Before diving into specific techniques, make sure you have:

1. Sign up at AI Sheets
2. Install AI Sheets
3. Start with =gpt() directly from your Google Sheets

Once you're set up, check out the AI Sheets Cheat Sheet for quick reference or my complete AI Sheets formula guide.

Using GPTEXTRACT for Pulling Structured Data

When dealing with unstructured text that contains specific information, =GPTEXTRACT() can automatically pull out the data you need, saving you from writing complex regular expressions or manual parsing.

Example: Extracting Contact Information from Text

Before (Unstructured Text in Column A):

After (Using separate GPTEXTRACT formulas):

The =GPTEXTRACT() formula identified and extracted specific pieces of information from natural language text, handling different formats of phone numbers, email addresses, and names automatically. By using separate extraction formulas, you can organize the data into appropriate columns for further processing.

Essential Formulas for Data Clean-up

Using GPTTRANSFORM for Bulk Data Formatting

The =GPTTRANSFORM() formula is your best friend for data clean-up. It applies AI transformation to ranges of data while preserving structure, making it perfect for standardizing messy data.

Example: Standardizing Inconsistent Address Formats

Prompt used:

=GPTTRANSFORM(A2:A7, "Standardize these addresses to include street number, street name, city, state abbreviation, and zip code in consistent format")

Before and After:

As you can see, the =GPTTRANSFORM() formula automatically standardized street abbreviations, fixed capitalization, added missing commas, and corrected state abbreviations—all in a single operation! It even handled cases where the address components were completely out of order.

Example prompt for fixing inconsistent product names:

=GPTTRANSFORM(B2:B100, "Standardize these product names to follow pattern: [Brand] - [Product Type] - [Model/Version] and correct any spelling errors")

Data Clean-up Techniques

Handling Missing Values with GPT

For intelligently filling in missing values based on context, the versatile =GPT() formula comes to the rescue:

=GPT("Fill in the missing values in column B based on the patterns in complete rows", A1:C50)

Correcting Spelling and Formatting Errors

For fixing spelling mistakes and standardizing formatting across your data, =GPTTRANSFORM() works wonders:

Example: Fixing Product Descriptions

Prompt used:

=GPTTRANSFORM(A2:A6, "Correct spelling errors, ensure consistent capitalization, and standardize product descriptions")

Before and After:

The =GPTTRANSFORM() formula automatically corrected multiple spelling errors, standardized capitalization, and formatted the product descriptions consistently—all without changing the intended meaning of the text.

Example: Standardizing Addresses

Time-Saving Tips and Tricks

Lock Your Results

Once you're satisfied with the clean-up, lock your results to prevent recalculation:

• Go to Extensions → AI Sheets → Lock results
• Alternatively, copy the values with Ctrl+Shift+V (Cmd+Shift+V on Mac)

Conclusion

AI Sheets transforms the often painful process of data cleaning into a straightforward, even enjoyable task. By leveraging the power of AI with smart prompts, you can clean large datasets in minutes instead of hours, with more consistent results than manual cleaning.

For more complex data work, don't forget to explore how =GPTTABLE() can help you restructure data completely or how =GPTCATEGORIZE() can automatically classify your data into meaningful categories.

Ready to transform your data workflow? Get started with AI Sheets today and say goodbye to tedious data clean-up tasks forever!

What data clean-up challenges are you facing? Let me know in the comments, and I might feature solutions in my next AI Sheets tutorial!

Related articles:

• The Complete Guide to AI Sheets Formulas
• Bulk Generate Images with AI Sheets
• Content Generation at Scale with AI Sheets

Recommended links:

• Looking for more top-tier AI tools? Check out AIDive