Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet gives you a familiar, grid-based way to work with your data model, table and datasets without leaving the platform.

You open a data model as a spreadsheet, add calculated columns with ThoughtSpot formulas, sort, filter, add conditional formatting and format the grid, then save your work as an Answer.

Because Spreadsheet opens a ThoughtSpot Model, it inherits that Model’s row-level security, column-level security, joins, and formula logic. You get spreadsheet flexibility on live, governed data, with no export step and no loss of security.

This page is a reference for the actions available in Spreadsheet. For step-by-step workflows, see the related how-to pages linked at the end.

To enable this feature, contact ThoughtSpot Support.

Before you begin

You need access to at least one Model in ThoughtSpot.
Spreadsheet works on aggregated data from the Model. Every action you take runs a live query against the Model.
Row-level and column-level security defined on the Model are always enforced. You only see data you are permitted to see.

Entry points

You can open spreadsheets from several places in ThoughtSpot

Entry point	Where to find it	What happens
Search Data toolbar	In Search Data, select a Model and click on Spreadsheet mode in the visualization toolbar.	The current result opens in spreadsheet mode. Columns you selected in Search Data carry over.
Answers list	Open a saved Answer tagged Spreadsheet.	The Answer reopens directly in spreadsheet mode.
Shared Answers	Open a shared Answer in a spreadsheet mode.	The Answer opens in spreadsheet mode for users with access.

Entry point

Where to find it

What happens

Search Data toolbar

In Search Data, select a Model and click on Spreadsheet mode in the visualization toolbar.

The current result opens in spreadsheet mode. Columns you selected in Search Data carry over.

Answers list

Open a saved Answer tagged Spreadsheet.

The Answer reopens directly in spreadsheet mode.

Shared Answers

Open a shared Answer in a spreadsheet mode.

The Answer opens in spreadsheet mode for users with access.

Toolbar reference

The toolbar keeps the most common actions one click away while maximizing grid space. The table below defines each icon, from left to right.

Control	Description
Undo / Redo	Step backward or forward through your recent actions. Click the button multiple times to go back or forward multiple steps.
Sort	Open the advanced sort dialog to sort by one or more columns.
Conditional formatting	Apply color rules that highlight cells based on their values.
Text alignment	Choose whether column contents are left-aligned, center-aligned, or right-aligned.
Wrap text	Choose if text in columns should wrap to the next line.
Format as currency	Format the numbers as currency.
Format as percent	Format the numbers as percentages.
Decrease decimal places	Round numbers up to an earlier decimal place.
Increase decimal places	Include an additional decimal place.
More formats	Choose to format as automatic, number, currency, or percent.
Style	Control how the rows appear (alternating colors, choose the colors), row height, and choose to show or hide column gridlines, row gridlines, and row numbers.
Filter	Filter by a column.
Formula (fx)	Add a calculated column using a ThoughtSpot formula. See Formulas.
Download	Download the spreadsheet in XLSX or CSV format.
Full screen	Expand the grid to fill the screen. Also available with the `F` key.

Control

Description

Undo / Redo

Step backward or forward through your recent actions. Click the button multiple times to go back or forward multiple steps.

Sort

Open the advanced sort dialog to sort by one or more columns.

Conditional formatting

Apply color rules that highlight cells based on their values.

Text alignment

Choose whether column contents are left-aligned, center-aligned, or right-aligned.

Wrap text

Choose if text in columns should wrap to the next line.

Format as currency

Format the numbers as currency.

Format as percent

Format the numbers as percentages.

Decrease decimal places

Round numbers up to an earlier decimal place.

Increase decimal places

Include an additional decimal place.

More formats

Choose to format as automatic, number, currency, or percent.

Style

Control how the rows appear (alternating colors, choose the colors), row height, and choose to show or hide column gridlines, row gridlines, and row numbers.

Filter

Filter by a column.

Formula (fx)

Add a calculated column using a ThoughtSpot formula. See Formulas.

Download

Download the spreadsheet in XLSX or CSV format.

Full screen

Expand the grid to fill the screen. Also available with the F key.

Save Answer: Save the current spreadsheet as an Answer. Also available with Cmd/Ctrl + S.
Formula bar: The formula bar shows the address of the selected cell. When you select a cell in a formula column, it shows the formula that produced the column.

TML

Click the More options menu , next to Save Answer, to access TML options.

Export: Click Export to export your spreadsheet as TML. You can choose to also export the FQNs of objects referenced in the spreadsheet. Your tml file downloads into your browser. Once downloaded,you can upload the TML file through Utilities to open your spreadsheet answer in another Org.
Update answer: Click Update answer to replace the spreadsheet with an imported TML file.
Edit: Click Edit to edit your spreadsheet in TML format.

You can only select Update answer and Edit on a saved spreadsheet.

Columns

Action	How to do it	Notes
Add new calculated field	Click the down arrow in a column header and select New calculated field. Then enter the formula in the formula bar.	You can rename the column after creating the formula.
Filter	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Filter. Then add the filter condition in the pop-up.	You can create a filter for values that are equal to, not equal to, greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, or between your selected value(s).
Sort	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Sort.	You can sort ascending or descending.
Clear sort	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Clear sort.	The values in the column return to their previous configuration.
Duplicate column	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Duplicate column.	The duplicate column appears next to the original column.
Remove column	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Remove column.	Removes the column entirely from your spreadsheet.
Conditional formatting	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Conditional formatting.	In the pop-up that appears, choose to add conditional formatting, whether value-based or column-based, and choose its styling.
Format	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Format.	You can only select format for columns with numerical values. You can choose to format as number, currency, or percentage, decide the units (Auto, None, Thousands (K), Million (M), Billion (B), or Trillion (T)), choose how many decimal places, and choose how to format negative numbers. You can also choose whether to display the thousands separator.
Rename	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Rename.	Enter the new name in the columns header.
Text wrapping	Click the down arrow in a column header and select Text wrapping.	You can decide to wrap text, or clip it at the border of the column.

Action

How to do it

Notes

Add new calculated field

Click the down arrow in a column header and select New calculated field. Then enter the formula in the formula bar.

You can rename the column after creating the formula.

Filter

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Filter. Then add the filter condition in the pop-up.

You can create a filter for values that are equal to, not equal to, greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, or between your selected value(s).

Sort

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Sort.

You can sort ascending or descending.

Clear sort

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Clear sort.

The values in the column return to their previous configuration.

Duplicate column

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Duplicate column.

The duplicate column appears next to the original column.

Remove column

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Remove column.

Removes the column entirely from your spreadsheet.

Conditional formatting

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Conditional formatting.

In the pop-up that appears, choose to add conditional formatting, whether value-based or column-based, and choose its styling.

Format

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Format.

You can only select format for columns with numerical values. You can choose to format as number, currency, or percentage, decide the units (Auto, None, Thousands (K), Million (M), Billion (B), or Trillion (T)), choose how many decimal places, and choose how to format negative numbers. You can also choose whether to display the thousands separator.

Rename

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Rename.

Enter the new name in the columns header.

Text wrapping

Click the down arrow in a column header and select Text wrapping.

You can decide to wrap text, or clip it at the border of the column.

Reorder columns: Drag a column to a new position. Column order is saved with the Answer.
Source vs. formula columns: Columns that come from the Model are read-only. Formula columns you create are editable and are shown with a distinct visual style so you can tell them apart. Note that you select Remove column to remove a source column from your spreadsheet, and Delete column to delete a column you created on the sheet.

Formulas

Formula columns let you derive new values from existing Model columns. You can compute metrics, apply business rules, transform text, work with dates, and handle missing values, all in ThoughtSpot-native formula syntax.

Add a formula column from the fx button in the toolbar, or from the + icon in the column header row. As you type, autocomplete suggests column names, and a preview shows the result before you commit. If a formula is invalid, an inline error explains the problem in plain language.

Formula syntax is ThoughtSpot-native, not Excel. Functions use lowercase names and reference columns in square brackets, for example sum([Revenue]). Excel-style syntax (such as SUM(A:A)) is not supported in this release.

Referencing columns and values

Column references use square brackets: [Revenue], [Customer Name], [Order Date]. Bracket syntax preserves column names that contain spaces.
Text literals use single quotes: 'West', 'Closed Won'.
Numbers and operators are written directly: [Revenue] - [Supply Cost], [Price] * [Quantity].

Operators

Type Operators Example

Type	Operators	Example
Arithmetic	`+` `-` `*` `/`	`[Revenue] - [Supply Cost]`
Comparison	`=` `!=` `>` `<` `>=` `<=`	`[Revenue] > 10000`
Logical	`and` `or` `not` `in`	`[Revenue] > 1000 and [Cost] < 500`

Arithmetic

+ - * /

[Revenue] - [Supply Cost]

Comparison

= != > < >= <=

[Revenue] > 10000

Logical

and or not in

[Revenue] > 1000 and [Cost] < 500

Conditional logic

Use if … then … else to encode decision rules. You can nest conditions for banding.

if ([Revenue] > 1000) then 'High' else 'Low'

if ([Discount] >= 7) then 'High'
else if ([Discount] >= 3) then 'Mid'
else 'Low'

Aggregation functions

Function Description Example

Function	Description	Example
`sum`	Sum of a measure	`sum([Revenue])`
`average`	Average of a measure	`average([Order Value])`
`count`	Count of non-null values	`count([Order ID])`
`unique_count`	Count of distinct values	`unique_count([Customer ID])`
`max`	Largest value	`max([Revenue])`
`min`	Smallest value	`min([Revenue])`
`stddev`	Standard deviation	`stddev([Order Value])`
`sum_if`	Conditional sum	`sum_if([Region] = 'West', [Revenue])`
`count_if`	Conditional count	`count_if([Status] = 'Closed Won', [Opp ID])`
`average_if`	Conditional average	`average_if([Segment] = 'Enterprise', [ACV])`
`group_sum`	Sum at a specified grouping level	`group_sum([Revenue], [Region])`
`cumulative_sum`	Running sum over an ordered attribute	`cumulative_sum([Revenue], [Order Date])`

sum

Sum of a measure

sum([Revenue])

average

Average of a measure

average([Order Value])

count

Count of non-null values

count([Order ID])

unique_count

Count of distinct values

unique_count([Customer ID])

max

Largest value

max([Revenue])

min

Smallest value

min([Revenue])

stddev

Standard deviation

stddev([Order Value])

sum_if

Conditional sum

sum_if([Region] = 'West', [Revenue])

count_if

Conditional count

count_if([Status] = 'Closed Won', [Opp ID])

average_if

Conditional average

average_if([Segment] = 'Enterprise', [ACV])

group_sum

Sum at a specified grouping level

group_sum([Revenue], [Region])

cumulative_sum

Running sum over an ordered attribute

cumulative_sum([Revenue], [Order Date])

Window functions

Function Description Example

Function	Description	Example
`moving_average`	Moving average over a window	`moving_average([Revenue], 6, 0, [Month])`
`moving_sum`	Moving sum over a window	`moving_sum([Revenue], 11, 0, [Month])`

moving_average

Moving average over a window

moving_average([Revenue], 6, 0, [Month])

moving_sum

Moving sum over a window

moving_sum([Revenue], 11, 0, [Month])

Math functions

Function Description Example

Function	Description	Example
`abs`	Absolute value	`abs([Forecast] - [Actual])`
`round`	Round to a number of decimals	`round([Revenue], 2)`
`ceil`	Round up	`ceil([Headcount Needed])`
`floor`	Round down	`floor([Hours] / 8)`
`mod`	Remainder	`mod([Day Number], 7)`
`pow`	Raise to a power	`pow(1 + [Growth Rate], [Years])`
`sqrt`	Square root	`sqrt([Variance])`
`safe_divide`	Divide, returning 0 instead of an error when the denominator is 0	`safe_divide([Profit], [Revenue])`

abs

Absolute value

abs([Forecast] - [Actual])

round

Round to a number of decimals

round([Revenue], 2)

ceil

Round up

ceil([Headcount Needed])

floor

Round down

floor([Hours] / 8)

mod

Remainder

mod([Day Number], 7)

pow

Raise to a power

pow(1 + [Growth Rate], [Years])

sqrt

Square root

sqrt([Variance])

safe_divide

Divide, returning 0 instead of an error when the denominator is 0

safe_divide([Profit], [Revenue])

Conditional and null-handling functions

Function Description Example

Function	Description	Example
`isnull`	Tests whether a value is null	`isnull([Close Date])`
`ifnull`	Returns a replacement when a value is null	`ifnull([Region], 'Unknown')`

isnull

Tests whether a value is null

isnull([Close Date])

ifnull

Returns a replacement when a value is null

ifnull([Region], 'Unknown')

String functions

Function Description Example

Function	Description	Example
`concat`	Join strings	`concat([First Name], ' ', [Last Name])`
`contains`	Tests whether a string contains a substring	`contains([Product Name], 'Pro')`
`substr`	Extract part of a string (position is 0-based)	`substr([Product Code], 0, 3)`
`left`	Leftmost characters	`left([Country Code], 2)`
`right`	Rightmost characters	`right([Order ID], 4)`
`upper`	Convert to uppercase	`upper([Region])`
`lower`	Convert to lowercase	`lower([Email])`
`trim`	Remove leading/trailing whitespace	`trim([Customer Name])`
`strlen`	Length of a string	`strlen([Product Code])`
`replace`	Replace a substring	`replace([Phone], '-', '')`

concat

Join strings

concat([First Name], ' ', [Last Name])

contains

Tests whether a string contains a substring

contains([Product Name], 'Pro')

substr

Extract part of a string (position is 0-based)

substr([Product Code], 0, 3)

left

Leftmost characters

left([Country Code], 2)

right

Rightmost characters

right([Order ID], 4)

upper

Convert to uppercase

upper([Region])

lower

Convert to lowercase

lower([Email])

trim

Remove leading/trailing whitespace

trim([Customer Name])

strlen

Length of a string

strlen([Product Code])

replace

Replace a substring

replace([Phone], '-', '')

Date functions

Function	Description	Example
today	Current date	today()
now	Current timestamp	now()
year	Year from a date	year([Order Date])
month_number	Month number (1–12) from a date	month_number([Order Date])
day_of_week	Day of week from a date	day_of_week([Order Date])
quarter_number	Quarter number from a date	quarter_number([Close Date])
add_days	Add days to a date	add_days([Order Date], 30)
diff_days	Days between two dates	diff_days([Order Date], today())
start_of_month	First day of the month for a date	start_of_month([Order Date])
to_date	Convert a string to a date using a format mask	to_date(Date String, [yyyy-MM-dd])

Function

Description

Example

today

Current date

today()

now

Current timestamp

now()

year

Year from a date

year([Order Date])

month_number

Month number (1–12) from a date

month_number([Order Date])

day_of_week

Day of week from a date

day_of_week([Order Date])

quarter_number

Quarter number from a date

quarter_number([Close Date])

add_days

Add days to a date

add_days([Order Date], 30)

diff_days

Days between two dates

diff_days([Order Date], today())

start_of_month

First day of the month for a date

start_of_month([Order Date])

to_date

Convert a string to a date using a format mask

to_date(Date String, [yyyy-MM-dd])

Lookups: There is no lookup function. To bring in values from another table, add that table as a joined dimension in the data model. The join is then available to every spreadsheet built on the Model.

This release inherits the ThoughtSpot formula engine (approximately 70+ functions). The tables above list the most common functions for spreadsheet work; for the complete function list and exact signatures, see the ThoughtSpot formula reference.

Sorting

Sort applies to the full result set, not just the visible page.

Action	How to do it
Sort a single column	Open the column header dropdown and select ascending or descending.
Sort by multiple columns	Select Sort in the toolbar to open the advanced sort dialog and add levels (for example, Region ascending, then Revenue descending).
Sort by a formula column	Sort formula columns the same way as source columns.

Action

How to do it

Sort a single column

Open the column header dropdown and select ascending or descending.

Sort by multiple columns

Select Sort in the toolbar to open the advanced sort dialog and add levels (for example, Region ascending, then Revenue descending).

Sort by a formula column

Sort formula columns the same way as source columns.

Sort is session-only. Sorting is not saved with the Answer. When you save, the save dialog notes that sort order will not be retained.

Filtering

Filters narrow the rows shown in the grid and run against the full result set. You can apply filters to more than one column at a time.

Action	How to do it
Filter a column	Open the column header dropdown and set filter conditions, or select Filter in the toolbar.
Remove a filter	Select the X on the filter chip in the filter bar.

Action

How to do it

Filter a column

Open the column header dropdown and set filter conditions, or select Filter in the toolbar.

Remove a filter

Select the X on the filter chip in the filter bar.

Filter options adapt to the column’s data type:

Numeric columns: range conditions (between, greater than, less than).
Text columns: multi-select of specific values, with search to find values quickly.
Date columns: date-range selection.

Filters are session-only. Filters are not saved with the Answer. The save dialog notes that filters will not be retained.

Conditional formatting

Conditional formatting highlights cells based on their values, so you can spot outliers and priorities without reading every row. Apply it from the toolbar. You can add more than one rule to the same column, and clear all rules to remove the formatting.

Rule type	Description
Threshold	Fill or highlight cells that meet a condition (for example, red if value is below 1,000,000).
Color scale	Apply a gradient across a column’s range (for example, green-yellow-red).

Rule type

Description

Threshold

Fill or highlight cells that meet a condition (for example, red if value is below 1,000,000).

Color scale

Apply a gradient across a column’s range (for example, green-yellow-red).

Conditional formatting is applied in your browser only; it does not change the underlying data.

Conditional formatting is session-only. It is not saved with the Answer. The save dialog notes that formatting rules will not be retained.

Saving and what persists

Select Save as Answer in the toolbar (or press Cmd/Ctrl + S) to save your work. Saving creates a self-contained Answer tagged spreadsheet. It does not modify the underlying data model.

Some of your work is saved with the Answer, and some applies only to your current session. The save dialog lists the formula columns being saved and reminds you that sort, filter, and conditional formatting are session-only.

Item	Saved with the Answer?
Formula columns	Yes
Column order	Yes
Column visibility (hidden/shown)	Yes
Sort order	No — session only
Filters	No — session only
Conditional formatting	No — session only

Item

Saved with the Answer?

Formula columns

Yes

Column order

Yes

Column visibility (hidden/shown)

Yes

Sort order

No — session only

Filters

No — session only

Conditional formatting

No — session only

A saved spreadsheet Answer always reopens in spreadsheet mode. Its formula columns are also visible when the Answer is viewed as a standard table.

Governance and security

Row-level security (RLS) and column-level security (CLS) from the Model are enforced in Spreadsheet. You see only the rows and columns you are permitted to see.
Formula columns are stored in the Answer, not in the Model. They do not change the shared Model and are not visible to other users unless you share the Answer with them.
CSV download respects the active row-level security and filters.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`F`	Toggle full-screen mode
`Cmd`/`Ctrl` + `S`	Open the Save dialog
`Cmd`/`Ctrl` + `Z`	Undo
`Cmd`/`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Z`	Redo
`Cmd`/`Ctrl` + `F`	Find in the visible data

Shortcut

Action

F

Toggle full-screen mode

Cmd/Ctrl + S

Open the Save dialog

Cmd/Ctrl + Z

Undo

Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z

Redo

Cmd/Ctrl + F

Find in the visible data

SpreadsheetEarly Access

Before you begin

Entry points

Toolbar reference

TML

Columns

Formulas

Referencing columns and values

Operators

Conditional logic

Aggregation functions

Window functions

Math functions

Conditional and null-handling functions

String functions

Date functions

Sorting

Filtering

Conditional formatting

Saving and what persists

Governance and security

Keyboard shortcuts

Spreadsheet