If you work within the world of sports betting, you will most likely be required to input, analyze and export data to various locations and platforms. Depending on how you utilize the information, this data-gathering process can be both time-consuming and mind-numbing. It is likely that you will find yourself repeating the same tasks over and over again, which leaves you with little room for error.
The good news is that there is a way to automate much of the data entry process, leaving you with more time to focus on higher-value activities. This blog post will walk you through the various steps necessary to achieve this objective.
Step 1: Create A New CSV File With The Correct Naming Convention
The first thing you need to do is create a new CSV file with the correct naming convention. Since your data is going to be imported into Excel, you will want to name your file something along the lines of “SportsBetting.csv”. You can also add a quotation mark to the end of the file name if you would like. For example, “SportsBetting” is the correct naming convention, but “SportsBetting” is also acceptable. When naming your file, you will want to keep in mind the following:
- The naming convention should be easy to understand
- The file should be compatible with a CSV viewer such as Excel or Google Sheets
- The file should not contain any strange characters
- The file should not be named “.xlsx” since that is the extension for Microsoft Excel files
- The file should be named after the first few lines of text, to make it easy for you to identify what the file contains
After you have completed step one, you will need to test the file you have created by double-clicking on it to open it in a Google Docs spreadsheet. This is a free utility that allows you to edit and view documents online. If you find that your data does not appear correctly in the Google Docs spreadsheet, it means that there is something wrong with the file you have made. You will need to go back and fix it, or create a new file. Once you have confirmed that the file is correct, you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Import The Data Into Excel
The second step is to import the data into Excel. This is a fairly straightforward process, and can be done with the click of a button. Once you have imported the data, you will need to review it, and make sure that all of the information is entered correctly. You can use the following steps to enter the data into Excel:
- Select the data you would like to import from the CSV file you previously created
- Click on the “Data” tab
- Click on the “From Text” button
- Type in the column header for “Date”
- Type in the column header for “Bets”
- Click on the “Comma” button
- Type in the column header for “Total”
- Click on the “Enter” button
- Review the imported data and make sure that everything is entered correctly
- If you notice any errors, you can either manually fix them in Excel, or you can click on the “Data” tab and delete the column you erroneously entered data into (using the “Delete” button)
- You can repeat steps two through four for any other columns you find necessary
- You can then save your file and close the sheet
You will need to go back and reimport the data if you make any changes to it manually. You can save your Excel file and reopen it later, or you can use the “Save As” feature to save it in a different format, such as CSV, for example.
Step 3: Create A Template For Subsequent Data Imports
Once you have entered the data into Excel, you can create a template for subsequent data imports. This can be done using the following steps:
- Select “Data” from the “File” menu
- Click on the “New” button
- Click on the “sheet” icon to the far right of “Data” to bring up the sheet editor
- Click on the “Home” tab
- Click on the “Edit” button
- Click on the “Templates” button to bring up the templates dialog box
- Click on the “New” button to bring up the templates dialog box
- Click on the “Template” pull-down menu and select “Master Sheet”
- Click on the “Import” button to bring up the CSV importer
- Click on the “Next” button to begin the import process
The templates allow you to store commonly used sets of parameters for import operations. Since this is a fairly time-consuming process, you can minimize the amount of time you spend doing it by creating a series of templates for different situations. You can create a template for each person doing the import, or you can create one that is used for all of your imports. The choice is entirely up to you, but you should probably create one that is used for all of your imports, to ensure consistency throughout the process. When creating a template, you will want to keep in mind the following:
- The template should be easy to understand
- The template should be easy to fill out
- The template should not contain any blank cells
- The template should not be a Microsoft Excel 2003 template
- The template should be compatible with a CSV viewer such as Excel or Google Sheets
- The template should not be named “.xlsx” since that is the extension for Microsoft Excel files
- The template should be named after the first few lines of text, to make it easy for you to identify what the template contains
Once you have filled out your template, you can click on the “Next” button to begin the import process. You will need to repeat this step for each column you are importing, since the CSV importer cannot handle everything at once.
Step 4: Use The Data You Import To Answer Certain Questions
The final step is to put the data you entered into Excel into answering certain questions. Imagine that you are a sportsbook and you want to find out the average number of bets placed on a certain team per day. You can use the following steps to find that out:
- Go to “Sheet”>
- Select the cell containing the information you want to analyze (in this case “Bets”)
- Click on the “Data” tab
- Click on the “Descriptive Statistics” button
- Type in the heading below “Average daily bets”, to determine the average number of bets per day
- Click on the “OK” button
Hopefully, this post has given you a good understanding of how to import sports betting data into Excel. Since the process is fairly straightforward, you will find that it is not as daunting as it may seem. By taking the time to create a process, you will be able to save yourself a great deal of effort down the line. Additionally, having the data in a standardized location will make the whole process much easier for anyone else who has to interact with it in the future.