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How to Open Excel Files in AddMaple

Summary: Learn how to start a new project in AddMaple by uploading Excel files (.xlsx or .xls). This guide covers sheet selection, headers, file limits, and troubleshooting.

TL;DR

  • Go to New Project → Select File and upload your Excel file.
  • If there are multiple sheets, choose the sheet with raw data (not summaries).
  • AddMaple detects headers automatically and prepares the data for analysis.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Start a new project

    • From the dashboard, click New Project.
    • Select File and browse to your Excel file (.xlsx or .xls).

  2. Select a sheet (if applicable)

    • If your Excel file has multiple sheets, AddMaple will prompt you to select one.
    • Choose the sheet that contains raw, row-level data.
    • ⚠️ If you accidentally select the wrong sheet, you’ll need to create a new project to re-import.

  3. Data loading

    • AddMaple will load your data, automatically clean it, and detect variable types.
    • Headers are identified automatically, even if:
      • There are blank header rows.
      • Survey platforms (e.g. SurveyMonkey) export headers across two rows.

  4. Limits

    • Supports thousands of variables (columns).
    • Supports hundreds of thousands of rows.

  5. Next steps

    • Once loaded, you can adjust grouping, combining, and variable types in the preparation tools.
    • See Managing columns for details.

Troubleshooting

  • Error opening file: Some Excel exports may cause problems. If your file does not open:
    • Re-export it as a CSV with a single header row.
    • Then re-import into AddMaple.