Defending Dignity A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 8.1.2. Importing secondary data Unless you are entering primary data into the spreadsheet itself, the second step is to import your data. This could be primary data you have recorded in another software program, or secondary data that you have downloaded from an online source, such as the World Bank or a particular government ministry. If you are downloading secondary data, make sure that it is in the correct format. You will have the option to choose the format of the data you wish to download from the data source. One of the most common formats for downloading data is “CSV”, which stands for “comma separated values”. This is a format that can be read easily by Excel. HELPFUL TIP Whenever you download a dataset, the first thing you should do is to make a copy of it. Any changes you make should be done in this copy. This means that you can go back and check the original data at any time. It is also good practice to note where you sourced your data from, and when and how it was retrieved. To import data, select the “Data” tab at the top of the page. This will then show you different options for importing data (e.g. “From Access”, “From Web”, “From Text”). If you select “From Text”, this will open a dialog box, from which you select the file you have previously downloaded. If the “Text Import Wizard” dialog box pops up, you can leave the selections set to their defaults: • Step 1 (data type): Delimited • Step 2 (delimiters): Tab • Step 3 (column data format): General Some useful keyboard shortcuts include: • Copy [Ctrl + c]: copies the selected cells into the clipboard • Paste [Ctrl + v]: pastes the clipboard • Cut [Ctrl + x]: copies the selected cells into the clipboard and removes them from their original position • Undo [Ctrl + z]: undoes the last change you made • Redo [Ctrl + y]: undoes an undo 8.1.3. Entering primary data If you are entering your own data into a spreadsheet, it is crucial to do so in a consistent, standardized way. Data that is entered inconsistently is harder to search, count, sort and filter. For example, the following demographic information is entered into the spreadsheet: 84 Name Sex Arun m Hyun Male Eleanor F