Using and Exploring Hierarchical Data in Spreadsheets
summary
A spreadsheet prototype called Gneiss lets users drag JSON fields into columns and view data as nested tables that reshape dynamically when columns move, support grouping, sorting and filtering at deeper levels, and join hierarchical objects by common keys while preserving one object’s structure. It extends formulas with labels like C1.1.2 for nested selection and supports aggregation (e.g., using count C1), handles missing fields as blanks, and yields a back-end hierarchical JSON so users complete exploration tasks about twice as fast as Excel users and many programmers in the authors’ lab study.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction to talk
- 0:26Motivation for hierarchical data
- 3:58Problems with current spreadsheets
- 5:01Gneiss tool and contributions
- 6:25Nested table visualization demo
- 9:18Grouping and aggregation in Gneiss
- 11:28Spreadsheet formulas for hierarchies
- 12:32Sorting and filtering nested data
- 12:55Joining hierarchical objects
- 14:38Study results and evaluation
- 15:24Conclusion and future work
- 16:33Q&A session
