Prepare data for import
You may need to prepare your data prior to uploading it into Google Fusion Tables.
Double-check data formats
Addresses. To put addresses on the map, Fusion Tables needs all the pieces in one column. If the location data is in several columns, see Combine multi-column locations.
Locations. See Geographic data types.
Percents %. Fusion Tables handles percentages as strings. If you want to use percentages as numbers, you'll need to change your data into actual numbers before you import.
Formulas. If a spreadsheet uses formulas, save the file as .csv first, then import the table.
Merging with another table?
If you plan to merge with another table, make sure there's a column holding data that will match a column in the other table. For example, if you are merging tables based on "county name," the match will work between one column with "Columbia" and another with "COLUMBIA", but it won't match "Columbia, OR." Although the case of the text can differ, the letters must be exactly the same.
Solve spreadsheet layout quirks
These situations are particularly common for spreadsheets that have been prepared for publication.
Column names. Fusion Tables only recognizes a single row of column names. If column headers in your spreadsheet span multiple rows, edit them so they occupy a single row.
Fill in implied values. Some spreadsheets assume the layout remains constant. You may need to copy a category header into each row to ensure the information will be in the rows as you expect after import.
For example, if your spreadsheet looks like this, where "Africa" is listed once, followed by records for each country in Africa:
| Continent | Country | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | Algeria | 33.8 |
| Angola | 12.5 | |
| Benin | 8.5 | |
| Botswana | 1.8 | |
| Burkina Faso | 15.2 |
You'll want to copy "Africa" into each row:
| Continent | Country | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | Algeria | 33.8 |
| Africa | Angola | 12.5 |
| Africa | Benin | 8.5 |
| Africa | Botswana | 1.8 |
| Africa | Burkina Faso | 15.2 |
Extra-tabular comments. Delete any comments and explanations that are not part of the tabular data from the file you upload. You can put these explanations in the description field during import, or use the commenting features in Fusion Tables to annotate your table's data.