# How to export Cityscape data to a spreadsheet Cityscape members benefit from being able to download nearly all of our data with the click of a button. Every map and table can be exported to a format usable in spreadsheets and a format usable in map making and GIS software. This tutorial will guide users to get data from Chicago Cityscape into a spreadsheet program. ## Finding data Datasets that Cityscape members commonly download are from the Building Permits Browser, Property Finder, and Sales Comps, but the steps are identical to each. Use our advanced filters to load just the data you want, as many of our filters cannot be replicated in your spreadsheet program. For example, it's possible to filter Chicago building permits, Cook County parcels, and Cook County property sales by proximity to CTA and Metra stations only on ChicagoCityscape.com. Downloading data will export only the visible rows, so use the dropdown menu below the table to increase the number of rows visible. When you've loaded the data you want to copy into a spreadsheet program, look for the "Download the data" row of buttons below the table. ## Downloading data The "Download the data" row of buttons below each table provides the following options: - Export as CSV - Print - Copy to clipboard - CSV for Avery (optional) - GIS map - Google Earth  ### Download button descriptions "Copy to clipboard" will copy the visible tabular data to your computer's clipboard. This information can be pasted into a spreadsheet program, and retain its tabular format, but the results are not always consistent across everyone's computers and tablets so we recommend "Export as CSV". The "Export as CSV" button will cause your browser to download a <code>.csv</code> file. CSV stands for "Comma Separated Values" and is the most common format for saving and sharing tabular data. It's also not proprietary and can be imported by every spreadsheet program. We recommend using this button. The "Print" button will open a new tab in your browser and show the visible data in a print-friendly format, ideal for saving or printing as PDF. The last two buttons, "GIS map" and "Google Earth" are useful for quickly loading the Cityscape data into a GIS program (like QGIS) or Google Earth, respectively. The "GIS map" button will export a <code>.geojson</code> file and the "Google Earth" button will export a <code>.kml</code> file. ([[Exporting for GIS|Read this other tutorial to learn how to export for GIS]].) Tip: The Building Permits Browser has an additional button, called "Contractors". See [[Finding contractors in Chicago]] for more information on how to use that feature. ## Importing downloaded data to a spreadsheet Once you've clicked "Export as CSV", a <code>.csv</code> file will be downloaded. Look in your browser's Downloads area, or in your computer's Downloads folder, to find the downloaded CSV file. The following two sections explain how to load that CSV file into two spreadsheet programs, Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. ### Google Sheets - Open a new and empty Google Sheets document by accessing [http://sheet.new](http://sheet.new). - Click on "File" menu, then "Import", and an "Import file" dialog box will appear. - Click on the "Upload" tab. From here, either drag the downloaded CSV file into the dialog box or click the blue "Select a file from your device" button to browse your computer for the CSV file. Then double-click the file. - Before clicking the green "Import data" button, we recommend unchecking the box called "Convert text to..." because parcel IDs (PINs) are not numbers since some of them start with "0". If a spreadsheet program converts PINs to a number field you will encounter issues. - After you click the "Import data" button, the empty spreadsheet will refresh and show the Cityscape data. ### Microsoft Excel We recommend using Microsoft Excel's *Text Import Wizard* to avoid problems that can occur during the normal process Excel uses to open CSV files (Excel guesses the data type for each cell and it fails to guess the data type for PINs). TIW is a legacy feature and may not be enabled by default in your version of Excel. [Follow the directions in Microsoft's tutorial](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/import-or-export-text-txt-or-csv-files-5250ac4c-663c-47ce-937b-339e391393ba) that's appropriate to your version of Excel. When asked by the Text Import Wizard if you want to automatically format data, decline the option. The option to decline may be in a "Properties" dialog. This is important because parcel IDs (PINs) are not numbers since some of them start with "0". If a spreadsheet program converts PINs to a number field you will encounter issues. ## Data sources Chicago Cityscape documents nearly all its data sources; check our [Sources page](/sources.php) to determine how you should cite the data in your reports and presentations. ## Conclusion CSV files are the most common format to store tabular data. It can be imported to various spreadsheet programs and this tutorial covered how to import Cityscape data into Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. # Related articles - [[Exporting for GIS]] - [[Notice letters|Learn how to export in a format for Avery labels]]