Column Data Type

Assign a data type—Text, Number, or Date—to each column. For Number, choose from four formats: Default, Decimal, Compact, or Currency. Accurate typing ensures meaningful sorting, filtering, and formatting.

Number formats

  • Default: plain integer (e.g. 1234567890)
  • Decimal: thousands separators + two decimals (e.g. 1,234,567,890.50)
  • Compact: abbreviated (e.g. 1.23B)
  • Currency: locale‑aware with symbol (e.g. $1,234,567.89)

How to set column type

  1. Edit the Simple Tables macro or import dialog.
  2. Open the column settings.
  3. Select Text, Number, or Date.
  4. If Number, pick one of the four formats.
  5. Preview updates instantly.
  6. Click Save to apply.

Why it matters

Correct types enable true sorting, alignment, and formatting—making tables professional, readable, and reliable without manual tweaks.

Use case: Document library
avatar

Doc Writer

Acme Co — Knowledge Base

Context and challenge:
Maintaining a page listing policies with titles and authors. Without proper typing, names could sort incorrectly (e.g. “10th policy” before “2nd”).

Solution – Text columns:
Set both “Title” and “Author” as Text. Titles and names now alphabetize properly, ensuring consistent order.

Use case: Budget tracker
avatar

Budget Analyst

Acme Co — Finance

Context and challenge:
Finance teams track spending in multiple currencies. Without formatting, raw numbers are hard to interpret and prone to mistake.

Solution – Currency format:
Set the “Amount” column as Number → Currency (EUR). Now values show “€123,456.78” and sort correctly.

Use case: Dashboard metrics
avatar

Product Lead

Acme Co — Product

Context and challenge:
Showing user stats like views or downloads. Big numbers overwhelm the interface and take too long to scan.

Solution – Compact format:
Use Number → Compact. Numbers now display as “1.2M”, “3.4K”, tidy and aligned.

Use case: Engineering data
avatar

System Engineer

Acme Co — Ops

Context and challenge:
Logging server response times in milliseconds. Raw values like “1234.5” are hard to read at a glance.

Solution – Decimal format:
Set the “Latency (ms)” column to Number → Decimal. Now values show “1,234.50 ms” with clear grouping.

Use case: Release schedule
avatar

Release Manager

Acme Co — Product

Context and challenge:
Listing release dates. Without proper typing, “10/01” may appear before “2/15”, leading to confusion.

Solution – Date column:
Set “Release Date” as Date. Dates now sort chronologically and filter by month/year accurately.