Sharing And Version Control Basics

Why this matters

As a Marketing Analyst, you often share spreadsheets containing campaign performance, budgets, lead funnels, and forecasts. Clean collaboration prevents costly mistakes like overwritten formulas, mismatched versions, and unauthorized edits.

• Collaborate safely with teams, agencies, and sales leaders.
• Protect key cells (targets, formulas) while enabling teammates to input data.
• Recover quickly from errors with version history instead of rebuilding work.

Note: The Quick Test at the end is available to everyone. Create a free account to save your progress.

Who this is for

• Marketing Analysts and coordinators collaborating on shared spreadsheets.
• Anyone responsible for campaign tracking, budget updates, or reporting.

Prerequisites

• Basic spreadsheet editing: formulas, formatting, filters.
• Familiarity with a cloud spreadsheet (e.g., Google Sheets or Excel for Microsoft 365/OneDrive) for real-time collaboration.

Concept explained simply

Sharing is about choosing who can see or edit your spreadsheet. Version control is your safety net that keeps a time-stamped history of changes so you can compare or revert.

Mental model

Think of your spreadsheet as a shared kitchen:

• Viewer: can look at the dish.
• Commenter: can leave notes near the dish.
• Editor: can cook and change the dish.
• Protected ranges: the chef’s secret sauce—nobody edits it except approved cooks.
• Version history: a time machine to roll back the dish to how it was yesterday.

Worked examples

Example 1: Share safely with an external agency

1. Open your campaign performance sheet.
2. Share with the agency contact as Commenter.
3. Protect the columns with formulas and targets (e.g., C:D and H). Allow edit access only for internal analysts.
4. Add a note at the top: "Enter weekly spend in column E only."

Outcome: The agency can leave clarifying comments but can’t modify formulas or targets.

Example 2: Recover from a mistaken edit

1. Someone overwrote a formula in ROI column.
2. Open version history and compare the current version to yesterday’s snapshot.
3. Restore the entire version or copy the correct formula from the old version and paste it back into the affected cells.
4. Create a named version: "Restored ROI formulas".

Outcome: You fix the sheet in minutes with a clear audit trail.

Example 3: Sandbox without risking the main report

1. Make a copy of the file and append "_sandbox" to the name.
2. Experiment with a new attribution formula and added columns.
3. When satisfied, paste only the finalized formulas back into the main file’s working tab.
4. Create a named version in the main file: "New attribution live".

Outcome: You explore freely while protecting the single source of truth.

How to do it step-by-step

Set permissions

1. Open sharing settings.
2. Add people: internal team as Editor; external parties as Commenter or Viewer.
3. Disable resharing if available (prevent share sprawl).
4. Add a one-line sharing note: purpose and where to edit.

Protect critical cells

1. Select formula columns and assumptions.
2. Protect range/sheet; grant edit to trusted roles only.
3. Optionally enable warning-only for risky areas to nudge careful edits.

Use version history

1. Before major changes, save a named version (e.g., "Pre Q2 refresh").
2. After updates, save another named version (e.g., "Q2 live").
3. If an issue appears, compare versions and restore or copy the good cells.

Communicate changes

1. At the top of the dashboard tab, keep a tiny change log:

• 2025-01-14: Updated ROAS formula to include brand search
• 2025-01-10: Locked budget assumptions

Exercises (hands-on)

These mirror the exercises below. Use any cloud spreadsheet with sharing, protection, and version history.

Exercise ex1 — Safe sharing and protections

1. Create a sheet with columns: Date, Channel, Spend, Clicks, Conversions, ROAS (formula).
2. Share: teammate as Editor; external tester as Commenter.
3. Protect the ROAS column and any assumptions.
4. Add a note at the top explaining where editors can type.

Exercise ex2 — Version history recovery

1. Save a named version: "Baseline".
2. Intentionally break a formula and change a number.
3. Use version history to restore or copy back the correct cells.
4. Save a named version: "Restored baseline".

Common mistakes and how to self-check

• Over-granting Editor access: If many people can edit, audit the last 7 days of changes. Reduce permissions.
• Locking everything: If nobody can edit inputs, collaboration stalls. Keep inputs open and formulas locked.
• Editing with standard filters: This hides rows for everyone. Use filter views so your teammates’ view isn’t affected.
• No named versions before big changes: Create one before and after every major update.
• Confusing copies: Multiple files named "Final". Use consistent names and keep a single source of truth.

Practical projects

• Budget tracker with protected assumptions: Lock targets and rates; enable inputs for monthly spend by channel.
• Campaign performance hub: One file with raw_data (view-only), working (edit), dashboard (viewer/commenter). Use named versions at each weekly refresh.
• Attribution sandbox: Separate sandbox file for experiments; merge approved formulas back to the main hub via copy-paste.

Learning path

1. Share settings and roles (Viewer, Commenter, Editor).
2. Protect ranges and sheets.
3. Filter views vs regular filters.
4. Version history and named versions.
5. Change logs and naming conventions.

Next steps

• Apply protections to your current reporting file.
• Create a "Pre refresh" named version before your next update.
• Run the Quick Test below to confirm your understanding.

Mini challenge

In a single session, convert one live report into a collaboration-safe file: assign correct access, add two protections, create one named version, and add a two-line change log. Share with your team and ask one person to try editing inputs while confirming they can’t change formulas.