Exporting CSVs is easy, but extracting meaningful insight from your data can be difficult if you’re not an analyst and do not have access to a BI platform.

To bridge that gap, we’ve created a structured Google Sheet/Excel file designed to surface useful insights from your exported proofing data. It doesn’t replace a BI tool, but it gives you a starting point—ideal for teams who want to identify patterns, spot bottlenecks, or assess reviewer activity without building queries or dashboards from scratch.

This template is preconfigured with:

• Raw data tabs to add your exported data:  Proofs, Stages, Reviewers, and Comments

• Data preparation tabs that transform the raw data from your export tabs to provide more complete information

• Report tabs with formulas to understand high-level issues at a glance

It’s designed to be simple but functional, something you can use right away with minimal setup.

This tool is useful if you:

• Want a easy way to learn more from your data

• Don’t have access to (or time to configure) a BI tool

• Need a shareable summary to communicate across your team

Add your data

Prerequisites

1. Create and download your CSV export files.
   Note: For the formulas in the Google sheet/Excel template to work correctly, choose to export:
   - All properties 
   - All data types (Proofs, Stages, Reviewers, and Comments)
   - Spreadsheet-compatible format
2. Unzip your CSV export files. You should have four files: proofs, stages, reviewers, and comments.
3. Go here and make a copy of the Google sheet template or the Excel template. Save it on your own drive and open it. 
   The four blue tabs on the template are for your export data: Proof Versions, Stages, Reviewers, and Comments.

Add your data to the Google sheet

Follow these steps to upload your proofing data and start exploring insights.

1. In your copy of the Export to CSV Google sheet, select one of the first four blue tabs.
   Go to File > Import > Upload and select the matching CSV file that you exported and unzipped.
   For Import location, choose Replace current sheet.
   For Separator type, choose Automatic
   For Convert text to numbers and dates, choose Yes (recommended)
2. Select Import Data. Your data is imported into the Google sheet.
3. Repeat these steps for each of the blue tabs with the matching CSV file.

Once your data is imported, the formulas in the Data preparation, Overview Dashboard, and Reports tabs will update automatically.

Note: You must repeat this process every time you want to analyze a new set of proof data. Always make sure to import fresh exports into the correct sheets to ensure the dashboard reflects the latest insights.

Add your data to the Excel sheet

The Excel sheet supports importing up to 10,000 records. To add more, extend the formulas into additional rows.

Follow these steps to upload your proofing data and start exploring insights.

Note: You must use the Desktop version of Excel to import your data.
Currently these instructions only work for PC users.

1. In your copy of the Export to CSV Excel file, select one of the first four blue tabs.
2. Delete the data in the tab.
3. Select cell A1.
4. Select the Data from the Excel menu, and choose From Text/CSV.
   
   
    
5. Browse to and select the matching CSV file that you exported and unzipped and select Import (e.g., If you are in the Proofs tab, select the Proofs CSV file).
6. In the modal window, select Load to.
   
   
    
7. In the Import Data window, select to view the data in a Table, put the data in an Existing worksheet (with $A$1 as the first cell), and select OK.
   
   
    
8. Repeat these steps for each of the blue tabs with the matching CSV file.

Once your data is imported, the formulas in the Data preparation, Overview Dashboard, and Reports tabs will update automatically.

Note: You must repeat this process every time you want to analyze a new set of proof data. Always make sure to import fresh exports into the correct sheets to ensure the dashboard reflects the latest insights.
In Excel, pivot tables do not update automatically. From the Excel menu, select Pivot table analysis and Refresh. 

Data preparation tabs (orange)

The orange section of the spreadsheet transforms your raw data and prepares it for reporting. It:

• Normalizes date formats
• Adds calculated columns for time-based metrics and flags
• Groups and joins data across proofs versions, stages, reviewers, and comments
• Creates intermediate datasets for the Reports section (green), which handles reporting

You do not need to do anything with the orange tabs. They are the place where your raw data is transformed for the formulas in the Reports section to use.

• Proof Versions with Metrics
• Proofs with Metrics
• Stages and Proofs with Metrics
• Reviewers and Proofs and Stages with Metrics
• Comments and Rules and Stages with Metrics

Structure of formulas and data

Each data preparation tab has this structure:

• The ProofVersionID or ProofID column references the raw data source.
• Calculated and helper columns contain formulas that use your raw data for insights and calculations.

Source data formula

• The column labelled ProofVersionID or ProofID  has a formula in row 1 that references data from the corresponding raw data in the blue section (Proof Versions, Stages, Reviewers, Comments). It instructs the table where to go to get the raw data it needs to perform calculations. For ProofID, the formula is also in the second column.
• Columns from the raw file (e.g., date fields, names, statuses) are static and do not contain formulas. They are pulled in automatically when the formula is entered.

Calculated/helper columns

From row 2 down, formulas in calculated columns use your raw data to calculate:

• Turnaround times (in hours, days, minutes)
• Date dimensions (year, month, week)
• Flags and logic-based metrics used in the dashboard
   

Special case: Proofs with metrics tab

Instead of mirroring the source, Proofs with metrics aggregates data from Proof Versions into single records per proof.

Some examples of derived metrics:

• When the first version was created
• When the final decision occurred
• Total turnaround time for the proof
• Average number of versions per proof

Additional metrics can be added depending on your reporting needs.

View insights: Overview dashboard and 
Reports 

View a high-level summary and detailed analyses of your proofing data. The Overview dashboard shows key metrics and trends at a glance, while the Reports section provides pivot-based views to help you track performance, spot bottlenecks, and understand reviewer behavior. 

Overview dashboard

The Overview Dashboard provides a high-level summary of all data imported into the spreadsheet and helps users quickly assess proof activity, turnaround times, and reviewer efficiency.

Version date range

Located in the top-right corner of the dashboard:

• Version Created From and Version Created To show the earliest and latest version creation dates
• These fields define the reporting period covered by the dashboard

Summary metrics

At the top, the dashboard displays four key metrics:

• Total Proofs: Number of unique proofs created (not including versions).
• Total Proof Versions: Total count of all proof versions across all proofs.
• Total Comments: Total number of comments across all versions.
• Total Decisions: Total number of final decisions made (e.g., Approved, Rejected).
   

Proof-level insights

This section provides high-level performance metrics specific to proofs:

Stage-level insights

This section helps users understand performance at the stage level:

Reviewer-level insights

Provides individual reviewer performance and engagement.

View source data for Overview dashboard

To explore the source data behind any chart or metric:

1. Double-click the chart.
   The Chart Editor opens on the right.
2. View the data range used by the chart.

Most of the dashboard components pull data from the Report section (green) of the spreadsheet which is  derived from the raw data. 

Report tabs (green)

The green section of the spreadsheet contains the core reports and visualizations built from your prepared data. These tabs turn the processed datasets from the orange section into pivot tables, charts, and summaries that feed directly into the Overview dashboard.

These reports are used for:

• Tracking performance
• Identifying bottlenecks
• Analyzing team and reviewer behavior
• Supporting KPI reporting across workflows

Structure

Report tabs include:

• A pivot table summarizing key metrics
• An optional chart to visualize trends or comparisons
• A data source pulled from one of the orange section’s prepared datasets

Standard report descriptions

Create custom reports

You can create custom reports by:

1. Creating a new tab (use green or another distinct color)
2. Building a pivot table based on any dataset from the yellow section
3. Adding filters, groupings, or charts as needed

This flexibility allows teams to build reporting around specific KPIs, custom folder structures, or workflow needs.

Targets tab

Use this tab to define performance benchmarks for your team:

• Proof Turnaround Time (days)
• Proof Version Turnaround Time (days)
• Stage Turnaround Time (days)

These values are referenced across the dashboard and reports to compare actual performance vs. targets to highlight where you’re excelling and where there’s room for improvement.
 

Troubleshooting

• Double-check that the correct file is imported into each matching tab.
• If formulas break, use Undo and re-import.
• Make sure you replace the existing sheet each time (don’t append). For the pivot tables:
  1. Select the table
  2. Select Edit.
  3. Select Range.
  4. Verify that the range covers the entire set or data.