Key Skills > Sample Data Excel Sample DataThis page has Microsoft Excel sample datasets that you can download, to use for testing, Excel training and demos, and other learning activities. Here are 3 ways to get sample Excel data:
Note: You many not resell this sample data, in whole or in part, or include it in paid products. |
Why Use Sample Data in Excel?This page has Microsoft Excel sample datasets that you can use for testing, Excel training and demos, and other learning activities. The sample file contents are described in the sections below, so you can decide which dataset will be the best match for what you need. You can see a screen shot of each dataset, and a list of the columns it contains, with a brief description. Then, to get started, you can download sample Excel file with data for your training sessions. Why do people download my sample data workbooks, to use in Excel?Here are a few of the reasons that people have shared with me, as to why they like using these datasets, with dummy data for Excel:
Sample Data FilesIn the sections below, there are brief descriptions of the sample data files. Each section has a download link, or a link to an instruction page where you can get details about the data, and download the sample file. |
1) Office Supply Sales DataThe first set of sample data on this page is sales data for an imaginary office supply company, and each row represents one sales order. There are formulas in one column - Total. Each row in the Excel dummy data shows the following fields:
To get this sample data:-- Copy and paste the data from the Office Supply Sales Table, further down on this page -- OR, click this link to download the Excel file: Office Supply Sales sample data workbook. |
2) Food Sales DataThis sample file has food sales data, from a fictional food company.
For details on this data, and to download the zipped Excel file, go to the Food Sales Sample Data page. |
3) Workplace Safety DataThis sample file has fake workplace safety report data.
Each row shows the following fields:
Workplace Safety: Click here to get the workplace safety data file. The zipped Excel file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros. Note: This screen shot shows the first 6 columns in the Workplace Safety dataset table. There are 8 additional columns in the dataset, as described above. Safety Data Analysis: See an example of how this workplace safety data can be used, on the Pivot Table Conditional Formatting Weekend Dates page. There are 3 pivot tables, showing incidents over 3 years. In each pivot table, the weekend dates are highlighted for easier comparison. |
4) Work Orders DataThis sample file has work orders data for an imaginary service company.
Each row shows these 13 manual entry fields:
Each row shows these 9 calculated fields:
Work Orders: Click here to get the work orders data file. The zipped Excel file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros. Note: This screen shot shows the first 8 columns in the Work Orders dataset table. There are 14 additional columns in the dataset, as described above. |
5) Hockey Players DataThis sample file has data from the 2018 Olympic Hockey teams, from Canada and the USA.
For details on this data, and to download the sample file, go to the hockey player data analysis page. 5a) Hockey Player Data AnalysisThis sample file has the same data as the file above -- 2018 Olympic Hockey teams, from Canada and the USA. In addition to the data, this file includes several pivot tables that I added for hockey player data analysis. For details on this data, and to download the sample file, go to the hockey player data analysis page. |
6) Winter Athletes DataThis sample Excel spreadsheet file has athlete data from the 2010 Winter Olympics, in Vancouver Canada.
Each row shows these 6 manual entry fields, with information about the Olympic participants:
Winter Athletes: Click here to get the winter athletes data file. The zipped Excel file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros. Note: This screen shot shows all 6 columns in the Winter Athletes dataset table. |
7) Football Players DataThis sample file has data for professional football players in the USA, for two teams, in two different years - 2010 and 2022. In January 2010, I watched a playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals. It was interesting that the players' numbers closely correlated with their physical size. So, I found the player rosters online, and got that data into Excel, for analysis. You can read about it in my Contextures blog post, and see the game summary on the ESPN website. Now I've added data for the 2022 team rosters, so you can compare years, teams, and/or player types!
In the Excel workbook, there is a player table with:
Each row shows these 10 manual entry fields:
Each row shows the following 6 calculated fields:
Football Players: Click here to get the Football Player data file. The zipped Excel file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros. Note: This screen shot shows the first 9 columns in the Football Player dataset table. There are 7 additional columns in the dataset, as described above. |
8) Food Nutrients DataThis sample Excel spreadsheet file has food nutrition data, based on data found in a Health Canada information booklet.
Each row shows these 8 manual entry fields, with information about the food items:
Suggested UseUse this data to demonstrate lookup formulas, such as VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX and MATCH. Also, show how to create dependent drop down lists, for category and food item. See the Excel Daily Calorie Counter page for an example. Get Food Nutrients Data FileFood Nutrients: Click here to get the food nutrients data file. The zipped Excel file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros. Note: This screen shot shows all 8 columns in the Food Nutrients dataset table. |
9) Insurance PoliciesThis sample file has fake commercial property insurance policy data.
Each row shows the following fields:
Click here to get the insurance policy data file. The zipped Excel file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros. |
Download Sample Data
Note: The other sample file download links are in the dataset sections, above. Check each section for its sample file download link. |
1a) Office Supply Sales TableFor your convenience, here are the quick steps to copy the data from the table below, and paste into your Excel worksheet:
Download: You can also get the sample office supply sales data in an Excel file -- click this link: Office Supply Sales sample data workbook. The zipped file is in xlsx format, and does not contain any macros. Sample Data |
OrderDate |
Region |
Rep |
Item |
Units |
UnitCost |
Total |
1/6/2020 |
East |
Jones |
Pencil |
95 |
1.99 |
189.05 |
1/23/2020 |
Central |
Kivell |
Binder |
50 |
19.99 |
999.50 |
2/9/2020 |
Central |
Jardine |
Pencil |
36 |
4.99 |
179.64 |
2/26/2020 |
Central |
Gill |
Pen |
27 |
19.99 |
539.73 |
3/15/2020 |
West |
Sorvino |
Pencil |
56 |
2.99 |
167.44 |
4/1/2020 |
East |
Jones |
Binder |
60 |
4.99 |
299.40 |
4/18/2020 |
Central |
Andrews |
Pencil |
75 |
1.99 |
149.25 |
5/5/2020 |
Central |
Jardine |
Pencil |
90 |
4.99 |
449.10 |
5/22/2020 |
West |
Thompson |
Pencil |
32 |
1.99 |
63.68 |
6/8/2020 |
East |
Jones |
Binder |
60 |
8.99 |
539.40 |
6/25/2020 |
Central |
Morgan |
Pencil |
90 |
4.99 |
449.10 |
7/12/2020 |
East |
Howard |
Binder |
29 |
1.99 |
57.71 |
7/29/2020 |
East |
Parent |
Binder |
81 |
19.99 |
1,619.19 |
8/15/2020 |
East |
Jones |
Pencil |
35 |
4.99 |
174.65 |
9/1/2020 |
Central |
Smith |
Desk |
2 |
125.00 |
250.00 |
9/18/2020 |
East |
Jones |
Pen Set |
16 |
15.99 |
255.84 |
10/5/2020 |
Central |
Morgan |
Binder |
28 |
8.99 |
251.72 |
10/22/2020 |
East |
Jones |
Pen |
64 |
8.99 |
575.36 |
11/8/2020 |
East |
Parent |
Pen |
15 |
19.99 |
299.85 |
11/25/2020 |
Central |
Kivell |
Pen Set |
96 |
4.99 |
479.04 |
12/12/2020 |
Central |
Smith |
Pencil |
67 |
1.29 |
86.43 |
12/29/2020 |
East |
Parent |
Pen Set |
74 |
15.99 |
1,183.26 |
1/15/2021 |
Central |
Gill |
Binder |
46 |
8.99 |
413.54 |
2/1/2021 |
Central |
Smith |
Binder |
87 |
15.00 |
1,305.00 |
2/18/2021 |
East |
Jones |
Binder |
4 |
4.99 |
19.96 |
3/7/2021 |
West |
Sorvino |
Binder |
7 |
19.99 |
139.93 |
3/24/2021 |
Central |
Jardine |
Pen Set |
50 |
4.99 |
249.50 |
4/10/2021 |
Central |
Andrews |
Pencil |
66 |
1.99 |
131.34 |
4/27/2021 |
East |
Howard |
Pen |
96 |
4.99 |
479.04 |
5/14/2021 |
Central |
Gill |
Pencil |
53 |
1.29 |
68.37 |
5/31/2021 |
Central |
Gill |
Binder |
80 |
8.99 |
719.20 |
6/17/2021 |
Central |
Kivell |
Desk |
5 |
125.00 |
625.00 |
7/4/2021 |
East |
Jones |
Pen Set |
62 |
4.99 |
309.38 |
7/21/2021 |
Central |
Morgan |
Pen Set |
55 |
12.49 |
686.95 |
8/7/2021 |
Central |
Kivell |
Pen Set |
42 |
23.95 |
1,005.90 |
8/24/2021 |
West |
Sorvino |
Desk |
3 |
275.00 |
825.00 |
9/10/2021 |
Central |
Gill |
Pencil |
7 |
1.29 |
9.03 |
9/27/2021 |
West |
Sorvino |
Pen |
76 |
1.99 |
151.24 |
10/14/2021 |
West |
Thompson |
Binder |
57 |
19.99 |
1,139.43 |
10/31/2021 |
Central |
Andrews |
Pencil |
14 |
1.29 |
18.06 |
11/17/2021 |
Central |
Jardine |
Binder |
11 |
4.99 |
54.89 |
12/4/2021 |
Central |
Jardine |
Binder |
94 |
19.99 |
1,879.06 |
12/21/2021 |
Central |
Andrews |
Binder |
28 |
4.99 |
139.72 |
Create Your Own Test DataIf you need to create sample test data in Excel, the RANDBETWEEN function can help you get the job done quickly. This video shows how to use the RANDBETWEEN function to quickly create test data with month headings, customer numbers, and random numbers. You'll also see how change the formulas to static values. There are written steps on the Excel RAND and RANDBETWEEN Functions page. |
Video: Create an Excel TableAfter you copy the Office Supply Sales sample data from the table above, and paste it into Excel, you can format the data as a named Excel table. This will make it easier to sort and filter the data. Watch this short video to see the steps, and there are written instructions on the Creating an Excel Table page. |
Related LinksHere are a few of my Contextures tutorials on working with data in Excel, organizing it in tables, and summarizing the data in pivot tables. -- Excel Tables -- Pivot Tables Excel TrainingFor video-based lessons on working with Excel data, I recommend these highly-rated courses, offered by Mynda Treacy, at her website, My Online Training Hub. NOTE: These are affiliate links, and I will earn a small commission if you purchase a product through these links. |
Last updated: June 17, 2023 2:13 PM