AI Prompts for Excel, Data & Reports

Prompts to build formulas, clean messy sheets and explain numbers. Describe your columns clearly and the AI will do the rest.

Last updated: 13 November 2026

Resources / Prompt pack · By the MoneyTrees team

Prompts to copy

Write a formula

My sheet has columns [A: Date, B: Region, C: Amount, D: Status]. Give me an Excel formula to [goal]. Explain each part in simple words and tell me what to change if my data starts at row 2.

Fix a broken formula

This formula gives [error, e.g. #N/A]: [paste formula]. My data looks like: [describe]. Explain the likely cause and give a corrected version.

Clean messy data

I have a column of [names/phone numbers/dates] in mixed formats, for example: [paste 5 samples]. Give me step-by-step Excel instructions or formulas to make them consistent.

Plan a pivot table

I want to see [metric] by [category] and [month]. Explain step by step how to build this pivot table in Excel, and which chart suits it best.

Find insights

Here is my data: [paste a small table]. List the 5 most important trends, anything unusual, and 3 questions I should investigate further. Do not guess numbers that are not in the data.

Turn numbers into a report

Write a short monthly report from these figures: [paste]. Sections: Summary, What went up, What went down, Likely reasons to check, Next steps.

Explain to a non-finance audience

Explain these results to a team with no finance background in 5 simple bullets: [paste].

Build a tracker

Design a simple Excel tracker for [purpose, e.g. weekly sales leads]. List columns, data types, drop-down options and one summary formula.

Weak prompt vs better prompt

Weak: Give me an Excel formula for sales.

Better: Column B is Region, column C is Amount, column D is Status. Give me a formula that totals Amount for Region 'North' where Status is 'Paid'.

Formulas depend on exact column positions and conditions. Naming them gets a formula that works first time.

Common mistakes

  • Trusting AI calculations on large data — let Excel do the maths, use AI for the formula.
  • Pasting sensitive salary or customer data into a public tool.
  • Not testing the formula on a few rows you can check by hand.

Go further

Learn the full method in the AI Office Toolkit, or browse all courses.

More free material: Free AI Prompts for Work · AI Prompts for Managers & Meetings · How Indian Professionals Can Use AI at Work: A Practical Guide

Editorial note: these prompts and explanations are written and reviewed by the MoneyTrees team for general learning. AI output can be wrong — always check facts, numbers and company policy before using it.