Upload a spreadsheet export and ask plain-English questions about it, such as which campaign cost the most or which customers paid late, with the working shown so you can check it.
Who it is for
Owners with sales, ad, expense or job data in a spreadsheet who want answers without building formulas.
Tools
Claude or ChatGPT with file upload
A CSV or Excel export of your data
Steps
Export the sheet as CSV or Excel. Remove columns with personal or payment details you do not need for the question.
Upload it. Anthropic says you can upload CSV and other files for data analysis and charts.
Ask it to describe the columns first and confirm what each one means. Fix any wrong guesses before asking real questions.
Ask one question at a time with the prompt below, and require the rows and math behind each answer.
Spot-check one answer by hand in the sheet. If it is wrong, tell it which number is wrong and why.
Ask for a small chart or a cleaned table you can paste back into your sheet.
The prompt
I uploaded a spreadsheet. First, list each column and what you think it means, then wait for me to confirm.
After I confirm, answer this question: [YOUR QUESTION, E.G. WHICH AD CAMPAIGN COST THE MOST PER LEAD LAST MONTH?]
Rules:
- Show the exact rows and the math you used.
- Say how many rows you included and why any were left out.
- If the data cannot answer the question, say so and say what column is missing.
- Do not round money until the final answer.
Tips
Confirm column meanings first; most wrong answers come from a misread column.
Ask for the rows behind the answer, not just the answer.
Keep a copy of the original file; never let a tool overwrite your only sheet.