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- 🧾 How to Use AI to Speed Up Excel Analysis (Without Fighting Formulas)
🧾 How to Use AI to Speed Up Excel Analysis (Without Fighting Formulas)
Stop Googling VLOOKUP. Let AI build the logic for you.
☕ Morning, finance fam!
Let’s be real — Excel is where most of us live. Budgets, forecasts, reconciliations... and that one formula from 2021 you copy-paste every month.
But AI changes the game.
This week’s issue is all about how you can use ChatGPT (and a few free tools) to help build Excel formulas, write logic, and even make suggestions — without needing to be an Excel ninja.
Here’s what’s cooking in this week’s issue:
⚡ 1 AI Hack Use ChatGPT to create analysis-ready formulas from plain English
🛠️ 3 Free Tools For Excel logic, GPT-powered sheets, and AI dashboards
🧠 1 News Byte Why Excel Copilot is changing how finance teams work
📚 What’s Happening Curated links to level up your Excel-AI game
Let’s build better spreadsheets — faster 👇
⚡ 1 AI Hack: Automate Excel Analysis with ChatGPT
🧠 The Problem:
You know what you want Excel to do — compare budgets vs actuals, flag variances, calculate forecast accuracy.
But getting the formula just right is trial, error, and Google tabs.
With AI, you can just describe what you want in plain English — and get back working formulas you can copy-paste straight into your sheet.
🧰 What You’ll Need:
ChatGPT (free version)
Your current Excel file or a blank sheet
A few minutes and one analysis task you do monthly
🪜 Step-by-Step Instructions: From English to Excel Logic
Let’s walk through a typical audit example.
🧾 Scenario:
You want to flag any department where actual spend exceeds budget by more than 15%.
✅ Step 1: Ask ChatGPT for the formula
Prompt:
“Write an Excel formula that compares actual vs budget and flags if actual is more than 15% over budget. Budget in column B, actual in column C, result in column D.”
🖊️ Output:
=IF(C2>B2*1.15,"Over Budget","OK")
✅ Copy that into column D and drag down. Done.
✅ Step 2: Add conditional formatting
Prompt:
“Create a conditional formatting rule to highlight rows where actual is more than 15% over budget.”
🖊️ Output:
Use this formula in your formatting rule:
=C2>B2*1.15
Apply a red fill to rows that meet the condition.
✅ Step 3: Add a summary note
Prompt:
“Write a 1–2 sentence summary explaining why Department X is over budget by 18% and what actions might be needed.”
🖊️ Output:
“Department X exceeded its monthly budget by 18%, primarily due to higher-than-expected contractor expenses. A review of staffing allocations may help align future spend with targets.”
💡 Why this matters:Turns your raw data into actual insights
Turns your raw data into actual insights
Helps you explain variances in seconds
Makes you the Excel power user… without memorizing syntax
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🛠️ 3 Free AI Tools to Try This Week
📊 Excel Formula Bot
Use Case: Converts plain English into Excel formulas instantly
Tip: Great for nested logic, IFs, lookups, and formatting help
📈 Ajelix AI
Use Case: AI-powered Excel assistant for formulas, charts, and analysis
Tip: Try the “Explain Formula” feature if you’re reviewing a legacy sheet
📉 PromptLoop
Use Case: Add GPT-style AI to your actual Google Sheets or Excel workbook
Tip: Best for repetitive analysis — set it up once and use across tabs
📰 News Byte: Excel Copilot Is Quietly Changing Finance Work
Microsoft’s AI Copilot is now embedded in Excel across M365 — and it’s making a big impact in finance teams.
📌 Highlights:
Natural language prompts to build formulas, charts, and pivots
One-click summaries and trend explanations
“Show why this changed” analysis built into cells
Early users say it cuts reporting prep time in half
💡Why it matters:
AI isn’t replacing Excel — it’s becoming the best feature inside it.
Whether you use Copilot or a free tool, AI is now part of every finance spreadsheet.
📚 What’s Happening
📁 How to Use ChatGPT with Excel – ProductivityHub
Beginner’s guide to using AI for Excel logic, lookups, charts, and analysis — with step-by-step screenshots.
🧮 50 ChatGPT Excel Prompts You Can Copy-Paste – AbleBits
A goldmine of plug-and-play prompts covering formulas, conditional formatting, and summarizing data.
📊 Spreadsheet Automation with PromptLoop – PromptLoop Docs
Walkthrough of how to use GPT-style analysis directly inside Google Sheets or Excel — great for reporting workflows.
Meme Corner 😂
That’s a wrap!
✅ You learned how to generate Excel formulas and insights with plain English
✅ Discovered 3 tools to make Excel way smarter
✅ Got the scoop on how AI is reshaping spreadsheet work
Requests, prompts, or feature ideas? Hit reply — I read every one.
👉 Share this issue with your favorite spreadsheet sorcerer: https://theaiplus.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Until then -
Stay sharp, skip the syntax, and let AI do the formula hustle. 😎
Shirley, Chief Nerd at The AI+
✨ PS: I built a prompt pack for people who want to fix their finances using AI.
100+ ready-to-use ChatGPT prompts for budgeting, investing, and earning more — even with a busy schedule.
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