Define the question you want the numbers to answer, check calculations, and present the result clearly.
Before asking for a dashboard or report, write the question you want the data to answer. It could be tracking quality, comparing months, or showing how work time is distributed. The question determines the metrics and suitable chart.
Prepare a file explaining the columns, units, and period, and note any missing data. Have the assistant check duplicates and unusual values before calculating, and check a sample of results against the original spreadsheet.
Choose the deliverable based on the audience: a table for review, a report to explain results, a presentation for a meeting, or a dashboard for exploration. Do not choose a complex format before checking that the information itself is correct.
If the report will repeat, save the input format, calculations, and review criteria, and test a new file and an empty case. That makes the process repeatable and consistent instead of restating the same instructions differently every month.
Choose from what's available to you. You can use these prompts with several tools. What they can carry out depends on supported features and files.
See tool details and uses in the Tools library →A café owner has a sales spreadsheet for the last 6 months. He uploaded it to Claude and said, “Make me a dashboard.” It showed his income each month, the best-selling item, the busiest hours of the day, and the items losing money.
Money in and out, profit and loss for each month.
Upload your expense and revenue spreadsheet to Claude or ChatGPT and ask for an interactive dashboard. If you will open it every month, build it as a permanent system with Vibe Coding.
Without typing the figures yourself.
Photograph your invoices, upload them, and ask for a table with the date, item, quantity, and price. Download it as Excel.
A readable work or research report.
Upload the information to Gemini Notebook or Claude, ask for an organized report with illustrations and infographics, and download it as a PDF.
For a lecture, seminar, or work presentation.
Prepare the content first, then turn it into a presentation with Gamma or the notebook's Studio.
A presentation or website for your work.
Put photos of your work and your experience into a presentation, or describe a site to Lovable or Claude to build and publish it.
Use Spreadsheet cleanup and merge review, then cross-check the calculations and totals.
Continue with Marketing report or Dashboard, depending on the question and how it will be used.
Open the menu and choose what fits your inputs and desired result. The method's guide appears directly below it.
If your work is in Docs or Forms, try the features available in your account for writing drafts or questions and organizing content. Review figures, answers, and sharing settings before delivery.
Try it on your work: Prepare what you'll work on and start with a small part. Review the result before continuing.
Open any step by its heading. Each explains what to do, why, and what to check before continuing.
Choose the chart based on the question you need to answer.
Missing cells or duplicates can change the entire result.
A dashboard for exploration, a report to explain results, and slides to present a specific message.
A convincing explanation must be based on a correct calculation.
If the report will repeat, define how to bring in new data without breaking the calculations.
Open a prompt and fill in your details. Empty fields remain visible so you don't forget them.
Write the prompt in a conversation with the suggested tool after preparing the files listed in the steps.
Copy the prompt as it is, or tailor it with your details first.
Understanding columns and calculations matters more than the dashboard's appearance. Testing filters confirms interactions work.
Review calculations, units, and the period. Open the final version and test the filters if it is interactive.
If there's a problem, name the unsuitable part, show an example, and request a specific edit.
