AI PROMPTS: Excel with AI (Gemini)
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MODULE 1: AI AND EXCEL: SETTING THE STAGE
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Activity 1.2: Get to Know Gemini:
  I am an older adult taking a beginner class on using AI with Microsoft Excel. In two or three short paragraphs, what are the most useful ways you can help me with spreadsheets, and what should I be careful about?


MODULE 2: GENERATING FORMULAS
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Activity 2.1: Ask Gemini for a Formula:
  I have an Excel spreadsheet with these columns: A=Month, B=Category, C=Units_Sold, D=Unit_Price, E=Total_Revenue (blank), F=Returns, G=Net_Revenue (blank). The data starts in row 2. What formula should I put in cell E2 to calculate Total Revenue, which is Units Sold multiplied by Unit Price?

Activity 2.2: A Two-Step Formula:
  Using the same spreadsheet (A=Month, B=Category, C=Units_Sold, D=Unit_Price, E=Total_Revenue, F=Returns, G=Net_Revenue), I need a formula for cell G2. Net Revenue equals Total Revenue minus the value of the returned items. A return means one unit at the unit price. Returns are counted in column F.

Activity 2.3: When AI Gets It Wrong (vague prompt, for demonstration):
  I have sales data with units and price. How do I calculate revenue?

  Follow-up after vague prompt:
  My units are in column C and price is in column D. The formula goes in cell E2.

Activity 2.4: A Formula That Makes a Decision:
  In the same spreadsheet, column F holds the number of Returns. In cell H2, I want a formula that shows the word "Review" if Returns is 3 or more, and the word "OK" if it is less than 3.

  Follow-up:
  What formula would count how many cells in H2:H61 say "Review"? I will put it in cell H63.

Activity 2.5: Build a Category Summary With SUMIF:
  My category names are in B2:B61 and Net Revenue is in G2:G61. I made a summary table with category names in J2:J6. What formula should I put in K2 to total the Net Revenue for the category named in J2? I plan to AutoFill it down to K6.

  Follow-up (if the formula has no $ signs):
  Will this formula still work correctly when I AutoFill it down to K6?

Activity 2.6: Use Gemini as Your Excel Tutor:
  Explain this formula to me one piece at a time, as if I have never seen SUMIF before: [paste formula from K2]

  Give me a short practice problem using SUMIF with this same spreadsheet, but do not tell me the answer yet.

Activity 2.7: Fix a Broken Formula:
  Type this formula in K9 (misspelling is deliberate):
  =AVERAGEIF(B2:B61,"Jewlery",G2:G61)

  In Excel, this formula shows #DIV/0! instead of a number. Why, and how do I fix it? [paste formula]


MODULE 3: ANALYZING DATA
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Activity 3.1: Copy Data Into Gemini (opening prompt, then paste data):
  Here is sales data from a small gift shop. Please review it and then answer my questions.

Activity 3.2: Ask Simple Questions (one at a time):
  Which product category had the highest total Net Revenue?
  What was the total Net Revenue for the Jewelry category?
  Which month had the highest total Units Sold across all categories?
  What was the average Units Sold per row?
  Which category had the most returns overall?

Activity 3.3: Ask for a Summary:
  Can you show me a summary table with total Net Revenue and total Units Sold for each product category, sorted from highest to lowest Net Revenue?

  Follow-up:
  Jewelry had the highest revenue. Is that mainly because of higher unit price, or does it also sell the most units?

Activity 3.4: Get a Chart Recommendation:
  I want to create a chart in Excel that shows how total Net Revenue varies by month, combining all categories. What type of chart do you recommend, and which columns should I select?

Activity 3.5: Check Gemini's Math With a PivotTable:
  Give me simple step-by-step instructions for creating a PivotTable in Excel that shows total Net_Revenue and total Units_Sold for each Category. My data is in A1:H61. Please keep it short.

Activity 3.6: Upload the File Instead of Pasting (after uploading sales-ai.xlsx):
  This is a year of sales data for a small gift shop. Which two months had the lowest Net Revenue, and what might explain that for a gift shop in southern Arizona?

  Create a chart showing total Net Revenue by month.

Activity 3.7: Turn Numbers Into Words:
  Write a short, friendly email to the owner of this gift shop summarizing the year. Include three observations backed by specific numbers from the data and one recommendation for next year. Keep it under 200 words.

  Follow-up:
  Now rewrite it as three bullet points for a board meeting.


MODULE 4: CLEANING DATA
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Activity 4.2: Ask Gemini to Find the Problems (then paste data):
  I am going to paste a dataset from Excel. Please review it and identify all the data quality problems you can find: things like duplicate rows, inconsistent spellings, mixed formats, numbers stored as text, blank cells, or anything else that would cause problems in analysis.

Activity 4.3: Investigate Specific Problems (one at a time):
  What are all the different values used in the State column? List each unique value.

  Which rows appear to be duplicates? List their row numbers.

  What are all the different spellings used for product categories in the Category column?

  What are all the different spellings used in the City column? Are there any blank cities?

  Are there any rows where Price or Total appears to be stored as text rather than a number? How can I tell?

Activity 4.5: Clean the City Names With a Formula:
  City names are in column C starting at C2. Some have extra spaces and inconsistent capitalization. What formula can I put in I2 to produce a cleaned-up version with the first letter of each word capitalized?

  What is the difference between Paste and Paste Values in Excel?

Activity 4.6: Dates and Blanks: Judgment Calls:
  My Date column in Excel has dates entered in several different styles. How do I make them all display the same way, such as 3/18/2025?

  What formula counts the blank cells in C2:C81?

  Some customers have no city recorded. What should I do about those rows?

Activity 4.7: Verify the Cleaned Data (then paste data):
  I have cleaned the dataset based on your earlier feedback. Here is the updated data. Are there any remaining data quality problems?


MODULE 5: BUILD SOMETHING NEW WITH AI
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Activity 5.1: Plan the Spreadsheet:
  I am the volunteer treasurer for a small community club. Members pay $30 in annual dues, and some pay in installments. I want a simple Excel spreadsheet to track who has paid. Suggest the columns I need, the formulas I should use, and anything else that would make it easy to use. Keep it simple; I am a beginner.

  Follow-up (if too complicated):
  That is more than I need. Give me a version with no more than six columns.

Activity 5.2: Generate Practice Data:
  Create 12 rows of fictional sample data for this tracker as a table. Use made-up names. Leave the Balance and Status columns empty so I can add formulas.

Activity 5.3: Add the Formulas:
  In my sheet, Dues Owed is column B, Amount Paid is column C, Balance is column D, and Status is column E. Data starts in row 2. (Adjust the letters to match your sheet, then ask for the Balance formula, the Status formula, and the two summary formulas one at a time.)

Activity 5.4: Make It Easy and Hard to Break:
  How do I add a drop-down list in Excel so a cell can only contain Cash, Check, or Online? It is for a new Payment Method column F.

  How do I make the Status cell turn light red when it says Owes?


QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING (from Final Words section)
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  What formula do I need to calculate [description]?
  Can you explain what this formula does: [paste formula]?
  This formula shows [error]. Why, and how do I fix it?
  Give me step-by-step instructions for [Excel feature].
  What data quality problems do you see in this data?
  What type of chart would best show [description]?
  I got [result]. Does that seem right based on the data?


APPENDIX A: QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
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Data Analysis Practice (one at a time):
  Which product category was most profitable in 2025?
  Did any category show declining Net Profit from 2024 to 2025?
  What was the total Net Profit for the entire two-year period?
  Which quarter of 2025 had the highest total sales across all categories?
  Based on this data, what product category would you recommend the store invest more in? Why?


APPENDIX B: ERROR MESSAGES
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  In Excel, this formula shows [error] instead of a result: [paste formula]. My data is in [describe columns]. What is wrong, and how do I fix it?


APPENDIX C: PROMPT RECIPE CARD
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Write a Formula:
  My spreadsheet has these columns: [A=..., B=..., C=...]. Data starts in row [2]. What formula should I put in cell [X2] to [plain English description]? I plan to AutoFill it down to row [N].

Explain a Formula:
  Explain this Excel formula one piece at a time, as if I am a beginner: [paste formula]

Learn a Feature:
  Give me short, step-by-step instructions for [feature] in Excel [version, if you know it].

Analyze Data:
  Here is [description of data]. [Paste data.] Answer these questions: [list]. Show the numbers you used so I can check them.

Find Problems:
  Review this data and list every data quality problem you find: duplicates, inconsistent spellings, mixed formats, numbers stored as text, and blank cells. [Paste data.]

Design a Spreadsheet:
  I want a simple Excel spreadsheet to [purpose]. I am a beginner. Suggest no more than [six] columns, the formulas I need, and one feature that would prevent mistakes.
