Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool that can be used to track inventory for businesses or manage household budgets. However, the most challenging aspect of using this program is undoubtedly the complex formulas required to perform calculations on large data sets. Writing these formulas can be particularly challenging, especially when they involve more than simple addition. This is where AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT come in.
By using a chatbot like ChatGPT or Bing Chat, users can easily generate Excel formulas without needing to register on a specialized website like ExcelFormulaBot. The benefit of using an AI-powered chatbot is that users can request formulas of any complexity as long as they provide clear instructions. This makes it easy for anyone to quickly and efficiently generate the formulas they need to get the desired results from their Excel spreadsheets.
How ChatGPT can write Excel formulas
To utilize ChatGPT for writing Excel formulas, you’ll need access to either Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, as both applications support using formulas. Additionally, you’ll need an OpenAI account to access ChatGPT.
It’s worth noting that while AI chatbots like ChatGPT are highly advanced, they are still unable to detect and understand subtle nuances in human language, which means they can potentially misinterpret messages and make errors.
To start using ChatGPT to create formulas in your Excel spreadsheet or Sheets, open your spreadsheet and chat.openai.com. If you haven’t created an OpenAI account yet, you must do so before logging in. Once logged in, you’ll be directed to a chat with ChatGPT.
For this example, we’ll work with a device inventory spreadsheet for January 2023. The spreadsheet includes 45 products in column A, each with a corresponding SKU number in column B, the quantity in stock in column C, the quantity purchased in January in column D, the price per unit in column E, and the subtotal calculated using a formula in column F.
Using ChatGPT, we’ll create several simple formulas, including calculating Sales Tax in column G, Seller’s Commission in column H (not shown), Total in column I (not shown), and Remaining Quantity in stock for the following month in column J (not shown). It’s important to be very clear and specific when communicating with ChatGPT to avoid any misunderstandings or errors in the formulas.
To utilize ChatGPT for creating formulas in your Excel spreadsheet or Sheets, the first step is to open both your spreadsheet and chat.openai.com. If you do not have an OpenAI account, you must create one before logging in. Once you log in, you will be directed to a chat with ChatGPT.
For this demonstration, we will be using a device inventory spreadsheet for January 2023 that includes 45 products listed in column A, each with a corresponding SKU number in column B, the quantity in stock in column C, the quantity purchased in January in column D, the price per unit in column E, and the subtotal calculated using a formula in column F.
With the help of ChatGPT, we will generate a few basic formulas, such as calculating Sales Tax in column G, Seller’s Commission in column H (not shown), Total in column I (not shown), and Remaining Quantity in stock for the following month in column J (not shown). It is important to be precise and explicit when communicating with ChatGPT to prevent misunderstandings or formula inaccuracies.
Step 3 involves copying the formula generated by ChatGPT and pasting it into the appropriate cell in your Excel or Sheets spreadsheet. It is important to carefully review and make any necessary adjustments to the formula before proceeding.
In the example provided, the corrected formula should be pasted into cell G3 to calculate the sales tax based on the subtotal in cell F3. It is recommended to double-check the results of the formula before filling in other cells to ensure accuracy.
The task at hand is to complete the remaining formulas in the spreadsheet. One of the formulas that needs to be added is calculating a 10% commission on the monetary total in cell F3. Therefore, I’ll ask ChatGPT to generate a formula for this commission calculation.
After incorporating the commission calculation formula, the next step is to fill out the remaining two columns in the table, which are used to calculate the total and remaining stock. This will complete the table.
To finish your spreadsheet, enter your new formulas in the remaining cells. Position your cursor at the bottom right corner of the cell with the formula, then click and drag it across the cells where you want the formula to apply. This will replicate the calculation across all the cells, even if you later adjust the formulas.
FAQ
Why is the ChatGPT formula not working?
In case the formula provided by ChatGPT does not work on Excel or Sheets, it is possible that ChatGPT did not fully understand your request. You should carefully examine the formula to identify where the error may come from and try rephrasing your request to help ChatGPT better understand what you are asking for. For instance, in the example you provided where you asked ChatGPT to “Create a formula for a total cost that sums the values of columns F, G, and H,” if the formula generated does not work, you may want to try rephrasing your request using simpler language or providing additional context.
Because I did not provide a specific range in my initial request, the formula generated by ChatGPT added values from the entire column range, which was not the desired outcome. To correct this, I modified my prompt to explicitly instruct ChatGPT to “Create a formula for the total cost that adds the values in cells F3, G3, and H3.” This additional information provided to ChatGPT will help it better understand the specific range of cells to be included in the formula.
Can ChatGPT write complex Excel formulas?
ChatGPT is a highly capable resource for generating formulas for Excel or Google Sheets, regardless of their complexity. While we have used simple formulas in this example to demonstrate the process, you can ask the AI chatbot to generate more intricate formulas to test its capabilities. However, it is important to remember that ChatGPT’s results’ accuracy heavily depends on the clarity and specificity of your instructions. Therefore, providing clear and concise instructions when requesting formulas from ChatGPT is crucial to ensure accurate and satisfactory results.
Can you use Bing Chat to write Excel formulas?
Other AI chatbots, like Bing Chat and Google Bard, can also create Excel formulas for you by following the steps above.
