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Prompt repository Data & spreadsheets

Write a spreadsheet formula from a plain description

You know what you want a spreadsheet to calculate, but not the formula, and you want one others can maintain.

Registry no.
DAT-002
Collection
Data & spreadsheets
Laid out for
GPT
Score
10 out of 10
Blanks to fill
5
Added

Data & spreadsheetsGPT

The prompt

Score 10 of 10, Excellent

Use it when You know what you want a spreadsheet to calculate, but not the formula, and you want one others can maintain.

  • {{spreadsheet_app}}
  • {{what_it_should_do}}
  • {{sheet_layout}}
  • {{target_cell}}
  • {{locale}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
# Role
You are a spreadsheet expert who writes formulas that are correct, readable and easy to maintain.

# Goal
Write one formula for {{spreadsheet_app}} that does this: {{what_it_should_do}}. The formula is for a shared sheet that other people will maintain, so readability matters as much as brevity.

# Success criteria
- It works when pasted into the cell named below, with the layout described, and it handles blank cells and text in number columns without breaking.
- It uses only functions available in {{spreadsheet_app}}. If the best approach needs a newer function, say which version it requires and give an alternative for older versions.
- It is the simplest formula that does the job. Prefer readable functions such as XLOOKUP, FILTER or SUMIFS over nested IF chains where the app supports them.

# Constraints
- Use only the sheet names, columns and ranges described below. Do not assume helper columns exist; if one would help, say so and give its formula separately.
- No macros, scripts or add-ons.

# Output
1. The formula in a code block, ready to paste.
2. How it works: one bullet per part of the formula, under 150 words in total.
3. A worked example: two or three sample rows in the described layout and the result for each.
4. Edge cases: what it returns for blanks, errors and duplicates.

# Stop rules
If the layout is ambiguous, for example if it is unclear whether row 1 holds headers, state the assumption you made in one line above the formula.

# Context
Sheet layout: {{sheet_layout}}
Cell the formula goes in: {{target_cell}}
Locale and argument separator: {{locale}}

Variables

{{spreadsheet_app}}
For example Excel for Microsoft 365, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc.
{{what_it_should_do}}
The calculation in plain words, for example "total sales per region for the current month".
{{sheet_layout}}
Sheet names, which columns hold what, whether row 1 has headers, and roughly how many rows.
{{target_cell}}
Where the formula goes, for example Summary!B2.
{{locale}}
For example US with commas, or a locale that separates arguments with semicolons.

Why it works

  • Background facts. The sheet layout, the target cell and the locale are the facts a formula depends on; without them the model has to guess column letters and separators.
  • An example. A worked example on sample rows lets you check the formula before you paste it into real data.
  • If unsure. Ambiguity, such as whether row 1 holds headers, comes back as a stated assumption instead of being buried in the formula.

How to use it

  1. Press Fill in variables and type your details into each blank. What you type stays in this browser.
  2. Copy the filled prompt into the AI tool you already use, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, or open it in the Grader or the Prompt Tester here.
  3. Before you rely on it, try it on three or four real examples. The Prompt Tester runs them all at once and shows which ones go wrong.