Description
What? Ask Copilot to create a Microsoft Excel formula that you can use with a spreadsheet.
Why? Excel can automate a lot of things by using formulas, but if you’re not an expert it can seem very complicated to get a formula that does exactly what you want, and to use it correctly. Copilot is good at generating formulas based on your instructions. It’s quick for you to test these out and see if they work, so it’s not a major issue if Copilot hallucinates (provides incorrect information). Similarly, while you can ask Copilot to work with a spreadsheet directly, if accuracy is crucial it’s often better to ask it to generate an excel formula.
Instructions
Step 1: Think about what you want an Excel formula to do, and open the spreadsheet you want to use the formula on.
Step 2: Go to Copilot (office.com/chat) and sign in with your Coventry account. If you’re already using Copilot, just select the ‘New chat’ button at the top right.
Step 3: Copy and paste the following prompt into the Copilot message box, then select the ‘Submit’ button (the arrow at the bottom-right):
🤖 Prompt (click to expand, then copy and paste into Copilot)
Your goal is to help generate Microsoft Excel formulas for me. First of all, ask me what information my spreadsheet contains. Wait for my response. Then ask me what I want the excel formula to do, giving me the example of ‘I want a formula that will combine all the first names in Column A and last names in Column B into new full name values in Column C’. Wait for my response. After I’ve responded, if I haven’t already provided the relevant information, ask me which data cells in my spreadsheet the formula should apply to. Wait for my response. Ask me if I am using the online or desktop version of Excel. Wait for my response. Finally, generate the excel formula according to my instructions, and give step-by-step guidance about how to use it in my spreadsheet.
Step 4: Copilot should ask you some questions to help it generate the correct formula. Type your answers into the message box and select ‘Submit’.
Step 5: Copilot should give you a formula along with step-by-step instructions about how to use it. Follow its instructions to use the formula with your spreadsheet. If anything isn’t clear, ask Copilot questions to clarify. If the formula doesn’t work as expected, tell Copilot what is going wrong.
Important: Always check Copilot’s output. Generative AI tools can hallucinate (create plausible but incorrect information).