Build Any Excel or Google Sheets Formula From a Plain-English Description
Why this prompt matters
The average professional spends over 4 hours a week on spreadsheet tasks. Complex formulas — nested IFs, array formulas, XLOOKUP — stop most people cold. Without help, you spend an hour on Stack Overflow hunting for something close enough to adapt, or you settle for a pivot table that gives you 80% of the answer. This prompt gives you the formula and the understanding to verify it and adapt it when your data changes.
What we use it for
You're building a quarterly report and need formulas to calculate tiered commissions, flag overdue invoices, and cross-reference sales data from three different sheets — but you know what you want, not which combination of VLOOKUP, IF, and SUMPRODUCT will get you there.
Prompt
Act as a senior spreadsheet consultant with 15 years of experience in Excel and Google Sheets, who specializes in translating business requirements into formulas that non-technical users can understand and maintain. I need to build a formula for the following task: [DESCRIBE YOUR CALCULATION IN PLAIN ENGLISH — e.g., "I want to find the total sales for each region, but only count sales where the status is 'Closed Won' and the deal size is above $10,000"] My spreadsheet has these columns: [LIST YOUR COLUMN NAMES AND WHAT THEY CONTAIN — e.g., "Column A: Sales Rep Name, Column B: Region, Column C: Deal Status, Column D: Deal Size, Column E: Close Date"] I am using: [Excel / Google Sheets] INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Write the exact formula I should enter 2. Break down every function and argument in plain English — explain what each piece does and why 3. List any assumptions you made about my data 4. Flag common mistakes or edge cases (empty cells, wrong data types, case sensitivity) 5. Provide an alternative approach if a simpler formula exists 6. If Google Sheets and Excel syntax differ for this formula, show both versions Output format: FORMULA: [the exact formula to copy and paste] HOW IT WORKS: [step-by-step explanation of each function] ASSUMPTIONS: [what I assumed about your data] WATCH OUT FOR: [common errors and edge cases] SIMPLER ALTERNATIVE (if available): [a less complex approach if one exists]
Result
User's input: "I need to calculate the commission for each sales rep. Commission is 5% of total sales if they sold under $50,000 this month, 7% if between $50,000–$100,000, and 10% if over $100,000. Column A has rep names, Column B has their total monthly sales."
FORMULA:
=IF(B2<50000, B2*0.05, IF(B2<=100000, B2*0.07, B2*0.1))
HOW IT WORKS:
This formula uses nested IF statements to apply tiered commission rates. Starting from the outside in:
IF(B2<50000, ...)— Checks whether the sales total in B2 is less than $50,000. If TRUE: calculates B2*0.05 (5% commission) and stops. If FALSE: moves to the inner IF.IF(B2<=100000, ...)— Since we already know B2 is at least $50,000, this checks if it's $100,000 or under. If TRUE: calculates B2*0.07 (7% commission). If FALSE: must be above $100,000.B2*0.1— The final 10% tier applies to any value above $100,000.
To apply to the full column, drag this formula down from row 2 to match your data range.
ASSUMPTIONS:
- Column B contains numeric values (not formatted as text — left-aligned numbers indicate text format)
- Row 2 is your first data row (Row 1 is your header)
- Sales totals are already summed monthly totals, not individual transactions
WATCH OUT FOR:
- Empty cells: If B2 is blank, the formula returns 0. Add
IF(B2="","",IF(...))to return blank instead of zero if preferred. - Negative values: If a rep had returns that brought their total negative, the first tier fires and produces a negative commission. Add
MAX(0, [formula])to floor it at zero. - Boundary confusion: $50,000 and $100,000 fall into the middle and top tiers respectively — the formula uses <= not < at the second check to include $100,000 in the 7% tier.
SIMPLER ALTERNATIVE:
If you add a lookup table with thresholds in one column and rates in another, you can replace the nested IF with VLOOKUP using approximate match:
=B2*VLOOKUP(B2, {0,0.05;50000,0.07;100000,0.1}, 2, TRUE)
This is easier to update when rates change — just edit the numbers in one place rather than rewriting nested logic. Works in both Excel and Google Sheets. When commission tiers change next quarter, your manager can update the table without touching the formula.
Complex spreadsheet formulas are a productivity cliff. You know exactly what analysis you need — cross-reference sales data from three sheets, flag invoices past 30 days, calculate tiered bonuses — but the moment VLOOKUP, SUMPRODUCT, or a nested IF appears, most professionals either call a colleague or settle for something simpler.
This prompt eliminates that friction. It acts as a senior spreadsheet consultant who not only writes the correct formula, but explains every argument in plain English, flags edge cases before they cause wrong results, and offers a simpler alternative when one exists.
What Makes This Prompt Different
Most requests to AI for spreadsheet help produce a formula with no explanation — you cannot verify it is correct, and when your data structure changes, you cannot adapt it. This prompt is designed around five structured output sections that build your understanding, not just hand you an answer:
- FORMULA — The exact formula to copy and paste
- HOW IT WORKS — Every function and argument explained in plain English
- ASSUMPTIONS — What the AI assumed about your data structure
- WATCH OUT FOR — Empty cells, text-formatted numbers, boundary conditions
- SIMPLER ALTERNATIVE — A less complex approach when one exists
That last section is often the most valuable. A working SUMPRODUCT formula is impressive; a lookup table with VLOOKUP approximate match that your manager can update themselves is better engineering. The prompt explicitly requests both options.
Who This Is For
This prompt delivers the most value for analysts, operations managers, finance teams, and project managers who use spreadsheets as their primary data tool but are not formula power users. If you can clearly describe what calculation you need but do not know which Excel functions to combine — this prompt is for you.
How to Use It
Fill in two bracketed sections before submitting:
- Describe your calculation in plain English. Be specific — "count sales where status is Closed Won and deal size exceeds $10,000" is far better than "count sales." Include conditions, thresholds, and exceptions.
- List your column names and what they contain. Name only the relevant columns: "Column A: Sales Rep Name, Column B: Region, Column C: Deal Size."
Specify Excel or Google Sheets. When their syntax differs — XLOOKUP does not exist in Sheets — the prompt automatically provides both versions.
Real-World Example Output
For a tiered sales commission problem (5% under $50K, 7% between $50K–$100K, 10% above $100K), the prompt produces the nested IF formula, a plain-English walkthrough of each tier check, a warning that empty cells return zero rather than blank, a note about negative value edge cases, and a VLOOKUP array alternative that is easier to maintain when commission rates change next quarter.
You leave with the formula and the reasoning to verify it. When your data changes next month, you can adapt it yourself.
Compatible Models
Optimized for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and GPT-4o, which both produce reliable structured multi-section output. Also works with Gemini 2.5 Pro. For formulas spanning multiple sheets or involving complex cross-referencing, Claude tends to produce cleaner explanations of nested logic.