# Explain a dataset or report in plain business language

Explains what a dataset or report contains, what each column or metric means, and what it shows, in words anyone can follow.

- Topic: Data & Analysis
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Data & Analytics, Explain & Teach, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/explain-a-dataset-or-report-in-plain-business-language

## Prompt

```text
Explain this dataset or report to me in plain business language, as if I'm a smart colleague who is not a data specialist.

**Data or report:** [PASTE SAMPLE ROWS, COLUMN LIST, OR THE REPORT]
**Where it came from:** [e.g. "CRM export", "finance monthly pack", "survey tool"]
**Why I'm looking at it:** [e.g. "I inherited this report", "I have to present it on Friday"]

Return:
1. **What this is** in two sentences: what one row or line represents, the time period, and the scope.
2. **Field guide**: Column or metric | Plain-English meaning | Example value | Watch out for (units, currency, cumulative vs. period values, percentages vs. percentage points).
3. **What the data shows**: the 3-5 main takeaways, each in one plain sentence with a number.
4. **What it means for the business**: who should care and why.
5. **Jargon translator**: technical terms and abbreviations, one line each.
6. **What it can't tell me**: questions this data cannot answer.
7. **Questions to ask the data owner** before I rely on it.

Rules: short sentences, and no statistics jargon unless you explain it. If a column's meaning is unclear, say so and give your best guess marked [CONFIRM] rather than presenting it as fact. Do not invent numbers that are not in the data.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE SAMPLE ROWS, COLUMN LIST, OR THE REPORT
- e.g. "CRM export", "finance monthly pack", "survey tool"
- CONFIRM

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.