Find missing values in my data and explain their impact
Profiles blanks and placeholder values by column, spots patterns in what's missing, and recommends how to handle each gap.
The prompt
Help me find the missing values in my dataset, understand why they might be missing, and decide how to handle them.
Data: [PASTE SAMPLE ROWS OR A COLUMN PROFILE - row count and blanks per column if I have it]
What I'll use it for: [e.g. "monthly churn report", "pricing analysis", "forecast"]
Tool: [Excel / Google Sheets / SQL / Python / Power BI]
Steps:
1. Count missing values per column, including disguised ones: blanks, nulls, "N/A", "-", 0 used as a placeholder, and default dates like 1/1/1900.
2. Look for patterns: are blanks concentrated in certain periods, regions, sources, or record types? Data missing for a reason needs a different fix from data missing at random.
3. Judge the impact on my intended use: which results would be biased, understated, or wrong if blanks are ignored, dropped, or filled.
4. Suggest handling per column: leave and flag, exclude rows, fill from another source, fill with a documented rule, or go back to the data owner.
Return:
1. A table: Column | Missing count and % | How missing is recorded | Pattern | Impact on my analysis | Recommended handling.
2. Formulas or queries to find and count blanks in my tool.
3. Fields too incomplete to use for this analysis.
4. A one-paragraph note for my report explaining the gaps.
Don't silently fill or drop data: state how each choice would change the results. Never invent replacement values; anything filled in must be labeled as estimated.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Data & Analysis prompts
What to fill in
- e.g. "monthly churn report", "pricing analysis", "forecast"
- Excel / Google Sheets / SQL / Python / Power BI
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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