# Recommend the pivot tables and charts to build from my spreadsheet

Suggests the most useful pivot tables and charts for your data, with exact field placements and what each one will reveal.

- Topic: Data & Analysis
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Data & Analytics, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/recommend-the-pivot-tables-and-charts-to-build-from-my-spreadsheet

## Prompt

```text
Look at my spreadsheet and tell me which pivot tables and charts to build.

**Data:** [PASTE headers and 20-30 sample rows, plus the row count and date range]
**What the data is:** [e.g. "every sales order in 2026", "support tickets", "monthly expenses by department"]
**What I need to find out or report:** [QUESTIONS - or "I'm not sure, show me what's worth looking at"]
**Who will see the results:** [just me / my manager / executives]

First, classify my columns: dimensions to group by (region, product, owner), measures to add up or average (revenue, hours), dates, and IDs that should be counted, not summed. Flag columns that need cleaning before they will pivot well (mixed date formats, inconsistent labels, numbers stored as text).

Then recommend 5-8 pivot tables, most useful first. For each:
| # | Question it answers | Rows | Columns | Values (and summarize by: Sum / Count / Average / % of total) | Filters or slicers | What to look for |

Then recommend a chart for the most important pivots:
| Pivot # | Chart type | Why this type | Design tips (sort order, labels, axis starting at zero) |

Also tell me:
- Which pivot to build first if I only have 15 minutes.
- Useful "Show Values As" options (% of row total, difference from previous month, running total).
- When to group dates by month or quarter, and number ranges into bands.
- Any comparison that would mislead (e.g. totals across months with different numbers of days, averages of averages).

Do not report findings from the sample as if they were results for the full dataset.
```

## What to fill in

- just me / my manager / executives

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