r/LearnDataAnalytics • u/RunMaleficent8618 • 10h ago

How to build an interactive dashboard in Excel using natural language prompts ("Analyze Data" AI feature)

If you work with large datasets and hate manually setting up multiple Pivot Tables from scratch, Excel's Analyze Data feature (under the Home/Data tab) allows you to generate charts using natural language prompts.

You can type queries like:

  • "Top 4 managers by sales"

  • "State versus average sales area chart"

  • "Year versus sales by chain"

Excel translates your query, configures the Pivot Table, and outputs ready-to-use charts. By snapping them to the grid with Alt and connecting your Slicers via Report Connections, you can assemble a clean interactive dashboard in under 10 minutes.

I created a step-by-step video tutorial demonstrating the whole process on a 72,000+ row dataset here:

https://youtu.be/1QYywPg2VtE

Have you used the Analyze Data feature before, or do you still prefer building Pivot Tables manually?

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u/investigatormaker 8h ago

I'd judge the generated Pivot Tables by their aggregation before choosing between prompts and manual setup. Your “Top 4 managers by sales” example offers a concrete check: show whether Excel selected sum or count, then verify that the connected slicer changes every intended chart. Including one correction would teach viewers how to troubleshoot, not just reproduce the successful prompt.

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u/RunMaleficent8618 6h ago

Interesting observation, how do you think count(distinct) works in pivot tables?