OLOGY
AI TECHN
AI IN EXCEL
CHEATSHEET
AI-powered tools
CA ISHA JAISWAL
Why Learn AI Tools in Excel?
AI-powered tools in Excel can transform your productivity and insights:
Save Hours of Manual Work Provide Instant Insights
Automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows Extract valuable patterns and trends from your data
Help Non-Technical Users Improve Decision-Making
Use Excel like a pro regardless of technical expertise Make better choices with fewer errors in your data analysis
1. Ideas / Analyze Data
Location: Home Tab ³ Analyze Data (earlier known as Ideas)
What it Does:
Scans your data table
Identifies key trends, outliers, and summaries
Suggests visuals and KPIs (charts, totals, etc.)
How to Use:
Step 1: Select your data Step 2: Open Analyze Data
Click and drag to select your complete data table in Excel. Click on Home > Analyze Data in the ribbon menu.
Step 3: Review insights Step 4: Insert insights
A panel opens on the right with AI-generated insights about Click on any card to insert the insight or chart into your
your data. spreadsheet.
Why it Matters:
Ideal for users who don't know complex formulas. It lets Excel do the analysis for you.
2. Excel Copilot (Microsoft 365 Exclusive)
Location: Appears as Copilot icon inside Excel (for eligible accounts)
What it Does How to Access Using Copilot
AI assistant inside Excel (powered by Open Excel with Microsoft 365 Type your query in plain English and let
GPT-4) that responds to natural (Copilot-enabled) and click the Copilot Copilot generate formulas, charts, and
language prompts icon in the ribbon insights
"Summarize this table"
"Write a formula to calculate CAGR"
"Create a chart comparing monthly
sales"
Why it Matters: Replaces the need to memorize formulas or chart-building steps. Speeds up work drastically.
3. Power Query
Location: Data Tab ³ Get & Transform Data
Power Query makes handling messy datasets easy without VBA or formulas. Great for report automation.
What it Does:
Cleans, reshapes, merges, and automates data transformation
Can combine files, split columns, filter data, remove duplicates
Step 1: Select Your Data Step 2: Power Query Editor Opens
Select your data table or click on Data > Get Data > From The editor provides a powerful interface for all your data
Table/Range to begin the transformation process. transformation needs.
Step 3: Transform Your Data Step 4: Close & Load
Remove columns Import your clean, transformed data back into Excel for
Apply filters analysis and reporting.
Merge/join other data
Create calculated columns
4. Flash Fill
Location: Data Tab ³ Flash Fill or press Ctrl + E
AI-based Pattern Recognition Step 1: Type First Example
Flash Fill uses intelligent pattern recognition to Manually type the first expected output to establish the
automatically complete columns based on examples you pattern you want Flash Fill to follow.
provide.
Step 2: Activate Flash Fill Step 3: Excel Completes the Pattern
Select the next cell and press Ctrl + E or click on Flash Fill in Excel intelligently predicts and fills the rest of your data
the Data tab of the ribbon. based on the pattern you established.
Why it Matters: Reduces repetitive work. Useful for email creation, phone formatting, name cleaning, and many other data
transformation tasks.
5. Data Types (AI-Linked External Data)
Location: Data Tab ³ Data Types (Geography, Stocks, etc.)
What it Does:
Converts cells into smart data types with live information
Pulls data from Microsoft's data providers
How to Use:
Step 1: Enter Data Step 2: Apply Data Type Step 3: Extract Information
Type data like "India", "Apple Inc." etc. Select the cells and click on Data Click the icon that appears ³ use
in cells. Types > Geography/Stocks in the Data "Insert Data" to pull info like population,
tab. price, etc.
Why it Matters:
Automates data research inside Excel. Keeps sheets updated with live information.
6. Add-Ins (Third-Party AI Tools)
Location: Insert Tab ³ Get Add-ins
What it Does:
Extends Excel with extra AI features
Examples: ChatGPT for Excel, Power BI AI Visuals, AI Insights
Finding AI Add-ins ChatGPT Integration AI-Powered Visuals
Go to Insert > Add-ins > Get Add-ins to Search "ChatGPT for Excel" to add Click Add ³ Use sidebar tools as
browse the marketplace for AI tools natural language processing guided to enhance your analytics
capabilities
Why it Matters:
Brings custom GPT logic, ML models, and NLP tools inside Excel. Adds modern capabilities to your sheets.
Tips to Make the Most of AI in
Excel
Format Your Data
Always format your data in tables
Clean Headers
Keep headers clean and meaningful
Explore First
Explore suggestions before editing manually
Combine Methods
Use AI features alongside traditional Excel formulas
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Thank you for exploring this AI in Excel cheat sheet! Connect with me on social media for more Excel tips, tutorials, and
updates on the latest AI features.