Most spreadsheet errors are not exotic. They are off-by-one ranges, the wrong match mode on VLOOKUP, or a function that does not exist in Excel 2016. An AI formula generator is useful when it respects those constraints and still lets you describe the job in English.
Describe the columns, not just the goal
“Sum sales this year” is vague. “Sum column B where column A is a date between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2024” is enough for SUMIFS. Mention version (Excel 2016 vs 365) if you know it. Dynamic array functions like FILTER and UNIQUE will fail on older files.
A prompt that works
- What each column contains (dates, IDs, amounts).
- The rule in one sentence (if / where / between).
- What should happen when a match is missing.
- Which app: Excel, Google Sheets, or WPS.
Paste, then prove one row
Copy the formula into a spare cell next to a row whose answer you already know. If that row is wrong, the generator is cheaper to retry than hunting through a filled column. Watch for whole-column references (A:A) on 100k-row sheets — they work, but they are slower than a bounded table.
When you should not use AI
Do not paste generated VBA, Power Query M, or anything that asks you to enable macros. This product only emits worksheet formulas that start with =. For one-off cleanup, a pivot table or Power Query may still be the better tool; formulas shine when the result must update as source cells change.