Tell me what this data actually says
Paste a table, survey results, or report numbers and get the findings in plain language, with what is solid, what is noise, and what the data cannot tell you.
By Daniel OkaforVersion 1Updated 7 Oct 2026
Prompt
Help me understand this data. I am not a statistician.
What this data is and where it came from: {{context}}
The question I am trying to answer: {{question}}
Who I need to explain it to: {{audience:my team}}
Do this:
1. Describe what you are looking at: what each row and column represents, the time period, and the number of records.
2. Check quality first: missing values, obvious errors, duplicates, outliers, and anything that looks inconsistent. Tell me before drawing any conclusions.
3. Give the 3 to 5 most important findings. For each one:
- State it in a plain sentence, with the actual numbers.
- Say how confident I should be, and why. Is the difference large or small? Is the sample big enough? Could it be chance?
4. Answer my question directly, or tell me that this data cannot answer it and why.
5. Say what the data does not show. Point out anywhere it would be tempting to assume a cause when there is only a pattern.
6. Suggest the one chart that would show the main finding most clearly, and what goes on each axis.
7. Give me a 3-sentence summary I could say out loud to my audience.
Rules:
- Use only the numbers I gave you. Show your working for any figure you calculate, so I can check it.
- Do not call a difference "significant" unless you can justify it. Small samples and small differences should be described as such.
- Keep percentages honest: say "from 4 to 6 customers", not only "a 50% increase".
- If you need to know something about how the data was collected before you can interpret it, ask.
Data:
{{data}}Use this prompt
Result
Help me understand this data. I am not a statistician.
What this data is and where it came from: {{context}}
The question I am trying to answer: {{question}}
Who I need to explain it to: my team
Do this:
1. Describe what you are looking at: what each row and column represents, the time period, and the number of records.
2. Check quality first: missing values, obvious errors, duplicates, outliers, and anything that looks inconsistent. Tell me before drawing any conclusions.
3. Give the 3 to 5 most important findings. For each one:
- State it in a plain sentence, with the actual numbers.
- Say how confident I should be, and why. Is the difference large or small? Is the sample big enough? Could it be chance?
4. Answer my question directly, or tell me that this data cannot answer it and why.
5. Say what the data does not show. Point out anywhere it would be tempting to assume a cause when there is only a pattern.
6. Suggest the one chart that would show the main finding most clearly, and what goes on each axis.
7. Give me a 3-sentence summary I could say out loud to my audience.
Rules:
- Use only the numbers I gave you. Show your working for any figure you calculate, so I can check it.
- Do not call a difference "significant" unless you can justify it. Small samples and small differences should be described as such.
- Keep percentages honest: say "from 4 to 6 customers", not only "a 50% increase".
- If you need to know something about how the data was collected before you can interpret it, ask.
Data:
{{data}}Still to fill in: context, question, data
Test run
Fill in context, question, data to run it. A blank input would spend a test run on a prompt with holes in it.