Sleek summaries and charts in minutes
1. Sleek summaries and charts in minutes
Welcome back! In this video, we'll turn a raw tabular dataset into something worthy of presenting: a pivot-style summary and a chart. We'll walk through the process step by step, and you'll learn how to verify the results before you share it.2. From raw data to impactful insights
Raw data is rarely in a form that could be presented or reported to key decision-makers. In this abbreviated orders data, there are lots of rows and columns, no comparisons to what is "good" or "bad", and it doesn't answer the question: "so what?"3. From raw data to impactful insights
Summaries are different. We can group and aggregate the data—by region, by category, or by time period, so you can see totals, averages, or counts at a glance. Now we can see how revenue builds from one month to the next, and what those months add up to, in one simple table. A summary might be numerical, like a pivot table, or visual,4. From raw data to impactful insights
like a chart or graphic. In both cases, the goal is the same: to condense data into clear, action-driven insights. That's why summaries are used when presenting to stakeholders or writing reports; they focus attention on a key message.5. A life without Copilot
Normally that takes several steps in Excel—insert a pivot, pick fields, choose a chart, and tidy it up. With Copilot,6. A life with Copilot
we can describe what we want in natural language, and it can build the summary and visual for us. Let's look at how Copilot does that!7. Example: Building a summary and chart
We want to summarize our Orders data to find total revenue by month, so we can see how the year has built up so far, using both a numerical summary and a chart. We can ask for both in a single prompt - there is no need to build the summary first and then request a chart separately. Copilot has done two things here: grouped and aggregated the data in the background to find those key summary values, then built a chart from that summary rather than from the raw rows. One habit worth building: read the summary before you read the chart. The chart is drawn from the summary, so if the grouping is wrong the chart is wrong in exactly the same way, and a chart is much harder to check by eye. Charts also take longer to generate than the text, so give it a moment - you do not have to wait for it before moving on.8. Example: Verifying the result
Now that Copilot has created the summary and the chart, we verify it before anyone presents it. Click a value in the summary and its formula shows in the formula bar, as it does here. First, check the grouping. We asked for Month, so make sure it has not grouped by another column instead. Here the formula reads SUMIF of Orders Month against H4 - so it is matching on the Month column, which is what we wanted. Second, check the aggregation. For revenue we wanted the total, and SUMIF is a sum - not an average or a count. Those two checks take about twenty seconds, and they stop you reporting the wrong story. If something looks off, adjust your prompt and carry on the conversation, or fix the summary by hand.9. Putting on the finishing touches
After Copilot creates the chart, don't treat it as final. Think of it as a strong first draft that we refine to get it to the finish line. We can also use Copilot for this refinement with the usual describe and review workflow. Common improvements include: updating the chart title, checking axis labels and the legend, switching chart type if the message isn't clear—for example a bar chart instead of a column chart— sorting the summary so the chart is easier to read, and updating the colors to match your organization's or customer's branding. Copilot gets you to a usable draft quickly, and these edits are what take it the rest of the way.10. Let's practice!
Time to build pivot-style summaries and charts with Copilot!Create Your Free Account
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