Learn PromptingTable Generation
- Use AI to organize data into tables: LLMs like ChatGPT can help summarize important points from reports and articles into clear, structured tables for easy use.
- Extract valuable information: By inputting text from business reports, ChatGPT can generate tables that highlight key metrics, such as revenue and profit margins, for better clarity.
- Easily transfer to other formats: Once the table is generated, it can be copied and pasted into spreadsheets like Excel or Google Sheets, as well as documents and presentations.
Have you ever read through a long document and wished you could quickly see all the important numbers and facts in one place? LLMs (Large Language Models) like ChatGPT can help you do exactly that by turning text into neat, organized tables.
What Can AI Tables Help With?
- Organizing business numbers and statistics
- Summarizing research findings
- Creating comparison charts
- Converting messy text data into spreadsheet-ready format
- Making information easier to read and understand
You can then copy and paste it into a spreadsheet like Excel/Sheets or even documents and PowerPoints.
How to Create Tables Using AI
Let's look at a real example. Here's a business report with lots of numbers and information:
Prompt
In a recent business report presentation, the CEO of Zana Corp. highlighted their remarkable growth in the past fiscal year. She shared that the company experienced a 15% increase in revenue, reaching 6 million in net profit). The report also showcased a 20% growth in their customer base, now totaling 100,000 customers. Additionally, the company's operating expenses went up by 10%, amounting to $10 million, while the employee headcount increased by 25%, resulting in a current workforce of 500 employees.
Generate a table containing this information:
ChatGPT will output a table like the following:
AI Output
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $50 million |
| Profit Margin | 12% |
| Net Profit | $6 million |
| Customer Base | 100,000 |
| Operating Expenses | $10 million |
| Employee Headcount | 500 |
| Revenue Increase | 15% |
| Customer Increase | 20% |
| Operating Expenses Increase | 10% |
| Employee Headcount Increase | 25% |
You can try a bit more specific request like this:
Prompt
In a recent business report presentation, the CEO of Zana Corp. highlighted their remarkable growth in the past fiscal year. She shared that the company experienced a 15% increase in revenue, reaching 6 million in net profit). The report also showcased a 20% growth in their customer base, now totaling 100,000 customers. Additionally, the company's operating expenses went up by 10%, amounting to $10 million, while the employee headcount increased by 25%, resulting in a current workforce of 500 employees.
Please create a clear, easy-to-read table showing all the important numbers from this report.
ChatGPT will organize this information into a more readable table:
AI Output
| What We're Measuring | Current Numbers | Change from Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| Money Earned (Revenue) | $50 million | ⬆️ Up 15% |
| Money Made (Profit) | $6 million | 12% of revenue |
| Number of Customers | 100,000 | ⬆️ Up 20% |
| Cost to Run Business | $10 million | ⬆️ Up 10% |
| Number of Employees | 500 | ⬆️ Up 25% |
How to Use These Tables
-
Copy and Paste: You can easily copy these tables into:
- Excel or Google Sheets
- Word documents or Google Docs
- PowerPoint or other presentation software
- Team communication tools like Slack
-
Customize Your Request: Try asking for specific formats:
- "Show the numbers in order from highest to lowest"
- "Group similar items together"
- "Add color coding for increases and decreases"
- "Show only the items that increased"
-
Make Tables More Readable:
- Ask for simpler language
- Request explanations for technical terms
- Get comparisons or percentages added
Tips for Better Tables
- Be specific: Tell ChatGPT exactly what you want to see in the table
Prompt
Please create a table showing:
- All money-related numbers
- Changes from last year
- Current values
- Ask for formatting: Request special formatting to make tables easier to read
Prompt
Can you:
- Add dollar signs where needed
- Use arrows for increases/decreases
- Group similar information together
- Get explanations: If needed, ask for help understanding the numbers
Prompt
Can you explain what each row in the table means in simple terms?
Remember: AI-generated tables are great for organizing information, but always double-check the numbers against the original text to make sure everything is correct!
By following these steps, you can turn any text with numbers and facts into clear, organized tables that are easy to understand and use in your work.
Sander Schulhoff
Sander Schulhoff is the Founder of Learn Prompting and an ML Researcher at the University of Maryland. He created the first open-source Prompt Engineering guide, reaching 3M+ people and teaching them to use tools like ChatGPT. Sander also led a team behind Prompt Report, the most comprehensive study of prompting ever done, co-authored with researchers from the University of Maryland, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Princeton, Stanford, and other leading institutions. This 76-page survey analyzed 1,500+ academic papers and covered 200+ prompting techniques.