Explore, analyse and consolidate data
Use this section when the work is mainly numbers, tables or structured data. AI can explain, analyse, combine and visualise data, helping you move from rows and columns to useful questions and patterns.
Typical products and features
- Copilot in Excel
- Copilot Chat
- Analyst
Best-fit users
- Anyone working with spreadsheets or structured data
Extra cost risk: Usually low to medium; advanced analysis may depend on licence and feature availability
Watch-outs
- Check important calculations and conclusions before relying on them.
- This section focuses on capability; organisational rules determine which datasets are appropriate to use.
- For regulated or consequential decisions, keep human accountability.
Example use cases (6)
Consolidate data from multiple files
Bring together tables or structured information from several files and ask AI to create one combined dataset or consistent summary.
Where: Excel / Analyst / Copilot Chat
Create charts and explain what they show
Ask AI to create a suitable chart from a dataset and explain the main patterns, changes or outliers in plain language.
Where: Excel / Analyst
Analyse data and find patterns
Give Copilot a table or dataset and ask questions about trends, outliers, changes over time or relationships between fields.
Where: Excel / Analyst / Copilot Chat
Explain formulas and calculations
Ask Copilot to explain what a formula does, suggest a formula for a calculation or help diagnose why a result looks wrong.
Where: Excel / Copilot Chat
Explore trends in operational data
Combine or inspect operational datasets and ask Copilot to explain changes, peaks, recurring patterns or areas worth investigating.
Where: Excel / Analyst / Copilot Chat
Use Analyst for deeper data analysis
Ask Analyst to explore one or more datasets, test patterns, create charts and produce a reproducible analysis for review.
Where: Microsoft 365 Copilot Analyst