How to Use ChatGPT and Excel to Automate BORING Tasks

Summary

In this video, we demonstrate how to use ChatGPT to automate the task of creating reports from multiple Excel files. We guide you through writing a VBA script to combine data from files in a folder, including copying columns A, B, and C, adding the file name in column D, and pasting everything into a main file. We also show how to correct issues in the script and make further improvements, such as removing file extensions and automating folder selection. This process simplifies data consolidation and reduces manual effort, providing a practical solution for repetitive tasks.

Takeaways

• 📊 The video demonstrates automating a repetitive task of combining data from multiple Excel files using a VBA script.
• 🛠️ The task involves copying specific columns (A, B, and C) from multiple files into a single file for year-end analysis.
• 🔍 The initial script excludes the first row of each Excel file to avoid duplicating headers in the main file.
• 📝 The script is designed to paste the combined data sequentially in the main file, ensuring all data is grouped together.
• 📁 The video mentions the need to modify the VBA script to include the file name in column D for each row of data copied.
• 🔄 An issue with the initial script was that it only filled column D for the first row of each file, requiring an adjustment.
• 🔧 After adjustment, the script correctly filled all rows in column D with the respective file names.
• 🖥️ The video instructs how to insert the VBA code by accessing the VBA editor with 'Alt + F11' and changing the folder path.
• 📁 It's important to keep the last dash in the path when setting the folder location in the script.
• 🚫 An unexpected outcome was the script copying data into columns E and F, which can be manually corrected.
• ✨ A suggestion for future improvement is to remove file extensions in column D for cleaner data presentation.
• 📹 The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and suggest other automation tasks for potential future videos.

Q & A

What is the main task being automated in the video script?

The main task being automated is the process of combining data from multiple Excel files into one file for further analysis, without manually copying and pasting.

What columns are being copied from each file according to the script?

Columns A, B, and C are being copied from each file, excluding the first row which contains the header.

Why is the first row of each file not being copied?

The first row contains the header and is not copied to avoid duplicating the header in the new main file.

In which column is the name of the file being copied from being recorded?

The name of the file from which the data is copied is being recorded in column D.

What issue occurred when the script was first run, and how was it resolved?

The initial issue was that the script only filled column D for the first row of each file. The script was adjusted to fill the information for each row.

What was the unexpected result after the script was adjusted?

After the adjustment, the script also copied the information to columns E and F, which was not intended.

How can the issue of data being copied to columns E and F be fixed?

The issue can be fixed manually, and it is suggested as a quick fix in the script.

What additional improvement is suggested for the script in the script?

An additional improvement suggested is to remove the file extension in column D to make the data look cleaner.

What feature is proposed to enhance the script's usability in the future?

A feature to bring up a pop-up window for browsing the folder path is proposed to enhance the script's usability.

How does the video script guide the user to implement the VBA script?

The script guides the user to copy the VBA code, paste it into the VBA editor of the desired file by pressing Alt + F11, change the path to the folder containing the files, and then run the script.

What is the final outcome of the task in the video script?

The final outcome is that the data from multiple Excel files is combined into one file with the file names recorded in column D, although some manual adjustments are still needed.

Outlines

00:00

📊 Automating Report Creation with Chat GPT

This paragraph introduces a project to automate the task of creating reports from multiple Excel files using Chat GPT. The files contain monthly data with consistent formats, differing only in the numerical data. The goal is to combine this data into a single file for year-end analysis. The manual method of copying and pasting is considered tedious, so the task is to instruct Chat GPT to write a VBA script. The script should copy columns A, B, and C from each file, excluding the header row, and paste them into a main file, sequentially, with the file name recorded in a new column D for reference. The script is then to be implemented in the VBA editor by changing the folder path to where the files are stored.

Keywords

💡Chat GPT

Chat GPT, in the context of this video, refers to a conversational AI tool designed to interact with users through text-based communication. The video's theme revolves around automating a task using this AI, specifically for combining data from multiple Excel files. The script mentions using 'Chat GPT to automate a simple boring task', indicating its role in facilitating the automation process.

💡Automate

To automate means to create a process or system that operates automatically. In the video, the goal is to automate the task of combining data from multiple files into one for analysis. The script discusses automating the 'copy and paste' method, which is typically manual and time-consuming, to make the process more efficient.

💡Reports

Reports in this context are documents that present information, often in a structured format, for analysis or record-keeping. The video is focused on creating reports by consolidating data from various files. The script mentions 'creating reports for multiple files', emphasizing the need for an organized and efficient way to compile and analyze data.

💡Excel Files

Excel files are spreadsheet documents created using Microsoft Excel, which is widely used for organizing, analyzing, and storing data in a tabular format. The video script discusses combining data from 'Excel files', indicating that the files contain the numerical data that needs to be consolidated for reporting purposes.

💡VBA Script

VBA, or Visual Basic for Applications, is a programming language used to create macros in Excel. A VBA script is a set of instructions written in VBA to automate tasks within Excel. The video script outlines the creation of a 'VBA script' to copy specific columns from multiple files into a new file, demonstrating the use of programming to automate data processing.

💡Column A, B, and C

In Excel, columns are labeled alphabetically, and 'Column A, B, and C' refer to the first three columns in a spreadsheet. The video script specifies copying data from these columns, excluding the header row, to consolidate the data from different files into one main file for analysis.

💡Header Row

A header row in Excel is the top row of a table or dataset that contains the titles of the columns. The script mentions excluding the first row, which is the header, when copying data to ensure that only the actual data is combined, and the new file has only one header row for clarity.

💡Folder Path

A folder path is the location of a folder on a computer system, specified by a series of directories leading to it. In the video, adjusting the 'folder path' in the VBA script is crucial to ensure that the script correctly identifies and accesses the Excel files within the specified directory for data consolidation.

💡Pop-up Window

A pop-up window is a small, temporary graphical user interface element that appears in an application to prompt the user for input or display information. The video script suggests enhancing the VBA script with a 'pop-up window' to allow users to browse and select the folder, making the process more user-friendly and less prone to errors in path specification.

💡File Extension

A file extension is the suffix at the end of a filename that indicates the type of the file, such as '.xlsx' for Excel files. The video script mentions removing the file extension in column D to clean up the data presentation, showing attention to detail in the final appearance of the consolidated report.

Highlights

Automating report creation from multiple files using chat GPT.

Folder contains monthly data with three columns: account managers, number of sales, and amount.

Each file has the same format with only the numbers changing.

Combining data into one file for year-long analysis.

Avoiding manual copy and paste by automating the task with VBA script.

Writing a VBA script to copy columns A, B, and C without the first row.

Script to be applied to all Excel files in the folder.

Pasting combined data into one main file, grouped together.

Adding file names to column D for each row's origin.

Instructions for copying the code into VBA and changing folder path.

Initial script only filled column D for the first row of each file.

Requesting adjustment to script for filling column D for each row.

Repeating the process after script adjustment.

Unexpected copying to columns E and F, requiring a quick fix.

Suggestion to remove file extensions in column D for cleaner data.

Proposal for a pop-up window to browse the folder instead of manual path entry.

Final script works well for automating the task.

Encouragement to like the video and subscribe for more automation examples.

Transcripts

today we are going to use chat GPT to

automate a simple boring task when

creating reports for multiple from

multiple files here we have a folder

that contains monthly data with three

columns account managers number of sales

and amount

and the format of each file is exactly

the same and only the numbers change

so what we want to do is combine the

data in one file that will further be

used for analysis for the whole year the

boring way of doing this of course is to

copy and paste the data from each file

but let's see if charge GPT will be able

to automate this task

so the first thing to do is to think

about all the steps that you would do

manually and try to explain that to chat

GPD

so I'm gonna ask judge GPT to write a

VBA script that will copy column A B and

C without the first row because we only

want one header row into the new file

and to do this for all the Excel files

in the folder

then to paste it in this one main file

and

one below the other so they are all

grouped together

also in each row in column D I wanted to

write the name of the file where it was

copied from

after the code is written all we have to

do is copy it in the VBA of the desired

file by clicking alt plus f11 and just

change the path to the folder where all

the files are

be careful to keep the last Dash in the

path and then just click run

foreign

as you can see it kind of did what I

wanted but only filled the column D for

the first row of each file so I'll ask

you to adjust the script and fill that

information for each row so let's see

what happens

judge GPT remembers the previous code

and will be able to adjust it if you

tell him to do that so you don't have to

start the whole process from the

beginning

foreign

GPT is done we will repeat the process

to paste the code into VBA and make sure

the correct folder path is in the code

as we can see now we did fill all the

rows but it seems it also copied the

information to colon E and F which is a

quick fix and we can do it quickly

manually

additionally maybe we would want to

remove the file extension in column D so

the data looks cleaner

and we could answer GPT

instead of manually changing the folder

part in the script to bring a pop-up

window where we can just browse the

folder which will be way cooler but

maybe we can do it in another video for

now this works great for me

hope you like this example if so make

sure to like the video and subscribe to

the channel and let me know what other

tasks you are trying to automate maybe

we will make a video about it