{"id":"data2-pivot-distinct-customers-setup-lines","audience":"marketing","category":"spreadsheets","track":"data","technique":"format","level":"advanced","title":"Set up a pivot that counts customers, not orders","free":false,"task":"Your marketing lead wants to know how many different customers ordered in each region, and a plain count of rows would count repeat orders. Write exactly 4 labeled lines in plain text, under 80 words: Rows, Values, Setup and Why not Count. Use the exact column names, and your Excel is 2016.","materialLabel":"Sheet header and notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Sheet: Orders_Q3 (Excel 2016) - Fernhill Foods\n\nColumns (row 1):\nA Order ID | B Customer ID | C Region | D Order date | E Amount | F Channel\n\nSample rows:\nO-1001 | C-17 | West | 2025-07-03 | 120 | Email\nO-1002 | C-17 | West | 2025-07-19 | 85 | Search\nO-1003 | C-22 | West | 2025-08-02 | 40 | Email\nO-1004 | C-31 | East | 2025-08-11 | 210 | Social\nO-1005 | C-31 | East | 2025-09-01 | 95 | Email\nO-1006 | C-40 | East | 2025-09-08 | 60 | Search\n\nNotes:\n- About 3,000 rows. Many customers ordered more than once.\n- A normal PivotTable \"Count of Customer ID\" counts rows, so C-17 would count as 2 in the sample.\n- In Excel 2013 and later, a PivotTable can show a Distinct Count when you tick \"Add this data to the Data Model\" in the Create PivotTable dialog.\n- The marketing lead does not need dollars, dates or channels in this table.\n- The sample's right answer is West 2 customers and East 2 customers.","rules":[{"type":"plainText"},{"type":"maxWords","max":80}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Using Count","why":"The AI puts Count of Customer ID in Values and counts orders.","fix":"Add: \"Values is Distinct Count of Customer ID.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Missing the checkbox","why":"The AI doesn't say Distinct Count needs the Data Model.","fix":"Add: \"Setup: tick Add this data to the Data Model.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Long tutorials","why":"The AI writes click-by-click steps.","fix":"Add: \"Exactly 4 lines: Rows, Values, Setup, Why not Count.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Leaving the format to chance","why":"The AI picks its own length and layout unless told the exact shape.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text, no bold or headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example \"each line under 15 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Gives the four labels","patterns":["rows:","values:","setup:","why not count:"]},{"label":"Says distinct count","patterns":["distinct count"]},{"label":"Names the checkbox","patterns":["data model"]},{"label":"Uses the example","patterns":["c-17","repeat"]},{"label":"Rules out steps","patterns":["no steps","exactly 4"]}],"hint":"Pivot setups hide a trap: Count counts rows. Name the distinct-count route and the dialog checkbox.","mission":"How do I count customers by region in a pivot?","musts":["Four labeled lines","Distinct count, not count","Name the setup checkbox"],"rubricLabels":["Rows says Region (the exact column name), and Values says Distinct Count of Customer ID","Setup says to tick 'Add this data to the Data Model' when creating the PivotTable (Excel 2013 or later, so it works in 2016)","Why not Count says a plain Count of Customer ID counts orders, so repeat customers like C-17 would be counted twice, and the reply is exactly four lines labeled Rows:, Values:, Setup: and Why not Count:"]}