{"id":"sheet-sales-check-ai-vlookup-fix","audience":"sales","category":"spreadsheets","track":"data","technique":"verification","title":"Catch what's wrong with the AI's price lookup formula","free":false,"task":"An AI gave you a lookup formula for unit prices and some rows came back wrong. Your team uses Excel 2016, which has no XLOOKUP. Ask for exactly 2 numbered lines labeled Problem 1: and Problem 2:, then the fixed formula for C2 in one code block. Under 60 words outside the code, and no XLOOKUP anywhere.","materialLabel":"The AI's answer and your two tabs (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"WHAT THE AI SAID\n\"Put this in C2 on the Orders tab and fill down:\n=VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!A:B,2)\nThis looks up each SKU and returns its price.\"\n\nORDERS TAB\nA SKU | B Qty | C Unit price | D Line total\nHB-220 | 4 | Cable Kit | #VALUE!\nAC-105 | 10 | Desk Lamp | #VALUE!\nZT-900 | 2 | Monitor Arm | #VALUE!\nMK-410 | 1 | Desk Lamp | #VALUE!\n\nPRICES TAB (not sorted)\nA SKU | B Product name | C Unit price\nZT-900 | Monitor Arm | 89.00\nAC-105 | Desk Lamp | 34.50\nMK-410 | Wireless Keyboard | 59.00\nHB-220 | USB Hub | 24.00\nQP-330 | Cable Kit | 12.00\n\nNotes:\n- D2 is =B2*C2\n- MK-410 should be a keyboard, but it shows Desk Lamp\n- We have about 600 SKUs, more added every month","rules":[{"type":"codeBlocks","count":1},{"type":"numberedItems","count":2},{"type":"maxProseWords","max":60}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Not saying your Excel version","why":"The AI's favorite fix is XLOOKUP, which Excel 2016 doesn't have.","fix":"Add: \"Excel 2016, no XLOOKUP.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Asking only for a fix","why":"You get a new formula but don't learn why the old one broke, so you'll trust the next bad one.","fix":"Add: \"First name the 2 problems: Problem 1:, Problem 2:.\"","checks":["r0","r1"]},{"title":"Getting a menu of options","why":"The AI likes to offer two or three versions of the formula, so you're left to pick and test them yourself.","fix":"Add: \"Give one formula only, in one code block, no alternatives.\"","checks":["codeBlocks"]},{"title":"Getting a tutorial","why":"By default the AI explains every part of the formula at length, in bullets and bold.","fix":"Add: \"Exactly 2 numbered problem lines, each under 20 words. Nothing after the code.\"","checks":["maxProseWords","numberedItems"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Says the Excel version","patterns":["2016","no xlookup","excel version"]},{"label":"Asks what went wrong","patterns":["problem","what'?s wrong","why (it|the)"]},{"label":"Asks for one fixed formula","patterns":["one formula","one code block","fixed formula","no alternatives"]},{"label":"Keeps the explanation short","patterns":["under \\d+ words","\\b(2|two)\\b.{0,15}lines","short"]}],"hint":"AI formulas often look right and quietly return the wrong row. Ask it to name what broke, and tell it your Excel version so the fix actually runs.","rubricLabels":["One problem line says the formula returns column 2 (product name) instead of the price in column 3 of the Prices tab","One problem line says the formula is missing FALSE (or 0) for exact match, so on unsorted SKUs it returns wrong rows like Desk Lamp for MK-410","The code block formula looks up A2 in Prices!A:C, returns column 3, with exact match (for example =VLOOKUP(A2,Prices!A:C,3,FALSE), or an INDEX/MATCH with 0), and XLOOKUP appears nowhere in the reply"]}