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Turn an email request into journal entry lines as JSON

  • For Accountants
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're drafting journal entry lines from an email for review. Write a prompt for one JSON code block, an array of 4 objects (one per line, no pretty-printing) with exactly the keys date, account, debit and credit (numbers, 0 where not used). Use ISO dates and only the accounts in the list. Outside the code block write at most 15 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Booking the whole premium. The AI debits expense 4,800 for simplicity. Try: Add: "Do not book the whole premium to expense; amortize one month."
  • Pretty-printed JSON. The AI spreads each object over several lines, breaking the line limit. Try: Say: "One object per line, no pretty-printing."
  • Wrong keys or dates. The AI uses 'debit_account' or 'Oct 1'. Try: Say: "Keys exactly date, account, debit, credit; dates like 2026-10-01."
  • Wrong amortization. The AI uses the wrong number of months for the monthly amount. Try: Add: "One month = $4,800 / 12."
  • Commentary around the block. The AI adds paragraphs of explanation. Try: Say: "At most 15 words outside the code block."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Gives the keys
  • Sets one object per line
  • Gives the monthly amount
  • Bans full expensing
  • Limits prose

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