Explain an AI-written formula to a teammate in three lines

About this exercise

A teammate pasted an AI-written lookup formula that shows blanks everywhere in your Excel 2016 workbook. Write exactly 3 plain-text lines labeled Does:, Breaks when: and Fix:, under 90 words, no code block. Fix must name a helper column key and say what to match on, with the formula for it written inline.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Blaming the data. The AI guesses typos or spaces instead of the array-entry problem. Try: Add: "Explain it fails because Excel 2016 needs array entry for the combined range."
• Not saying why blanks. The AI misses that IFERROR hides the error. Try: Add: "Say IFERROR turns the error into blanks."
• Giving a long rewrite. The AI posts the formula in a code block with extras. Try: Add: "Fix: one sentence naming a helper column key, written inline, no code block."
• Leaving the format to chance. The AI picks its own length and layout unless told the exact shape. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold or headings."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each part instead, for example "each line under 15 words."

What a strong prompt includes

• Asks for three labeled lines
• Names the version
• Mentions iferror
• Asks for the helper column
• Rules out code

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