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Rank segments by gross margin using a corrected revenue figure

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Asking for a format you can use
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're building a one-table segment view for the CFO. Write a prompt for a markdown table with columns Segment | Revenue | COGS | Gross margin %, one row per segment sorted by gross margin % from highest to lowest, then a final row labeled Total. Percentages to one decimal. Use the controller's corrected revenue. No commentary. Under 80 words. No bullets or numbering.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using preliminary revenue. The AI keeps SMB at $1,000,000 and shows 40.0%. Try: Say: "Use the controller's corrected SMB revenue ($900,000)."
  • Not recomputing the total. The AI shows the old total of $6,000,000. Try: Add: "Recompute the total revenue and its margin."
  • Wrong order. The AI lists segments in the original order. Try: Add: "Sort by gross margin % from highest to lowest."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the columns
  • Applies the correction
  • Asks for sorting
  • Adds a total row
  • Limits output

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