✦Use Claude Cowork

Analyze Data

Upload spreadsheets and data files, get charts and summaries, and export PDF reports — no coding required.

What's possible

  • Summarize large datasets — find averages, totals, outliers
  • Create bar charts, line graphs, scatter plots, and pivot tables
  • Compare data across categories or time periods
  • Clean messy data — fix formatting, remove duplicates, fill gaps
  • Export results as PDF reports with charts and written analysis

Getting started

  1. 1

    Open Claude and start a Cowork session

    Open the Claude Desktop app and switch to Cowork mode. Start a new conversation and let Cowork know you want to analyze data.

  2. 2

    Share your data file

    Drag and drop your CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets export into the chat. Cowork can read the file directly from your computer.

  3. 3

    Ask your question

    Tell Claude what you want to learn from the data — trends, summaries, comparisons, or specific calculations.

  4. 4

    Review and refine

    Claude will produce charts, tables, or written summaries. Ask follow-up questions to drill deeper or change the visualization.

  5. 5

    Export your results

    Ask Claude to save charts as images or compile everything into a PDF report you can share.

Example prompts

After uploading a sales spreadsheet

“Show me monthly revenue trends for the past year. Highlight any months that were significantly above or below average.”

Comparing two datasets

“Compare Q1 and Q2 customer acquisition costs by channel. Which channels improved and which got more expensive?”

Data cleanup

“This spreadsheet has duplicate rows and inconsistent date formats. Clean it up and save a corrected version.”

Report generation

“Create a PDF report summarizing the key findings from this data — include charts and a written executive summary.”

Tips

  • Be specific about what you want to see — “show me a bar chart of revenue by region” works better than “analyze this.”
  • If the first chart isn't quite right, ask Claude to adjust it — change colors, axis labels, or chart type.
  • Claude can handle multiple files at once. Upload both files and ask for a comparison.
  • For recurring analysis, save your prompts so you can reuse them when you get updated data.