How to Create a Budget Report with Copilot in Excel, by Cliffinkent on YouTube. 13 min 9 s.
- Video length
- 13 min 9 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Open your workbook and look at the raw export first. Note the row count, any amounts stored as text, and any inconsistent labels before you ask Copilot for anything.
Switch Copilot to Edit mode for changes to the sheet. Use Plan mode to map out the report, and Chat mode for questions that should not alter your data.
Ask Copilot to clean the export: convert text amounts to numbers, trim spaces from names, and standardise contractor labels so they match.
Prompt Copilot to compare budget with actual spend. Ask for a table of each category with budget, actual, variance and percentage variance.
Ask Copilot to build the sponsor summary from that comparison table. Keep it to a few headline figures and the largest variances.
Check the contractor total by hand. Add up the contractor rows yourself and confirm the figure matches what Copilot reported.
Inspect any duplicate invoice Copilot flagged. Open the rows, confirm they are the same invoice, and remove or adjust one of them.
Investigate the software overspend. Ask Copilot which line items drove the gap, then check those rows against the source data.
Look behind any charts or checks Copilot added. Confirm the formulas and cell references are correct before you trust the report.
Review the final report as a whole. Decide whether each figure is verified enough to send to your sponsor.
Tips and common mistakes
Copilot can miss duplicates and text-formatted numbers, so always spot-check totals by hand.
Keep a copy of the raw export before you let Copilot edit anything.
Ask Copilot to explain each formula it adds so you can confirm the logic.
Use consistent category names in the source data to get cleaner comparisons.
Questions
Do I need a paid Copilot licence to do this?
Yes. Copilot in Excel needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. Without it you can still build the same report with formulas and pivot tables.
Can Copilot find duplicate invoices on its own?
It can flag likely duplicates, but it may miss some. Always review the rows it points to and check the totals yourself.
Will Copilot change my original data?
It can if you use Edit mode. Work on a copy of the workbook so your raw export stays intact.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
