Ask Questions About a Spreadsheet in Plain English

If you have ever stared at a spreadsheet knowing exactly what you wanted to find but not which formula to use, you are not alone. The good news is that you can now ask questions about a spreadsheet in plain English and get a calculated answer after the on-device model is ready — no formula syntax or pivot tables. You type a question, and the answer comes back as a number, a table, or a chart.

Why ask questions about a spreadsheet in plain English?

Formulas are powerful, but they have a steep learning curve. You need to remember function names, nest them correctly, and get every cell reference right. One misplaced comma and the whole thing breaks.

Plain English removes that friction. Instead of building =SUMIFS(...), you simply ask:

• "What were total sales by region last quarter?"
• "Which 10 customers spent the most?"
• "Show me monthly revenue as a line chart."
• "What's the average order value for repeat buyers?"

You describe the outcome you want, and the tool figures out how to calculate it against your columns. It is the difference between knowing what you want and having to remember how to build it.

How it works

AskCSV lets you drop in a CSV or TSV export and start asking after the on-device model is ready. Here is the whole flow:

1. Open the app and drag in your file. Use a CSV or TSV export, or paste delimited spreadsheet data. The first row should contain column headers.
2. Type a question in plain English. Use everyday language — "top products by profit," "how many orders shipped late," anything about your columns.
3. Read the answer. You get a clear result: a figure, a sorted table, or an auto-generated chart you can use immediately.
4. Keep going. Ask a follow-up to slice the data further, compare periods, or drill into a segment. Each question builds on your file.

That's it. There is nothing to configure and no query language to learn.

Your analysis content stays on your device

This is the part that matters most for anyone working with real business numbers. When you use AskCSV to ask questions about a spreadsheet in plain English, the analysis happens entirely inside your web browser, on your own computer. Your file is never uploaded to AskCSV or stored in a cloud analysis account. Saved work remains in this browser until you delete it.

That means:

• Private by design. AskCSV has no server-side analysis copy to expose.
• No sign-up to start. You don't hand over an email or create a login just to run Free analysis.
• Free to start. Free includes 10 successful analyses per month.
• Works with your own CSV or TSV. Analysis content stays on the device running your browser.

For finance, HR, healthcare, or other confidential records, local processing can reduce cloud transfer risk. Your organization is still responsible for evaluating device security, access controls, and compliance requirements.

Who this is for

You do not need to be technical. AskCSV is built for the business user, the analyst, the founder checking numbers before a meeting, and the operations manager who lives in spreadsheets. If you can describe what you're looking for in a sentence, you can get an answer.

It is also a great fit for quick, one-off questions — the kind where opening a formula-heavy workbook feels like overkill. Ask, read the result, move on.

A few tips for better answers

• Be specific about time and grouping. "Revenue by month in 2025" beats "revenue over time."
• Name your columns naturally. If a header is "amt," referring to "amount" or "sales" still usually works, but clearer questions get sharper results.
• Ask follow-ups. Treat it like a conversation. Narrow down, sort differently, or request a chart of the same result.

Try it with your own file

The fastest way to understand the workflow is to try the synthetic sample or a file you are authorized to use. Head to the app, load a CSV, and ask your first question in plain English. Free analysis needs no sign-up, and the file stays on your device.