LITTLE LANTERN GIFTS — SESSION 1 EXERCISE GUIDE AND PROMPTS
Updated 29 October 2026

Use Little_Lantern_Gifts_Transaction_Register.csv. Upload the CSV, not the ZIP.
All 132 records are SYNTHETIC and cover 1 March–31 August 2026.
Copy or dictate each prompt. If dictating, check the transcription before sending.
Keep the same conversation for steps 1–7 so ChatGPT has the file and earlier results.

ABOUT THE DATA
Imagine you run a small gifting business. Each row is one completed transaction for one product type; quantity counts gift sets. Sales are in Singapore dollars and equal quantity times unit price. Tax and delivery are excluded; there are no discounts or refunds. Costs, live stock, marketing consent and reasons for buying are not supplied. Sales do not establish profitability or future demand.

1. UPLOAD AND ADD CONTEXT
Upload the transaction register, then use:

I run Little Lantern Gifts, a fictional gifting business. I've uploaded our synthetic sales register. I want to know where to focus next month. What does this file contain, what dates does it cover, and what needs clarifying?

Check: 132 transactions, March–August 2026, three customer segments and three products. If asked which month you mean, specify September 2026 for this fictional exercise: it is the month immediately after the data. Do not treat the register as current business performance.

2. ASK FOR ANALYSIS IDEAS

What three useful analyses could we do with this transaction register? For each, explain what business decision it could help me make and what the data cannot tell us. Wait for me to choose.

Read the suggestions before choosing. You do not need to arrive with the analysis already planned. If the first response has already identified corporate gifting as the largest segment, the next step checks and quantifies that finding.

3. COMPARE CUSTOMER GROUPS

Using this file, compare total sales by customer segment in a table. Use Singapore dollars. What are two observations and one question worth investigating?

Check against Checked_Fallback_Table.txt:
Corporate gifting: S$36,276
Event & community: S$12,024
Personal gifting: S$6,120
Total: S$54,420

Read the table before moving on. The chart helps communicate the size of the differences; it does not prove why those differences exist.

4. TURN THE TABLE INTO A CHART

Now turn those totals into a simple bar chart. Put customer groups along the bottom and sales in Singapore dollars up the side. Show the value on each bar.

Check all three labels and values against the table. If chart generation is unavailable, keep the table or use Excel or Google Sheets to chart the checked totals.

5. CHECK THE NUMBERS

Show one sales calculation I can check. Do the segment totals add up to total sales? Suggest one action to test and what we'd need to confirm first.

Open the original CSV and check a row: quantity multiplied by unit price should equal sales amount. Check that the three segment totals sum to S$54,420. Asking ChatGPT to check itself is useful, but also compare with the source and the prepared fallback table.

6. INVESTIGATE WHETHER THE PATTERN HOLDS EACH MONTH
This follow-up turns the question raised in the session into a reusable prompt:

Is corporate gifting the largest customer segment in every month? Compare total sales by customer segment for each month. Show a table in Singapore dollars and corporate gifting's share of each month's sales. Tell me whether the pattern is consistent.

Check: corporate gifting is the largest segment in all six months. Its monthly share ranges from about 57.9% in April to 70.5% in August. Being largest every month does not rule out individual large transactions driving results.

Optional follow-up visualization:

Turn the monthly sales table into a line chart, with months along the bottom and sales in Singapore dollars up the side. Use one line for each customer segment.

7. SAVE A SIMPLE BUSINESS TAKEAWAY
Use this follow-up prompt to create the summary card discussed in the session:

Create a short business insight card with four parts: the finding, the numbers supporting it, one action worth testing, and what we need to check before acting. Use only what this register supports. Keep it clear and concise.

Save the card with your table or chart. Treat the action as a proposal, not a proven business recommendation. Check costs, margins, capacity and demand before making a commitment.

8. PRACTISE WITH A PLUGIN OR CONNECTED SOURCE
Choose a plugin available in your account and review its setup requirements. If it includes a data-source app, connect only an approved account and review its permissions. A plugin supplies a workflow and/or tools; a connected app supplies access to a service. Installing a plugin does not automatically authorize file access. You can also analyze the uploaded CSV in ordinary ChatGPT without installing a plugin.

If you have connected Google Drive and stored the practice CSV there, try:

Find Little_Lantern_Gifts_Transaction_Register.csv in my connected Google Drive. Confirm the file name and date range before we analyze it. If there is more than one match, ask me which to use.

Confirm the correct file and that its contents are accessible before continuing. Connecting Gmail does not by itself connect Google Drive.

Then use this specific practice task:

Look only at corporate gifting. Which product has the highest total sales? Show sales by product in a table, highest first, in Singapore dollars. Check that the total matches our earlier corporate sales figure. Suggest one product to explore for a campaign and what we should confirm first.

Check: Drinkware S$18,972; Desk essentials S$10,752; Notebook gift sets S$6,552. Total S$36,276.

Optional visualization:

Turn those product totals into a simple bar chart. Show sales in Singapore dollars and label each bar with its value.

IF YOU HIT A LIMIT
Free accounts support file uploads and data analysis, with separate usage limits. Plugin and app availability also varies by account and workspace.
If upload or analysis is unavailable, open Checked_Fallback_Table.txt, paste its table and definitions into chat, then use:

Using this checked summary of fictional sales, tell me two things you notice, one question it can't answer, and one action worth testing. Keep it brief.

If only the chart fails, use the table. If chat is unavailable, review the checked table on your own or with a partner.

BEFORE THE NEXT SESSION
Set up a plugin available in your account and connect an approved data source if needed. Choose a business question and a small file you are authorized to use. Remove unnecessary personal or confidential information. If approval is unclear, keep practising with the synthetic register.

Help me analyze my business data. First, ask about my business, my decision, and the file I can use. Then suggest three analyses and wait for my choice. After that, show a chart or table and help me check one result.

Bring one chart, one checked insight and one possible next step. Note any access or setup issues so we can address them.

RESOURCES
Practice files: https://sme-ai-sprint-preread.vercel.app/#practice-files
Plugin setup: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001256-plugins-in-chatgpt
Free account guidance: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9275245-chatgpt-free-tier-faq
Data controls: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7730893-data-controls-in-chatgpt
Business privacy: https://openai.com/enterprise-privacy/
