Data entry and records

Why this matters for you

Records are the memory of your office. Registers, lists, spreadsheets and forms decide who gets paid, who is called for an interview, which file is where and what stock is in the store. If a record is wrong, a real person can lose out.

AI can help with dull, repetitive parts of data work. It can put a list in order, fix spelling, split one column into two or suggest a spreadsheet formula. But it can also change data quietly, drop rows or fill gaps with guesses. In records, a neat mistake is worse than an untidy truth.

What AI can help with

A chatbot can help you:

• sort a list alphabetically or by date
• make spelling and capital letters the same across a list, such as "Lahore", "lahore" and "LHR"
• spot entries that look like duplicates
• change dates into one format, such as day, month, year
• split a full address into separate columns or join columns together
• write a spreadsheet formula, such as one that adds up a column
• explain what an existing formula does

The prompts to clean up a list and write a spreadsheet formula are good places to start. The guide on AI for spreadsheets and data has more.

Never let it guess

This is the most important rule in this module. If a value is missing, it stays missing until a person finds the real value.

A chatbot likes to give complete answers. If a row has no phone number, no date of joining or no grade, the chatbot may fill it with something that looks right. It might copy the value from the row above, make up a likely number or "correct" a value it thinks is wrong. This is a kind of hallucination.

To protect against this:

• tell the chatbot clearly: "Do not fill in missing values. Leave them blank and list which rows have gaps."
• never accept a value you cannot trace back to the original form or register
• find missing values from the original papers or ask the person responsible, not the chatbot

Keep personal data out

Most office lists contain personal data: names, CNIC numbers, phone numbers, addresses, salaries or grades. As module 2 explained, these must not go into a chatbot unless your office has clearly approved the tool for such data.

Often you can still get help without sharing real data:

• Ask for the method, not the result. For example, "How do I remove duplicate rows in a spreadsheet?" Then do it yourself on your office computer.
• Use a made-up sample. Write five fake rows with the same columns, such as "Name A, 01-02-2024, Clerk". Ask the chatbot to show you how to tidy them. Then apply the same steps to the real list yourself.
• Ask for a formula. A formula works on your real data inside your own spreadsheet. The real data never leaves your computer.

Check every change

When you use AI on data, check the result before you save or share it:

1. Count the rows. Does the cleaned list have the same number of rows as the original? If not, find out why.
2. Add up totals. If there are amounts, do the totals match the original?
3. Spot-check entries. Compare the first row, the last row and a few in the middle with the original, one by one.
4. Look for changed values. Did any names, numbers or dates change when only the format should have changed?
5. Check the gaps. Are missing values still blank, not filled in?

The prompt to check figures in a table can help you look for problems.

Keep the original safe

Never work on your only copy. Before you change a list, save the original with a clear name and date. Keep it unchanged. Save the cleaned version separately.

If you made changes with AI help, write a short note saying what you did and when. This creates a simple audit trail, a record that lets someone check later how the data was changed. The guide on AI and record keeping explains more.

Try it

Make a short practice list of ten made-up rows with three columns: name, city and date. Make it messy on purpose. Spell one city three ways, use different date styles and leave two dates blank. Ask a chatbot to tidy it and to leave blanks empty. Then check the result with the five steps above. Did it keep the blanks? Did it keep all ten rows?

Check yourself

1. What must happen to a missing value in a record?
2. Name two ways to get AI help with a list without sharing real personal data.
3. What should you do before you change any list?

Answers: (1) It stays blank until a person finds the real value from the original source. (2) Any two of: ask for the method, use a made-up sample, ask for a formula. (3) Save an unchanged copy of the original.