Dataset for Practice

Download the sample cafe sales dataset:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xKxQwesTaGBYNXbdKHkbF0fHKlZZsXA6/view?usp=drive_link

Scenario

You are the analyst for a small café. Your manager asks:
“Which product category grew fastest in Q4, and what’s the overall sales trend across the year?”

You’ll use AI to answer this question in two ways: a text-based summary (ChatGPT) and a visual chart (Datawrapper).

Step-by-Step Activities

Activity 1 – Analyse the dataset with ChatGPT

1. Open the dataset in Excel or any text editor so you can see the table.
   
2. Copy the entire dataset (headers + rows).
3. Go to ChatGPT Free → start a new chat.
   
4. Paste the dataset into the chat, and use this prompt:
   
   “Here is a small sales dataset. Summarise the trends by product category. Which product grew fastest from Q3 to Q4, and what’s the overall yearly sales trend? Please include % changes where relevant.”

    

5. Read ChatGPT’s summary and check if it makes sense against the numbers in the table.

    

Expected outcome: A plain-English breakdown of sales growth, e.g., “Coffee sales grew the fastest in Q4 (+14% from Q3). Overall sales increased steadily across the year.”

Activity 2 – Create a chart with Datawrapper

1. Go to Datawrapper.
   
2. Click Start creating, and sign up for a free account.
   
3. On the dashboard, click New Chart.
   
4. On the next page, click Upload data → select the CSV you downloaded earlier.

    

   • You should see your data table appear on screen.

      

5. Click Proceed.
   
6. Datawrapper will suggest chart types automatically. The chart options should look like this:

 Choose Line chart or Column chart to show sales by quarter.

1. On the left, assign:
   
   • X-Axis: Quarter
     
   • Y-Axis: Sales (€)
     
   • Series/Group: Product Category

      

2. Click Proceed → Datawrapper will generate the chart.
   
3. Use the AI suggestions to refine (e.g., add title “Café Sales by Category, 2024”).
   
4. Click Publish & Embed → choose Export as PNG.

    

Activity 3 – Compare and Reflect

1. Compare the ChatGPT text summary with the Datawrapper chart.
   
2. Do they tell the same story?

    

   • If ChatGPT said Coffee grew fastest, does the chart confirm it?
     
   • Are the % growth claims visible in the trend lines?
     
3. Write down one insight you trust most and one limitation you noticed in the AI outputs.