ChatGPT now lets users upload and analyze multiple files in a single conversation. This feature, primarily for Plus and Enterprise users, supports cross-document analysis, data merging, and understanding across different file types, including PDFs, Excel, CSV, and text files.
You can upload up to 10 files per conversation or GPT session, with each file up to 512 MB, and most CSV or spreadsheet files are limited to about 50 MB. There is a 2-million-token limit per document.
- Each file can be up to 512 MB. However, CSV and spreadsheet files are often limited to about 50 MB each. There is also a 2-million-token limit per document.
- ChatGPT uses Python code to perform tasks such as merging datasets, creating visualizations, and comparing data across files.
- You can upload files from your computer, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive.
- ChatGPT generates interactive tables and charts in the chat, which can be adjusted to facilitate data exploration.
Common applications include comparing data from multiple PDF reports or research papers.
- It is also possible to combine and analyze data from several Excel spreadsheets.
- Another common use case is summarizing long documents to highlight key insights.
There are some limitations to consider: this feature is currently available mainly to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users.
- There are limits on file uploads. For example, you can upload up to 80 files every 3 hours. There are also limits on total storage per user or organization.
- Content you upload may be used to improve the models. You can manage this in your settings. Enterprise and API users have stronger privacy protections.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of uploading and analyzing, let’s look at what you can actually do with your data in ChatGPT.
With ChatGPT, you can turn uploaded data into static or interactive tables and charts.
- ChatGPT creates an interactive table view for you to scroll and explore your data.
- After uploading a file, ChatGPT can select the ideal chart type, or you can specify one.
- You can adjust your interactive charts and add summaries to explain your findings.
- Using reasoning models to run regressions, chart business metrics, and try scenario simulations.
After exploring data capabilities, you might wonder which file types are supported. Here’s what you can use with ChatGPT.
ChatGPT can analyze data uploaded in a variety of file formats, including Excel, comma-separated values (CSV), PDF, and JSON.
You can also upload the latest versions of your files directly from Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive Personal, and Microsoft OneDrive (including SharePoint).
To help you get the best results when analyzing spreadsheets in ChatGPT, here are some useful tips to follow.
Do:
- Include descriptive column headers in the first row.
- Use plain language for column headers, avoiding acronyms and jargon.
- Use one row per record.
Don’t:
- Include multiple sections and tables in a single spreadsheet.
- Include empty rows or columns.
- Include images that contain critical information.
Next, let’s explore how ChatGPT analyzes and visualizes your data using charts.
ChatGPT uses pandas for data analysis and matplotlib for charts. Click View Analysis after exploring the data to see how these tools were used.
How Can I See the Analysis by Default?
After using ChatGPT to examine or visualize your data, click the “view analysis” link at the end of the response.
At the top of the model, you can toggle “always show details” to have the analysis window open by default after each response. Locally, you can click “copy” to copy the code to your clipboard and paste it into your code editor.
If you are interested in interactive charts, here’s how to get started.
After creating a chart, click “Switch to interactive chart” in the top-right corner.
When you choose this option, the graph updates to an interactive version if the chart type supports interactivity. Only certain chart types, such as bar, pie, scatter, and line, support interactivity. To switch back to a static graph, select “Switch to Static Chart” at the top-right of the graph.
Which Chart Types Are Interactive?
Currently, only bar, pie, scatter, and line charts are interactive, while the rest produce a variety of non-interactive charts, including histograms, scatter plots, box plots, box-and-whisker plots, heat maps, area charts, radar charts, tree maps, bubble charts, and waterfall charts.
How Many Files May I Analyze at Once?
- Upload up to 10 files per conversation.
- You can attach up to 20 files to a GPT as knowledge. ChatGPT can use these files if Code Interpreter is turned on for that ChatGPT.
Each file can be up to 512 MB. CSV files and spreadsheets have a 50 MB limit, depending on row size.
ChatGPT can assist with files that are too large for typical spreadsheet programs.
How Do I Delete Files I Upload?
Uploaded files are deleted after a set of time, depending on your plan. Delete files from certain chats or GPTs if you reach your limit.
What’s Going On Under the Hood?
When you upload structured data, ChatGPT looks at the first few rows to determine the layout and data types. Ask questions about your data. ChatGPT performs the following steps.
- Access the uploaded data in a code execution environment.
- Write the Python code to process the data and produce the required analytical output.
- Execute code and examine the results.
- Integrate the results into the response you see in the chat window.
ChatGPT can perform mathematical and statistical analysis by both writing and running code. To view the generated code, click the blue [>_] link at the end of a message.
How Does ChatGPT Know How to Analyze Data?
A key feature of ChatGPT is its ability to perform complex analysis from natural-language prompts. The model was trained on many data-analysis tasks, including example datasets, questions, and code analysts used to answer them. This training helps ChatGPT generate new code and use specialized Python libraries for complex tasks.
How Does ChatGPT Execute Code?
When analyzing data, ChatGPT runs in a secure, preloaded environment with hundreds of Python libraries. ChatGPT writes code to import and use these libraries. The environment accesses files attached to the prompt for interacting with uploaded structured data. It can also access files retrieved for GPT actions.
When ChatGPT writes code in response to the input, it sends the code to the environment to run. It can see the results, including any errors, and automatically fix code problems.
The ChatGPT code environment cannot make network requests. Code runs separately from the rest of the ChatGPT platform, which keeps the feature safe.
When data is analyzed for the first time, a new code environment is created. The environment is available only in that conversation and is deleted after 13 hours of inactivity.
What Are Some Applications Outside of Data Analysis?
ChatGPT’s core environment is for structured data, but its ability to write and run code lets you use it for many tasks beyond data analysis.
- Applications include file manipulation and generation.
- Thematic analysis of structured data and text documents
ChatGPT is trained in many programming tasks and can find creative ways to use the code environment to get things done.
Source: Data analysis with ChatGPT
