Source note2 min read
Data Analysis in the Wild: Benchmarking Large Language Models Against Real-World Data Complexities
Source
arXiv
arxiv.org/abs/2607.06482v1
Source
- Source name: arXiv
- Source kind: paper
- Authors / organization: So Hasegawa, Shailaja Keyur Sampat, Lei Liu, Wei-Peng Chen
- Venue: arXiv: cs.CL
- Published: 2026-07-07
- Collected: 2026-07-08
- URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2607.06482v1
- PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.06482v1
- DOI: UNKNOWN
Plain-Language Brief
The paper introduces DataGovBench, a benchmark for evaluating the performance of Large Language Models (LLMs) in practical scenarios, such as complex data analysis and insight discovery from large multi-tabular datasets. The benchmark includes two tasks: Table QA and Table Insight. Experiments with state-of-the-art LLMs show significant performance gaps across both tasks, suggesting that current LLM-based systems are not yet capable of meeting the demands of real-world data analytics.
What the Document Says
- The paper presents DataGovBench, a benchmark derived from governmental open data for evaluating LLMs in practical scenarios.
- DataGovBench consists of two tasks: Table QA and Table Insight.
- Table QA requires solving complex decomposable questions and producing textual answers or visualizations.
- Table Insight evaluates the ability of models to generate expert-level findings through exploratory data analysis.
- Experiments with state-of-the-art LLMs reveal significant performance gaps across both tasks.
- These results suggest that current LLM-based systems are far from satisfying the demands of real-world data analytics.
Key Concepts Mentioned
- Large Language Models
- DataGovBench
- Table QA
- Table Insight
- performance gaps
Claims Made by the Document
- Current benchmarks for evaluating LLMs in data analysis are not reflective of real-world settings.
- DataGovBench is a challenging benchmark for advancing research on LLMs capable of answering analytical queries and discovering insights from data.
Evidence Used
- The paper states that current benchmarks fail to reflect real-world settings.
- The paper presents DataGovBench as a solution to this problem.
Methods / Approach
UNKNOWN
Limitations Stated by the Authors
UNKNOWN
Limitations Noted by the Agent
Agent interpretation — not from the source.
UNKNOWN
Open Questions
UNKNOWN
Notes for Future Q&A
May include interpretation. Labeled where it does.
UNKNOWN
Raw Abstract / Excerpt
Current benchmarks for evaluating Large Language Models (LLMs) in data analysis often fail to reflect real-world settings. They typically focus on fact retrieval from small tables and overlook the challenges of large multi-tabular datasets, external knowledge integration, and exploratory insight discovery. We introduce DataGovBench, a benchmark derived from governmental open data designed to evaluate LLMs in practical scenarios. The benchmark includes two tasks: Table QA that requires solving complex decomposable questions and producing textual answers or visualizations, and Table Insight that evaluates the ability of models to generate expert-level findings through exploratory data analysis. Comprehensive experiments with state-of-the-art LLMs, both with and without agentic frameworks, reveal significant performance gaps across both tasks. These results suggest that current LLM-based systems remain far from satisfying the demands of real-world data analytics. DataGovBench provides a challenging benchmark for advancing research on LLMs capable of both answering analytical queries and discovering insights from data. Code and sample data are available at https://github.com/SoHasegawa/datagovbench.
