clean-data-xls
anthropics/financial-services-plugins
How to install clean-data-xls
npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/financial-services-plugins --skill clean-data-xlsFull instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from anthropics/financial-services-plugins.
name: clean-data-xls description: Clean up messy spreadsheet data — trim whitespace, fix inconsistent casing, convert numbers-stored-as-text, standardize dates, remove duplicates, and flag mixed-type columns. Use when data is messy, inconsistent, or needs prep before analysis. Triggers on "clean this data", "clean up this sheet", "normalize this data", "fix formatting", "dedupe", "standardize this column", "this data is messy".
Clean Data
Clean messy data in the active sheet or a specified range.
Environment
- If running inside Excel (Office Add-in / Office JS): Use Office JS directly (
Excel.run(async (context) => {...})). Read viarange.values, write helper-column formulas viarange.formulas = [["=TRIM(A2)"]]. The in-place vs helper-column decision still applies. - If operating on a standalone .xlsx file: Use Python/openpyxl.
Workflow
Step 1: Scope
- If a range is given (e.g.
A1:F200), use it - Otherwise use the full used range of the active sheet
- Profile each column: detect its dominant type (text / number / date) and identify outliers
Step 2: Detect issues
| Issue | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Whitespace | leading/trailing spaces, double spaces |
| Casing | inconsistent casing in categorical columns (usa / USA / Usa) |
| Number-as-text | numeric values stored as text; stray $, ,, % in number cells |
| Dates | mixed formats in the same column (3/8/26, 2026-03-08, March 8 2026) |
| Duplicates | exact-duplicate rows and near-duplicates (case/whitespace differences) |
| Blanks | empty cells in otherwise-populated columns |
| Mixed types | a column that's 98% numbers but has 3 text entries |
| Encoding | mojibake (é, ’), non-printing characters |
| Errors | #REF!, #N/A, #VALUE!, #DIV/0! |
Step 3: Propose fixes
Show a summary table before changing anything:
| Column | Issue | Count | Proposed Fix |
|---|
Step 4: Apply
- Prefer formulas over hardcoded cleaned values — where the cleaned output can be expressed as a formula (e.g.
=TRIM(A2),=VALUE(SUBSTITUTE(B2,"$","")),=UPPER(C2),=DATEVALUE(D2)), write the formula in an adjacent helper column rather than computing the result in Python and overwriting the original. This keeps the transformation transparent and auditable. - Only overwrite in place with computed values when the user explicitly asks for it, or when no sensible formula equivalent exists (e.g. encoding/mojibake repair)
- For destructive operations (removing duplicates, filling blanks, overwriting originals), confirm with the user first
- After each category of fix (whitespace → casing → number conversion → dates → dedup), show the user a sample of what changed and get confirmation before moving to the next category
- Report a before/after summary of what changed
Related skills
More from anthropics/financial-services-plugins and the wider catalog.
competitive-analysis
Framework for building competitive landscape decks — market positioning, competitor deep-dives, comparative analysis, strategic synthesis. Use when the user asks for a competitive landscape, competitor analysis, peer comparison, market positioning assessment, strategic review, or investment memo deck. Also triggers on "who are the competitors to X", "benchmark X against peers", "build a market map", or any request to systematically evaluate competitive dynamics across an industry.
comps-analysis
|
datapack-builder
Build professional financial services data packs from various sources including CIMs, offering memorandums, SEC filings, web search, or MCP servers. Extract, normalize, and standardize financial data into investment committee-ready Excel workbooks with consistent structure, proper formatting, and documented assumptions. Use for M&A due diligence, private equity analysis, investment committee materials, and standardizing financial reporting across portfolio companies. Do not use for simple financial calculations or working with already-completed data packs.
dcf-model
Real DCF (Discounted Cash Flow) model creation for equity valuation. Retrieves financial data from SEC filings and analyst reports, builds comprehensive cash flow projections with proper WACC calculations, performs sensitivity analysis, and outputs professional Excel models with executive summaries. Use when users need to value a company using DCF methodology, request intrinsic value analysis, or ask for detailed financial modeling with growth projections and terminal value calculations.
deck-refresh
Updates a presentation with new numbers — quarterly refreshes, earnings updates, comp rolls, rebased market data. Use whenever the user asks to "update the deck with Q4 numbers", "refresh the comps", "roll this forward", "swap in the new earnings", "change all the $485M to $512M", or any request to swap figures across an existing deck without rebuilding it.
earnings-analysis
Create professional 8-12 page equity research earnings update reports within 24-48 hours of quarterly results.