table-extraction

name	table-extraction
description	How to accurately extract values from Treasury Bulletin tables. Use when reading tables with many columns, similar row labels, or when you need to verify you have the right cell.

Accurate Table Extraction

Wide tables (10+ columns) cause misreads. To verify you have the right value:

1. Identify the EXACT row label asked. "National defense" ≠ "National defense and veterans" ≠ "Total national security"
2. Count columns from the header to confirm which column has your target year/period
3. For wide tables, extract just the row you need: grep "row label" file.txt Then count pipe-separated values to match the column header.
4. Cross-check: if the page file has the value AND the full .txt has it, they should match. If not, trust the page file.

Common Table Traps

• "Total" rows already include sub-items. Never sum a parent with its children.
• Some tables wrap across pages. Check if there is a "Continued" table on the next page.
• Footnote markers (1/, 2/, r/, p/) appear inside numbers — strip them before computing.
• Values like "(*)" or "-" mean zero or not applicable, not missing data.
• Column headers with ">" indicate multi-level headers flattened. Read carefully.