workflow-xlsx-tabular-conventions

# Excel-Pasteable Tabular Conventions ## What this skill covers The canonical markdown-table layout standard for headless Excel-equivalent deliverables. These conventions let a recipient paste the output directly into Excel and recover structure, units, sources, and cross-references without rework. **Scope**: header row, units row, source column, negatives, totals rows, multi-sheet structure. For formula text and cross-references, see `workflow-xlsx-formula-cells`. For named-range substitutes, see `workflow-xlsx-named-ranges`. ## Core conventions ### Header row The first table row is the column header. Use clear Excel-style column names. No abbreviations without a legend. ``` | Year | Revenue | EBITDA | EBITDA Margin | |------|---------|--------|---------------| ``` ### Units row The second row (immediately below the column header) declares units for every column. Every numeric column must have a unit declared. ``` | Year | Revenue | EBITDA | EBITDA Margin | |------|---------|--------|---------------| | (FY) | ($M) | ($M) | (%) | ``` Standard unit tokens: - `($M)` — US dollars, millions - `($B)` — US dollars, billions - `(%)` — percentage - `(x)` — multiple (e.g., EV/EBITDA) - `(bps)` — basis points - `(days)` — day count - `(count)` — whole units - `(date)` — date string ### Source-of-truth column Every derived table includes a `Source` column as the rightmost column. Acceptable values: | Value | Meaning | |-------|---------| | `actuals` | Historical data from a filing or extract | | `assumption` | Analyst assumption — defined in the Assumptions sheet | | `derived` | Computed from other cells in this table | | `tool: <tool_name>` | Direct corp-finance-mcp tool output | | `->Sheet!Label` | Cross-reference to another sheet (see `workflow-xlsx-formula-cells`) | ### Negatives in parentheses Negative values always use parentheses, never a minus sign (consistent with financial statement convention): ``` | Net debt | (125.0) | ``` ### Multiples and percentages - Multiples with `x` suffix: `12.5x` - Percentages with `%` suffix: `24.3%` - Basis points: `+45 bps` ### Totals row Every schedule with a total uses a bold `**Total**` row preceded by a separator row: ``` | Item | Amount ($M) | |-------------|------------| | Senior debt | 400.0 | | Mezzanine | 100.0 | | Equity | 250.0 | |-------------|------------| | **Total** | **750.0** | ``` ### Multi-sheet workbook structure One H2 section per sheet. Sheet order follows execution order (Assumptions before derived sheets): ``` ## Assumptions ## Operating Model ## Debt Schedule ## Valuation ## Returns ## Sensitivity ``` The recipient creates one Excel tab per H2. Sheet names should match exactly. ### Document header Every tabular deliverable begins with: ``` # [Deliverable Title] **Date**: YYYY-MM-DD **Author**: cfa-[agent-name] **Source**: corp-finance-mcp tools [tool list] **Cut date**: [data cut date] ``` ### Section footer Each section whose primary content came from a single tool ends with: ``` _Source: corp-finance-mcp `tool_name`_ ``` ## Numeric formatting | Rule | Example | |------|---------| | Decimal precision: 1 decimal place for $M amounts | 125.4 | | Decimal precision: 3+ places for rates and margins | 24.3% | | Thousands separator omitted (recipient's locale handles) | 1250.0 not 1,250.0 | | Negative in parentheses | (45.2) not -45.2 | | Empty cell: blank, never zero unless zero is meaningful | (blank) | ## Quality gates - [ ] Header row present on every table - [ ] Units row present immediately below header row on every table - [ ] Source column rightmost on every derived table - [ ] Negatives in parentheses throughout - [ ] Totals rows preceded by separator and rendered bold - [ ] Multi-sheet output uses one H2 section per sheet, matching proposed tab names - [ ] Document header includes date, author, source tools, and cut date ## Related skills - `workflow-xlsx-formula-cells` — formula text column and cross-reference `->Sheet!Label` convention - `workflow-xlsx-named-ranges` — named-range substitutes via heading anchors - `workflow-xlsx-workbook-writer` — `office_xlsx_write` MCP tool for binary `.xlsx` output