Tableau Cleanup

Tableau Workbook Cleanup

Clean up Tableau workbooks (.twb/.twbx) by editing XML. Run validation, fix errors, repeat until clean.

Scratchpad

Use .cleanup/ directory. Track progress in .cleanup/status.json.

Scripts

Safety Rules

1. Backup first - Always run backup_workbook.py
2. Never modify name attributes - Only edit caption
3. Escape XML: & -> &, ' -> '
4. Create _cleaned copy - Don't overwrite original

What You CAN and CANNOT Edit

CAN EDIT (Safe)

CANNOT EDIT (Will Corrupt Workbook)

STOP Conditions

If you encounter these, STOP and report - do NOT try to fix:

1. Validator says "newline not XML-encoded" but you see 
 in raw XML - Validator bug
2. Validator says "unescaped &" but you see & in raw XML - Validator bug
3. Validator says "missing comment" on a calc with no formula attribute - Can't add comment
4. Any error on categorical-bin or quantitative-bin calculations - Skip these

Example: What a Proper Edit Looks Like

BEFORE:

<column caption='c_total_sales' name='[Calculation_123]'>
  <calculation formula='SUM([Sales])' />
</column>

AFTER:

<column caption='Total Sales' name='[Calculation_123]'>
  <calculation formula='// Aggregates all sales for the selected period&#13;&#10;SUM([Sales])' />
</column>

NOTICE:

• caption changed (safe)
• formula has comment ADDED at start (safe)
• name attribute UNCHANGED (critical!)
• 
 used for newline (correct XML encoding)

Reference Documents

Before starting, read these guides in the skill's resources/ folder:

• resources/comment-guide.md - How to write meaningful comments (REQUIRED for M3)
• resources/good-comments.md - 50+ real examples by category
• resources/xml-folders-guide.md - How to create folders in XML

Workflow

1. Backup workbook
2. Extract if .twbx
3. Run validate_cleanup.py to see all errors
4. Fix errors one category at a time
5. Run validation again
6. Repeat until 0 errors
7. Repackage if .twbx
8. Report changes

Caption Rules

• Title Case with spaces (no underscores)
• No c_ prefix
• Preserve acronyms: ID, YTD, MTD, KPI, ROI, YOY, MOM, WOW, LOD
• No double parentheses ()()

Comment Rules

Add // comment explaining PURPOSE at start of formula:

formula='// Flags at-risk accounts for dashboard highlight&#13;&#10;[Score] < 50'

Use 
 for newlines. Escape & as &.

Comment Quality Requirements (M3 Validation)

Comments MUST:

• Be 15+ characters of explanation
• Explain WHY (purpose), not just WHAT (formula description)
• NOT just restate the caption

Comments that FAIL M3:

• // Calculated field - too generic
• // Sum - too short (only 3 chars)
• // Total Revenue (if caption is "Total Revenue") - restates caption

See resources/comment-guide.md for detailed guidance.

Batch Processing (Recommended)

Use scripts/batch_comments.py to process calculations 10 at a time:

python batch_comments.py workbook.twb init    # Create batches
python batch_comments.py workbook.twb next    # Show next 10 calcs
python batch_comments.py workbook.twb done 1  # Mark batch complete
python batch_comments.py workbook.twb status  # Check progress

This ensures you READ each formula before commenting.

Folder Rules

Insert <folders-common> BEFORE <layout> with exactly 6 broad folders (use HTML entity codes):

<folders-common>
  <folder name='&#x1F4CA; Metrics'>
    <folder-item name='[Calculation_XXX]' type='field' />
  </folder>
</folders-common>

6 Folders Only (use HTML entity codes to avoid encoding issues):

IMPORTANT: Use &#x entity format, NOT raw emoji characters (prevents encoding corruption).

Note: LOD calcs (FIXED/INCLUDE/EXCLUDE) go in the folder matching their PURPOSE, not technique.

Report

=== Tableau Cleanup Complete ===
Workbook: <name>
Errors fixed: X
Output: <path>_cleaned.twbx