Claude in Excel — Data Platform Documentation Template Prompts
Use these prompts with Claude in Excel (the Excel add-in; docs) on the file:
Brainforge Client Data Platform Documentation (1).xlsx
- File format: .xlsx (supported by Claude in Excel). Formulas and structure are preserved.
- Run in order: Each prompt is self-contained; paste one at a time and run Step 1 through Step 11.
- Before you start: Use only with the Brainforge template (trusted source). After each step, review Claude’s changes before continuing; the add-in highlights updated cells. For client-facing work, do a final human review before delivery.
Step 1 — Add “How to Use This File” sheet (new sheet, position 1)
Add a new worksheet as the first sheet (position 1) named exactly "How to Use This File".
In that sheet, build the following content:
- A1: "Brainforge Client Data Platform Documentation" — font Calibri 14pt bold.
- A3: "Purpose" — font Calibri 11pt bold.
- A4: "This workbook is the single source of truth for a client's data platform: business context, naming conventions, tools and costs, data sources, core metrics and lineage, dashboards, and stakeholders. Copy this template at project kickoff and fill it in as the engagement progresses."
- A5: Leave blank.
- Row 6: Create a table with headers in A6:D6 — "Sheet Name" | "Purpose" | "When to Fill" | "Owner". Format row 6: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill (RGB 240,240,240 or hex F0F0F0), text aligned left.
- Rows 7–15: One row per sheet with this content:
Row 7: Business Context | High-level client and industry context | At kickoff | Engagement lead
Row 8: Teams | Org structure; source for Team dropdowns (data validation) | At kickoff, before Stakeholders | Engagement lead
Row 9: Naming Taxonomy Conventions | Schema, table, column, dashboard, and campaign naming rules | Early discovery | Data engineer
Row 10: Data Tools & Costs | Stack, contracts, costs, and recommendations | When tools are confirmed | Data engineer / PM
Row 11: Data Sources | Inbound source systems and pipelines (into warehouse) | As sources are onboarded | Data engineer
Row 12: Reverse ETL / Outbound Pipelines | Data flows from warehouse to other systems (CRM, marketing, etc.) | As outbound pipelines are built | Data engineer
Row 13: Core Metrics & Lineage | Metric definitions, lineage, and glossary | As metrics are defined | Analytics / data lead
Row 14: Dashboards | Dashboards and reports (may live in multiple systems) | As dashboards go live | BI / analytics
Row 15: Data Stakeholders | Key contacts and roles (Team column uses dropdown from Teams) | At kickoff, update as needed | Engagement lead
- Row 15: "Last Updated: [Date]" in column A.
- Row 16: "Maintained by: [Team]" in column A.
Set column widths: A = 28, B = 45, C = 22, D = 20. Use Calibri 10pt for all body cells. Wrap text in column B (Purpose) for rows 7–15. Freeze row 6 (header row).
Step 2 — Business Context sheet
Open the sheet "Business Context". Do the following:
1. Replace all example data with generic placeholders. Set these exact values:
- Row 2: Field = "Client Name", Description = "[Client Name]"
- Row 3: Field = "Industry", Description = "[e.g., Health & Wellness / SaaS / Retail]"
- Row 4: Field = "Revenue Drivers", Description = "[e.g., Ecommerce, Wholesale, Subscriptions]"
- Row 5: Field = "Relevance of Our Work", Description = "[e.g., Revenue optimization, inventory, analytics]"
- Row 6: Field = "Company Size", Description = "[e.g., SMB / Mid-market / Large Enterprise]"
- Row 7: Field = "Market Scope", Description = "[e.g., US only / North America / International]"
Keep any additional rows (8–15) with Field labels and Description = "[Describe briefly]".
2. Insert a new column C. Set C1 = "Guidance". For each data row (2 onward), add short guidance in column C, for example:
- Row 2 C: "Legal or trading name"
- Row 3 C: "Primary industry vertical(s)"
- Row 4 C: "List 2–3 main revenue streams"
- Row 5 C: "How our work ties to business outcomes"
- Row 6 C: "SMB / Mid-market / Large Enterprise"
- Row 7 C: "Geographic scope"
Add similar one-line guidance for any other rows.
3. Formatting:
- Row 1 (headers): Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0, center alignment. Ensure all three columns A1, B1, C1 have this.
- Column A width = 22, B = 100, C = 40.
- Freeze row 1.
Step 3 — Teams sheet (new)
Add a new worksheet named "Teams". Place it after "Business Context" (so it is sheet 3).
This sheet is the single source for team names so you can use data validation (dropdowns) elsewhere.
1. Row 1 headers (A1:C1): Team Name | Description | Parent Team. Format: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0, center-align.
2. Rows 2–5: Placeholder rows to show structure (somewhat reflects org hierarchy via Parent Team):
Row 2: Team Name = "[e.g., BizOps]", Description = "[e.g., Business operations]", Parent Team = "" (leave blank for top-level)
Row 3: Team Name = "[e.g., Ecommerce]", Description = "[e.g., DTC and online sales]", Parent Team = ""
Row 4: Team Name = "[e.g., Wholesale]", Description = "[e.g., B2B and wholesale]", Parent Team = ""
Row 5: Team Name = "[e.g., Data & Analytics]", Description = "[e.g., Data engineering and BI]", Parent Team = ""
(Parent Team can optionally reference another row’s Team Name for hierarchy, e.g. "BizOps".)
3. Column widths: A = 22, B = 40, C = 22. Freeze row 1.
4. Data validation: On the sheet "Data Stakeholders", set data validation on column D (Team) for all data rows (e.g. D2:D100). Allow "List", Source = =Teams!$A$2:$A$50. So when users select a cell in the Team column, they get a dropdown of values from the Teams sheet. If Data Stakeholders does not exist yet, skip this and add the validation in Step 10 after that sheet is formatted.
Step 4 — Merge the two naming sheets into one
1. Delete the sheet "Naming ConventionsTaxonomy" entirely (the one with NAMING CONVENTIONS, Tiers, Base Taxonomy, Theme/Offer, etc.). Do not keep its content.
2. Open the sheet "Naming Taxonomy Conventions". Do the following:
a. Replace Aurora-specific examples with generic placeholders:
- Row 2 (Database/Schema): Example = "[client]_prod_marketing" or "[clientname]_prod_[domain]"
- Row 3 (Table Names): Example = "fct_[domain]_sales, dim_product" — keep the rule text, only change example if it says Aurora
- Row 4 (Column Names): Example = "retailer_id, sales_units, brand_name" — keep generic
- Row 5 (Dashboards/Reports): Example = "[Brand] - [Metric] Dashboard"
- Row 6 (Campaign Naming): Example = "[BRAND]_[CHANNEL]_[OBJECTIVE]_YYYYMM"
- Row 7 (Taxonomy - Product Hierarchy): Example = "Brand → Category → SKU" — keep or use "[Brand] → [Category] → SKU"
b. Add a new row 8: Category = "Campaign Taxonomy / Offer Categories", Rule/Format = "Client-specific", Example = "BOGO, Discount, LTO, Rewards", Notes = "Add client-specific taxonomy categories here (e.g., BOGO, Discount, LTO). Optional sheet or table."
c. Formatting:
- Row 1: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0 for A1:D1.
- Column widths: A = 24, B = 45, C = 42, D = 48.
- Enable wrap text for columns B, C, D on all rows.
- Freeze row 1.
Step 5 — Data Tools & Costs sheet
Open the sheet "Data Tools & Costs". Do the following:
1. Fix the header typo: change "Recomendation" to "Recommendation" (column K).
2. Clear all data rows (rows 2 onward). Replace with exactly 3 placeholder rows:
Row 2: Status = "[Active/Proposed/Sunset]", Tool = "[Tool Name]", Type = "[e.g., Data Warehouse / Orchestration / Ingestion]", Contract Start = "", Contract End = "", Notice Due By = "", Relationship Owner = "[Owner]", Monthly Cost = "", Annual Cost = "", Pricing Method = "[Usage/Seats]", Recommendation = "[Brief recommendation or leave blank]", Notes = "[Notes]"
Row 3: Same structure with different placeholder text so it's clear there are 3 example rows (e.g. second row Type = "Data Orchestration", etc.).
Row 4: Same structure, third placeholder row.
3. Formatting:
- Row 1: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0 for all columns A through L. Center-align header cells.
- Column widths: A = 10, B = 15, C = 24, D = 14, E = 14, F = 14, G = 18, H = 14, I = 14, J = 15, K = 35, L = 28.
- Columns H and I (Monthly Cost, Annual Cost): apply number format $#,##0 for the data rows (2–4).
- Columns D, E, F (Contract Start, Contract End, Notice Due By): apply date format m/d/yyyy for data rows.
- Freeze row 1.
Step 6 — Data Sources sheet
Open the sheet "Data Sources". Do the following:
1. Fix the header typo: change "Reccomendation" to "Recommendation" (column K).
2. Clear all data rows (rows 2 onward). Replace with exactly 3 generic placeholder rows, for example:
Row 2: Active = "[Yes/No]", Name = "[Source Name]", Description = "[e.g., E-commerce platform data]", Owner = "[Owner]", Pipeline Tool = "[Fivetran/Airbyte/etc.]", Pipeline Method = "[Batch/Stream]", Frequency = "[e.g., 1h / Daily]", Duration = "[e.g., 45m]", DW = "[e.g., Snowflake]", Destination = "[e.g., RAW.SCHEMA.TABLE]", Recommendation = "[Optional]"
Rows 3 and 4: Same column structure with different placeholder values so there are 3 example rows.
3. Formatting:
- Row 1: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0 for all header columns. Center-align.
- Set column widths so all headers are readable (e.g. A = 8, B = 14, C = 24, D = 18, E = 14, F = 16, G = 10, H = 10, I = 10, J = 38, K = 26). Adjust if your template has different columns.
- Freeze row 1.
Step 7 — Core Metrics & Lineage sheet
Open the sheet "Core Metrics & Lineage". Do the following:
1. Identify and remove LMNT-specific columns: any column whose header is "LMNT Commentary" or "KPI Decision". Delete those columns entirely.
2. If you removed "LMNT Commentary", add one generic column at the end: header "Client Commentary" (for client-specific notes). If you removed "KPI Decision", you do not need to add a replacement unless you want a "Status" column; the plan says optional.
3. Reorder columns so they follow this order (only reorder if the sheet currently has a different order; if it already matches, skip): Business Domain, Metric ID, Metric Name, Channel, Priority, Business Definition, Metric Type, Grain, Product Scope, Aggregation, Is Derivative Metric?, Formula / Logic, Source Systems, Marts Model, Data Owner, Primary Stakeholder, Refresh Frequency, Notes / Caveats, Brainforge Commentary, Client Commentary.
4. Clear all metric data rows (rows 2 onward). Replace with 3–4 generic placeholder rows, e.g.:
Row 2: Business Domain = "[e.g., Ecommerce]", Metric ID = "[metric_id]", Metric Name = "[Metric Name]", Channel = "[e.g., Shopify]", Priority = "P0", Business Definition = "[One-line definition]", Metric Type = "[Revenue/Volume/etc.]", Grain = "Day", Product Scope = "All", Aggregation = "SUM", Is Derivative = "NO", Formula = "[e.g., SUM(amount)]", and leave Source Systems, Marts Model, Data Owner, etc. as "[Owner]" or blank.
Rows 3–4 (or 5): Same structure, different placeholder metric names/IDs.
5. Formatting:
- Row 1: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0 for every column header. Center-align.
- Set a reasonable width for every column (e.g. 12–20 for narrow columns, 25–45 for definition columns) so nothing is cramped.
- Freeze row 1.
Step 8 — Dashboards sheet
Open the sheet "Dashboards". Do the following:
1. Insert a new column A. Set A1 = "System". Shift existing headers right so the order is: System | Dashboard Name | Owner | Priority | Data Category | Has Last Updated At | Refreshing Frequency | Link. (Dashboards and reports may live in multiple systems — e.g. Tableau, Looker, Google Sheets, Power BI — so System records where each one lives.)
2. Clear all data rows (rows 2 onward). Replace with 2–3 generic placeholder rows, e.g.:
Row 2: System = "[e.g., Tableau]", Dashboard Name = "[e.g., Executive KPI Overview]", Owner = "[Owner]", Priority = "[HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW]", Data Category = "[e.g., Business Performance]", Has Last Updated At = "[YES/NO]", Refreshing Frequency = "[Hourly/Daily/Weekly]", Link = "[URL or path]"
Row 3–4: Same columns; use different System and name (e.g. Looker, Google Sheets) so it's clear multiple systems are supported.
3. Formatting:
- Row 1: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0 for all columns (A through H). Center-align.
- Set column widths: A = 16, B = 22, C = 20, D = 12, E = 18, F = 18, G = 20, H = 24.
- Freeze row 1.
Step 9 — Reverse ETL / Outbound Pipelines sheet (new)
Add a new worksheet named "Reverse ETL" (or "Reverse ETL / Outbound Pipelines"). Place it after "Data Sources" and before "Core Metrics & Lineage".
In that sheet:
1. Row 1 headers (A1:H1): Pipeline Name | Source (e.g. mart/table) | Destination System | Destination Object | Tool | Frequency | Owner | Notes. Format: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0, center-align.
2. Rows 2–4: Three placeholder rows, e.g.:
Row 2: Pipeline Name = "[e.g., Customer sync to CRM]", Source = "[e.g., marts.dim_customers]", Destination System = "[e.g., Salesforce]", Destination Object = "[e.g., Account]", Tool = "[e.g., Hightouch / Census / custom]", Frequency = "[e.g., Hourly]", Owner = "[Owner]", Notes = "[Optional]"
Rows 3–4: Same structure, different placeholder pipeline names and destinations.
3. Column widths: A = 24, B = 28, C = 20, D = 20, E = 16, F = 12, G = 18, H = 32.
4. Freeze row 1.
Step 10 — Data Stakeholders sheet
Open the sheet "Data Stakeholders". Do the following:
1. Insert a new column D (so current D becomes E). Set the new column D header to "Team". So the order is: Name, Email, Role, Team, Brainforge Team.
2. Replace all example names/emails with placeholders:
Row 2: Name = "[Name]", Email = "[email@company.com]", Role = "[Role]", Team = "[Team]", Brainforge Team = "[Yes/No]"
Rows 3–7: Same structure, e.g. "[Name 2]", "[Name 3]", etc., or "[Primary contact]", "[Technical contact]".
3. Remove or hide any empty columns to the right of "Brainforge Team" (columns F onward that have no header or data). If the sheet has columns E through Z with no content, clear headers and leave only A–E with data.
4. Formatting:
- Row 1: Calibri 10pt bold, light gray fill F0F0F0 for columns A through E. Center-align.
- Column widths: A = 18, B = 25, C = 22, D = 18, E = 14.
- Freeze row 1.
5. Data validation: If not already set in Step 3, set data validation on column D (Team) for data rows (D2:D100): allow List, Source = =Teams!$A$2:$A$50, so Team is a dropdown from the Teams sheet.
Step 11 — Global formatting pass
Apply these changes across the entire workbook "Brainforge Client Data Platform Documentation (1).xlsx":
1. Every sheet: Ensure row 1 (or the first header row) has Calibri 10pt bold and light gray fill RGB 240,240,240 (hex F0F0F0). Ensure the header row is frozen (freeze panes on row 2).
2. Every sheet: Set body font to Calibri 10pt for all non-header cells that contain text or numbers.
3. Trim unused rows: For each sheet, if the used range extends to row 1000 or similar due to default size, do not delete rows but ensure no formatting or stray values exist far below the last data row. (Optional: reduce used range to last data row + 5 blank rows if your tool supports it.)
4. Set sheet tab colors for visual grouping:
- "How to Use This File" → Blue
- "Business Context" → Green
- "Teams" → Green
- "Naming Taxonomy Conventions" → Orange
- "Data Tools & Costs" → Orange
- "Data Sources" → Orange
- "Reverse ETL" (or "Reverse ETL / Outbound Pipelines") → Orange
- "Core Metrics & Lineage" → Purple
- "Dashboards" → Purple
- "Data Stakeholders" → Gray
Save the workbook when done. Do not change any sheet names other than the ones added in Step 1, Step 3 (Teams), or Step 9 (Reverse ETL), or the one deleted in Step 4 (Naming ConventionsTaxonomy).