Clean a CSV with a reversible plan
A practical prompt-led workflow to create a cleanup plan, transformation log, and checks for row-count preservation, with a clear brief and a focused quality check.
What you will make
This Batala playbook helps you create a cleanup plan, transformation log, and checks for row-count preservation. Use it when you want to clean a CSV with a reversible plan. The workflow separates the brief, the draft, and the review so you can see where the result comes from. You can use the prompts as written after replacing the bracketed details, or adapt them to a similar task.
Prepare your inputs
Gather a sample CSV, column definitions, allowed transformations, and duplicate rules. Specific source material makes the output easier to check. Remove details that are not needed for this task, label anything uncertain, and say which source is authoritative if your materials disagree. You can begin with a small sample rather than uploading a whole archive.
Help me prepare a brief for this task: Clean a CSV with a reversible plan. My inputs are: [paste a sample CSV, column definitions, allowed transformations, and duplicate rules]. My audience is [audience]. My constraints are [constraints]. List the information needed to produce a cleanup plan, transformation log, and checks for row-count preservation. Separate what I supplied from what is missing. Ask only about gaps that materially affect the result. Do not invent missing facts.
Build the first version
The working method is to profile missing values and formats, propose transformations, and keep an untouched original. Run the prompt below in the same conversation as your brief. If you use a different conversation, paste the approved brief again. Keep the first version small enough to inspect closely before asking for additional variations.
Using the approved brief above, profile missing values and formats, propose transformations, and keep an untouched original. Create a cleanup plan, transformation log, and checks for row-count preservation. Use my supplied material as the factual basis. Mark assumptions and unresolved questions explicitly. Keep the result practical for [audience] and within [time, length, or format limits]. If you cannot access a source or perform an action, say so instead of claiming it is complete.
Review the part that matters
Before using the draft, never silently drop rows or merge records based only on similar names. Review the original inputs alongside the output. A useful review identifies a specific problem and a concrete correction, rather than simply asking whether the draft looks good. For information that changes over time, open an authoritative source and record when you checked it.
Review your draft against the original brief. In particular, never silently drop rows or merge records based only on similar names. Return a table with issue, supporting evidence, proposed correction, and anything I must verify myself. Do not present assumptions as verified facts. Then provide a revised version with those corrections applied.
Make it reusable
Save the approved a cleanup plan, transformation log, and checks for row-count preservation with the brief that produced it. Note which inputs changed the result most. On the next run, replace those inputs rather than copying old facts into a new task. Keep a short record of what you checked so another person can understand why the output is ready to use.
Turn this completed task into a reusable checklist for next time. Include the inputs I need, the sequence of steps, the quality check specific to this task, and the definition of done. Keep variable details in [brackets]. Base the checklist on the actual workflow above, not on actions we did not perform.
A simple finish line
You are ready to use this resource when you have a cleanup plan, transformation log, and checks for row-count preservation, the important facts match your source material, and remaining uncertainties are visible. If a reader still cannot tell what to do next, make the output smaller and more concrete. The goal is a useful artifact you can review, not the longest possible AI response.
Keep the full guide handy.
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