# Prepare the spreadsheet someone keeps sending you

Build a reusable command in the person's spreadsheet workflow that turns a recurring incoming file into the arrangement they need. Build it extremely well for the real files and the work that follows. Use the spreadsheet application they already work in and follow the [shared launch](../shared/launch.md).

This project prepares an incoming format. The [two-file transfer project](excel-workbook-transfer.md) covers keeping selected information aligned between two ongoing workbooks. Choose this brief when the repeated chore is preparing a supplier's or client's file before the person can use it.

## Learn the preparation they repeat

Look at a representative incoming file and the result the person normally makes from it. Ask them to show the work: moving columns, removing repeated headings, separating combined details, interpreting dates, or adding a calculation they use afterward. Learn what the finished sheet is for.

Establish the meaning of the information along with its layout. A product code may contain leading zeroes; a date may follow the sender's regional convention; an empty cell may have a meaning the person already understands. Let that knowledge guide the preparation.

Save the preparation rules for this source under a name the person recognizes. Use their actual example to decide which transformations are dependable and which situations need their attention.

## Make the result easy to recognize

Let the person choose the incoming file and preview a useful portion of the prepared result. Show how the information will appear in the arrangement they need, including the headings, formats, and formulas relevant to their work.

Apply the established rules to ordinary records. Bring genuinely unresolved cases to the person's attention with the original information and enough explanation to make a decision. A new column name or an unfamiliar date should be something they can resolve once and carry forward where appropriate.

Preserve the meaning of numbers, identifiers, units, and dates. The prepared result should be ready for the next activity, including any expected calculations or imports. Keep a clear account of information that was intentionally omitted or still needs attention.

## Keep the original available

Produce the prepared workbook or sheet with a clear relationship to its source. Retain the original so the person can compare a questionable record or run the preparation again. Give them a straightforward recovery path for an unwanted result.

Handle repeated use intelligibly. The person should know whether they are creating a new prepared copy, replacing an earlier prepared output, or importing into an existing working sheet. Preserve their subsequent work when they choose to update a result they have already edited.

Keep the command and its saved preparation rules in an appropriate place for their application. Explain the normal installation or trust process for this particular automation, and make it convenient to run after reopening the application another day.

## Use the prepared file

Deliver the working command and carry a representative file through preparation into the person's next task. Inspect a few records whose meaning depends on correct handling, such as a code with leading zeroes or a date that required interpretation. Let the person compare the result with what they would normally produce.

Explain how their repeated preparation becomes a reusable set of rules. They should understand which parts come from the sender's format and which parts reflect their own needs. Use the shared launch's ownership and continuity guidance to preserve the tool and its working arrangements.

Later, add another source format with its own preparation rules. Keep the first one working so the person can gradually remove more of the preparation they repeat before their real job begins.