Excel Chart Report Developer#

Use this skill for recurring Excel reports where the workbook is both a data artifact and a presentation artifact. Keep charts, formulas, formatting, print settings, and exports in sync.

Workflow#

1. Clarify the report target: dashboard workbook, chart pack, PDF export, image export, print-ready report, recurring refresh, or workbook template.
2. Separate data, calculations, and presentation:
   • Raw or imported data sheets.
   • Calculation/helper sheets with formulas and named ranges.
   • Output sheets with charts, summaries, conditional formatting, and print areas.
3. Choose the automation layer:
   • Use openpyxl for workbook structure, formulas, styles, charts, tables, print setup, and conditional formatting where supported.
   • Use Excel desktop automation only when live chart rendering, Power Query refresh, or PDF export fidelity is essential and available.
   • Preserve unsupported workbook parts by editing package contents carefully.
4. Design stable ranges. Prefer Excel Tables and named ranges over hard-coded row counts.
5. Apply visual formatting after data writes so fills, borders, number formats, widths, and conditional formatting do not drift.
6. Validate:
   • Formulas point to valid ranges.
   • Charts reference current data.
   • Print areas, page orientation, margins, headers/footers, and page breaks match the expected export.
   • Exports are reviewed for clipping, missing labels, and font substitution.

Common Fix Patterns#

• Chart not updating: verify series formulas, named ranges, table expansion, and cached chart data.
• Conditional formatting drift: inspect rule ranges and priority ordering after row insertion.
• Bad PDF export: check print area, scaling, margins, page breaks, and whether a desktop Excel render is required.
• Template overwrites: write values into known input ranges, then preserve output sheets and chart objects.
• Data refresh: log source file timestamps, row counts, and validation totals for each run.

Outputs#

Provide:

• A report architecture or repair diagnosis.
• Implementation steps or code for workbook generation/update.
• A validation note covering formulas, charts, formatting, and exports.

Read references/requirement-plan.md only when source evidence from the discovery run is needed.