Digital Agency Releases Tool to Counter "God-Level Excel" Spreadsheets, Also Introduces Data Cleanup Methods Combined with AI

What happened

Japan's Digital Agency, a government office that handles digital systems, has put a tool called Harunobu on GitHub, a website where people share code. The tool scores Excel, CSV, and TSV files out of 100 points. It checks how well each file follows rules that make government data easy to use with computer systems and AI. The agency also shared a blog post showing how to use ChatGPT, a chatbot, with the tool's results to clean up an Excel file.

Key facts

• The score is out of 100 points.
• The tool works on Excel, CSV, and TSV files.
• Results come out in JSON, a common data format that other programs can read.
• The tool uses fixed rules, not guesses, so it avoids the random mistakes that generative AI can make.
• It runs fairly light and processes files faster than people can by hand.

What is a "god Excel" file?

A "god Excel" (kami Excel) is a slang term for a spreadsheet that looks neat when printed but is hard for computers to read. People often merge cells and use complex layouts to make the page look nice. These layouts make it hard for software and AI to sort the data. The Digital Agency says that both government and private companies use these files, and that they are not always easy to use for data systems or AI.

Why it matters

Messy files slow down work and make data hard to use. If a tool can quickly show which files need fixing, offices can save time and build cleaner data. The agency hopes Harunobu will cut work hours and help make government data more useful for AI and computer systems.

What to watch

• Whether government offices and companies start using Harunobu on their own files.
• How well the ChatGPT-based cleanup method works in real projects.
• Whether the tool is updated as more people give feedback on GitHub.