When uploading Excel or CSV files to camelAI, following these simple formatting guidelines will ensure the best experience with our AI chat agent.

Keep It Simple and Tabular

Your data should be structured as a basic table with clear column headers in the first row. Think of it like a straightforward spreadsheet where each column represents a field and each row represents a record. Avoid merged cells, grouped rows/columns, or any special formatting that relies on visual cues like color coding.

Multi-Sheet Support

Good news! We support multiple sheets/tabs in your Excel files. Each tab operates independently, so:

• Every tab you want to analyze should follow these formatting guidelines
• If some tabs don't follow the guidelines, don't worry - those specific tabs will be unusable, but you can still work with your properly formatted tabs
• You can reference data across multiple tabs in your queries

Header Best Practices

• Use a single header row at the top of your file
• Keep header names clear and descriptive
• While we have basic support for stacked headers, single-row headers work best

Data Cleanliness

Our system can automatically detect different separator types (commas, tabs, etc.), but your data needs to be clean. Here are some common issues to avoid:

• Stray special characters (like quotation marks or apostrophes) in random cells
• Empty rows or columns in the middle of your data
• Embedded images or charts (these are not supported)
• Hidden rows, columns, or sheets
• Formatting that relies on grouping or visual hierarchy

Pro Tips

1. Before uploading, scan your file for any stray characters or formatting that might have been accidentally introduced during data entry
2. If copying data from another source, use "Paste Values" to strip any special formatting
3. When in doubt, simpler is better - basic tabular data will yield the best results

Technical Implementation

For the technically curious: Under the hood, we use DuckDB to power our file analysis capabilities. This allows us to run complex SQL queries directly on your spreadsheet data, enabling sophisticated analysis and cross-sheet queries while maintaining high performance. This means you can ask complex questions about your data and get answers quickly, without needing to preprocess your files into a traditional database.

Need help cleaning up your data? Feel free to reach out to our support team!