databricks-unstructured-pdf-generation

---
name: databricks-unstructured-pdf-generation
description: "Generate PDF documents from HTML and upload to Unity Catalog volumes. Use for creating test PDFs, demo documents, reports, or evaluation datasets."
---

# PDF Generation from HTML

Convert HTML content to PDF documents and upload them to Unity Catalog Volumes.

## Workflow

1. Write HTML files to `./raw_data/html/` (write multiple files in parallel for speed)
2. Convert HTML → PDF using `<SKILL_ROOT>/scripts/pdf_generator.py` (parallel conversion)
3. Upload PDFs to Unity Catalog volume using `databricks fs cp`
4. Generate `doc_questions.json` with test questions for each document

> **Path convention:** `<SKILL_ROOT>` below = the directory containing this SKILL.md. Resolve to the absolute install path (e.g. `~/.claude/skills/databricks-unstructured-pdf-generation`). `./raw_data/...` paths are relative to your own project cwd.

## Dependencies

```bash
uv pip install plutoprint
```

## Step 1: Write HTML Files

```bash
mkdir -p ./raw_data/html
```

Write HTML documents to `./raw_data/html/filename.html`. Use subdirectories to organize (structure is preserved).

## Step 2: Convert to PDF

```bash
# Convert entire folder (parallel, 4 workers)
python <SKILL_ROOT>/scripts/pdf_generator.py convert --input ./raw_data/html --output ./raw_data/pdf
```

Skips files where PDF exists and is newer than HTML. Use `--force` to reconvert all.

## Step 3: Upload to Volume

`databricks fs` requires the `dbfs:` scheme prefix even for UC Volume paths. `-r` copies the *contents* of the source directory into the target (the source directory name is not preserved), so files land directly under `raw_data/`.

```bash
databricks fs cp -r --overwrite ./raw_data/pdf dbfs:/Volumes/my_catalog/my_schema/raw_data
```

## Step 4: Generate Test Questions

Create `./raw_data/pdf/pdf_eval_questions.json` with questions for Knowledge Assistant evaluation or MAS:

```json
{
  "api_errors_guide.pdf": {
    "question": "What is the solution for error ERR-4521?",
    "expected_fact": "Call /api/v2/auth/refresh with refresh_token before the 3600s TTL expires"
  },
  "installation_manual.pdf": {
    "question": "What port does the service use by default?",
    "expected_fact": "Port 8443 for HTTPS, configurable via CONFIG_PORT environment variable"
  }
}
```

This JSON can be used to build KA test cases and validate retrieval accuracy.

## Document Content Guidelines

When generating documents for Knowledge Assistant testing or demos:

- **Multi-page documents**: Each PDF should be several pages with substantial content
- **Specific error codes and solutions**: Include product-specific error codes, causes, and resolution steps
- **Technical details**: API endpoints, configuration parameters, version numbers, specific commands
- **Simple CSS**: Keep styling minimal for fast HTML creation and reliable PDF conversion
- **Queryable facts**: Include details a KA must read the document to answer (not general knowledge)

**Good document types:**
- Product user manuals with troubleshooting sections
- API error reference guides (error codes, causes, solutions)
- Installation/configuration guides with specific steps
- Technical specifications with version-specific details

**Example content:** Instead of generic "Connection failed" errors, write:
- "Error ERR-4521: OAuth token expired. Cause: Token TTL exceeded 3600s default. Solution: Call `/api/v2/auth/refresh` with your refresh_token before expiration. See Section 4.2 for token lifecycle management."

## CLI Reference

```
python <SKILL_ROOT>/scripts/pdf_generator.py convert [OPTIONS]

  --input, -i     Input HTML file or folder (required)
  --output, -o    Output folder for PDFs (required)
  --force, -f     Force reconvert (ignore timestamps)
  --workers, -w   Parallel workers (default: 4)
```

## Folder Structure

Subfolder structure is preserved:

```
./raw_data/html/                    ./raw_data/pdf/
├── report.html             →       ├── report.pdf
├── quarterly/                      ├── quarterly/
│   └── q1.html             →       │   └── q1.pdf
└── legal/                          └── legal/
    └── terms.html          →           └── terms.pdf
```

## Troubleshooting

| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| "plutoprint not installed" | `uv pip install plutoprint` |
| PDF looks wrong | Check HTML/CSS syntax |
| "Volume does not exist" | `databricks volumes create CATALOG SCHEMA VOLUME_NAME MANAGED` (four separate positional args, not `catalog.schema.volume`) |