databricks-unstructured-pdf-generation

Generate PDF documents from HTML and upload to Unity Catalog volumes. Use for creating test PDFs, demo documents, reports, or evaluation datasets.

Quality

67%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

Pending

No eval scenarios have been run

Securityby

Passed

No known issues

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PDF Generation from HTML

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

Overview

The generate_and_upload_pdf MCP tool converts HTML to PDF and uploads to a Unity Catalog Volume. You (the LLM) generate the HTML content, and the tool handles conversion and upload.

Tool Signature

generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content: str,      # Complete HTML document
    filename: str,          # PDF filename (e.g., "report.pdf")
    catalog: str,           # Unity Catalog name
    schema: str,            # Schema name
    volume: str = "raw_data",  # Volume name (default: "raw_data")
    folder: str = None,     # Optional subfolder
)

Returns:

{
    "success": true,
    "volume_path": "/Volumes/catalog/schema/volume/filename.pdf",
    "error": null
}

Quick Start

Generate a simple PDF:

generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content='''<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin: 40px; }
        h1 { color: #1a73e8; border-bottom: 2px solid #1a73e8; padding-bottom: 10px; }
        .section { margin: 20px 0; }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Quarterly Report Q1 2024</h1>
    <div class="section">
        <h2>Executive Summary</h2>
        <p>Revenue increased 15% year-over-year...</p>
    </div>
</body>
</html>''',
    filename="q1_report.pdf",
    catalog="my_catalog",
    schema="my_schema"
)

Performance: Generate Multiple PDFs in Parallel

IMPORTANT: PDF generation and upload can take 2-5 seconds per document. When generating multiple PDFs, call the tool in parallel to maximize throughput.

Example: Generate 5 PDFs in Parallel

Make 5 simultaneous generate_and_upload_pdf calls:

# Call 1
generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content="<html>...Employee Handbook content...</html>",
    filename="employee_handbook.pdf",
    catalog="hr_catalog", schema="policies", folder="2024"
)

# Call 2 (parallel)
generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content="<html>...Leave Policy content...</html>",
    filename="leave_policy.pdf",
    catalog="hr_catalog", schema="policies", folder="2024"
)

# Call 3 (parallel)
generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content="<html>...Code of Conduct content...</html>",
    filename="code_of_conduct.pdf",
    catalog="hr_catalog", schema="policies", folder="2024"
)

# Call 4 (parallel)
generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content="<html>...Benefits Guide content...</html>",
    filename="benefits_guide.pdf",
    catalog="hr_catalog", schema="policies", folder="2024"
)

# Call 5 (parallel)
generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content="<html>...Remote Work Policy content...</html>",
    filename="remote_work_policy.pdf",
    catalog="hr_catalog", schema="policies", folder="2024"
)

By calling these in parallel (not sequentially), 5 PDFs that would take 15-25 seconds sequentially complete in 3-5 seconds total.

HTML Best Practices

Use Complete HTML5 Structure

Always include the full HTML structure:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        /* Your CSS here */
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <!-- Your content here -->
</body>
</html>

CSS Features Supported

PlutoPrint supports modern CSS3:

Flexbox and Grid layouts
CSS variables (--var-name)
Web fonts (system fonts recommended)
Colors, backgrounds, borders
Tables with styling

CSS to Avoid

Animations and transitions (static PDF)
Interactive elements (forms, hover effects)
External resources (images via URL) - use embedded base64 if needed

Professional Document Template

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <style>
        :root {
            --primary: #1a73e8;
            --text: #202124;
            --gray: #5f6368;
        }
        body {
            font-family: 'Segoe UI', Arial, sans-serif;
            margin: 50px;
            color: var(--text);
            line-height: 1.6;
        }
        h1 {
            color: var(--primary);
            border-bottom: 3px solid var(--primary);
            padding-bottom: 15px;
        }
        h2 { color: var(--text); margin-top: 30px; }
        .highlight {
            background: #e8f0fe;
            padding: 15px;
            border-left: 4px solid var(--primary);
            margin: 20px 0;
        }
        table {
            width: 100%;
            border-collapse: collapse;
            margin: 20px 0;
        }
        th, td {
            border: 1px solid #dadce0;
            padding: 12px;
            text-align: left;
        }
        th { background: #f1f3f4; }
        .footer {
            margin-top: 50px;
            padding-top: 20px;
            border-top: 1px solid #dadce0;
            color: var(--gray);
            font-size: 0.9em;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Document Title</h1>

    <h2>Section 1</h2>
    <p>Content here...</p>

    <div class="highlight">
        <strong>Important:</strong> Key information highlighted here.
    </div>

    <h2>Data Table</h2>
    <table>
        <tr><th>Column 1</th><th>Column 2</th><th>Column 3</th></tr>
        <tr><td>Data</td><td>Data</td><td>Data</td></tr>
    </table>

    <div class="footer">
        Generated on 2024-01-15 | Confidential
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Technical Documentation

Generate API documentation, user guides, or technical specs:

generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content='''<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><style>
    body { font-family: monospace; margin: 40px; }
    code { background: #f4f4f4; padding: 2px 6px; }
    pre { background: #f4f4f4; padding: 15px; overflow-x: auto; }
    .endpoint { background: #e3f2fd; padding: 10px; margin: 10px 0; }
</style></head>
<body>
    <h1>API Reference</h1>
    <div class="endpoint">
        <code>GET /api/v1/users</code>
        <p>Returns a list of all users.</p>
    </div>
    <h2>Request Headers</h2>
    <pre>Authorization: Bearer {token}
Content-Type: application/json</pre>
</body>
</html>''',
    filename="api_reference.pdf",
    catalog="docs_catalog",
    schema="api_docs"
)

Pattern 2: Business Reports

generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content='''<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><style>
    body { font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 50px; }
    .metric { display: inline-block; text-align: center; margin: 20px; }
    .metric-value { font-size: 2em; color: #1a73e8; }
    .metric-label { color: #666; }
</style></head>
<body>
    <h1>Q1 2024 Performance Report</h1>
    <div class="metric">
        <div class="metric-value">$2.4M</div>
        <div class="metric-label">Revenue</div>
    </div>
    <div class="metric">
        <div class="metric-value">+15%</div>
        <div class="metric-label">Growth</div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>''',
    filename="q1_2024_report.pdf",
    catalog="finance",
    schema="reports",
    folder="quarterly"
)

Pattern 3: HR Policies

generate_and_upload_pdf(
    html_content='''<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head><style>
    body { font-family: Arial; margin: 40px; line-height: 1.8; }
    .policy-section { margin: 30px 0; }
    .important { background: #fff3e0; padding: 15px; border-radius: 5px; }
</style></head>
<body>
    <h1>Employee Leave Policy</h1>
    <p><em>Effective: January 1, 2024</em></p>

    <div class="policy-section">
        <h2>1. Annual Leave</h2>
        <p>All full-time employees are entitled to 20 days of paid annual leave per calendar year.</p>
    </div>

    <div class="important">
        <strong>Note:</strong> Leave requests must be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance.
    </div>
</body>
</html>''',
    filename="leave_policy.pdf",
    catalog="hr_catalog",
    schema="policies"
)

Workflow for Multiple Documents

When asked to generate multiple PDFs:

Plan the documents: Determine titles, content structure for each
Generate HTML for each: Create complete HTML documents
Call tool in parallel: Make multiple simultaneous generate_and_upload_pdf calls
Report results: Summarize successful uploads and any errors

Prerequisites

Unity Catalog schema must exist
Volume must exist (default: raw_data)
User must have WRITE permission on the volume

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"Volume does not exist"	Create the volume first or use an existing one
"Schema does not exist"	Create the schema or check the name
PDF looks wrong	Check HTML/CSS syntax, use supported CSS features
Slow generation	Call multiple PDFs in parallel, not sequentially

Repository: databricks-solutions/ai-dev-kit
Commit: b4071a0

Last updated: 4 days ago
Created: 4 days ago

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