Overview
What is Microsoft Excel: Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet and data analysis application within the Microsoft 365 suite. Operators running mission-critical programs use it to organize structured data, run calculations, build charts, and share reports. Excel includes formulas, PivotTables, filtering, data visualization, and real-time co-authoring across desktop and browser.
Datagrid connects to Microsoft Excel workbooks stored in OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, and Group drives. Datagrid's AI agents read worksheet and table data, write processed results back to workbooks, and sync Excel data bidirectionally with CRM systems, databases, and cloud storage systems. The connection operates through the Microsoft Graph API, which accesses worksheets, tables, ranges, named items, and charts programmatically.
Datagrid executes spreadsheet workflows from intake through downstream routing. Datagrid's AI agents ingest Excel data for cleaning, enrichment, and transformation, then push structured outputs back into workbooks or route them to downstream systems like databases, CRM systems, or ERP platforms. Excel stays familiar as the data entry surface while Datagrid handles processing and distribution.
How to integrate Microsoft Excel with Datagrid
This integration brings workbook data into Datagrid for agentic AI processing. The setup covers authorization, authentication requirements, and sync configuration for worksheets, tables, ranges, and cell values from .xlsx workbooks stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint.
Authorize Microsoft Excel
Open Datagrid and go to Settings > Connectors > Add New.
Select Microsoft Excel from the connector list.
Click Authorize to start the OAuth 2.0 authentication flow.
Sign in with your Microsoft work or school account and grant the requested permissions.
Select the OneDrive for Business or SharePoint location where your workbooks are stored.
Choose the specific workbook and worksheets to sync.
Configure your sync schedule and data mapping preferences.
Click Save to activate the connection.
Authenticate access
Datagrid authenticates with Microsoft Excel through OAuth 2.0 using the Microsoft identity platform. The integration requires delegated permissions with a signed-in user context. Application-only permissions are not supported for Excel workbook APIs. The minimum required scope is Files.ReadWrite for read and write operations, or Files.Read for read-only access.
Important: For this API-based integration, workbooks must be stored in OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, or Group drives. Personal OneDrive is not supported. Files must be in .xlsx format. Legacy .xls files are not supported and must be converted before connecting.
Configure data sync
The integration provides bidirectional sync for most workbook objects. Datagrid reads data from Excel workbooks for processing and writes results back based on the object type and API capability.
Worksheet — ✅, ✅, Name, position, visibility writable
Table — ✅, ✅, Full create, read, update, delete
Table row — ✅, ✅, Batch writes recommended for performance
Table column — ✅, ✅, Avoid numeric-only column headers
Range — ✅, ✅, Values, formulas, number formats writable
Named item — ✅, Partial, Comment and visibility writable
Chart — ✅, ✅, Create and update supported
PivotTable — ✅, ❌, List and refresh only; creation not available via API
File-level change detection is available through Microsoft Graph webhooks, with delta query polling as an alternative for incremental change tracking.
Use this setup when Excel remains the working surface and Datagrid handles the processing behind it.
Why use Microsoft Excel with Datagrid
This integration fits operators running mission-critical workflows in spreadsheets who need the work between systems completed without manual upkeep. Datagrid turns Excel from a static workbook into an execution point inside broader workflows.
Automated document-to-spreadsheet extraction: AI agents ingest invoices, PDFs, and scanned documents, then populate structured Excel workbooks. This removes manual data entry across variable document formats.
Intelligent data cleaning at scale: Datagrid's AI agents detect duplicates, resolve semantic inconsistencies like "NYC" vs. "New York City," and normalize multi-source Excel exports into analysis-ready datasets without manual formula work.
Bidirectional CRM synchronization: Sales teams keep working in Excel while AI agents sync lead data, pipeline records, and contact information with connected CRM systems and resolve record conflicts automatically.
Content-aware workflow triggers: Datagrid's AI agents interpret the content of new Excel entries, route high-priority items, draft contextual responses, and assign tasks with relevant detail.
Cross-platform data routing: AI agents move Excel data into databases, cloud data warehouses, and ERP platforms while handling schema mapping and adapting when spreadsheet structures change.
These workflows keep project teams in the spreadsheet environment they already know while Datagrid executes the repetitive processing around it.
What you can build with Microsoft Excel Datagrid integration
Teams that need answers and action, not admin, can use this integration to turn spreadsheet work into repeatable workflows. The examples below show where Excel stays in the loop while Datagrid handles extraction, analysis, and routing.
Automated invoice processing to Excel output: AI agents extract line items, totals, and vendor details from unstructured invoices, including PDFs, scanned forms, and mixed-format documents, then write validated data directly into structured Excel workbooks. Finance teams get clean spreadsheets without opening a single source document. Datagrid combines OCR, NLP, and machine learning to handle format variability across vendors without reconfiguration. Read more about automated document processing.
Excel-driven financial reporting pipeline: Datagrid's AI agents collect budget data from Excel workbooks across departments, perform variance analysis, flag anomalies, and generate formatted reports on a recurring schedule. The agents do more than aggregate numbers. They surface root causes behind variances and explain them. Project teams stop spending recurring hours compiling data manually. Explore budget analysis automation.
Property financial modeling from mixed documents: Commercial real estate teams deal with scanned leases, inspection reports, and rent rolls in dozens of formats. AI agents classify each file, extract the variables relevant to the financial model, and populate or update the tracking spreadsheet. Whether the input is a clean CSV or a 200-page inspection PDF, Datagrid's agents handle the extraction. See property modeling workflows.
Insurance policy comparison spreadsheets: Document control managers receive carrier PDFs with coverage limits, exclusions, and premium details buried across pages. AI agents extract these data points, normalize them, and write comparison tables directly into Excel, replacing the manual PDF-to-spreadsheet bottleneck in policy review cycles. Learn about policy comparison automation.
These examples follow the same pattern: Excel stays useful as the system of record for day-to-day work, while Datagrid executes the extraction, validation, and routing around it.
Resources and documentation
Use these references when you need setup requirements, API behavior, and performance guidance for the integration.
Excel workbook resource reference (v1.0) — complete endpoint and data object reference
Best practices for the Excel Graph API — session management, batching, and performance guidance
Datagrid AI agent process automation — how AI agents execute tasks triggered by data inputs
Frequently asked questions
What file formats does the Datagrid Excel integration support?
For API-based integration, only .xlsx (Office Open XML) files are supported. The legacy .xls format is not compatible with the Microsoft Graph Excel API and must be converted before connecting. The Datagrid Excel integration page also documents local file import support for CSV and XLS formats as a separate import path.
Can I connect Excel files stored on a personal OneDrive account?
No. Personal OneDrive accounts are not supported for this API-based integration. The integration targets enterprise Microsoft 365 accounts.
Does the integration require a signed-in user, or can it run unattended?
Excel workbook APIs require delegated permissions with a signed-in user context. Application permissions (service principals and daemon flows) are not supported for Excel workbook operations. Every API call must be made on behalf of a signed-in user. Datagrid manages the OAuth token lifecycle, but the initial authorization requires user sign-in.
Can Datagrid detect when an Excel file changes?
Datagrid can monitor for file-level changes using Microsoft Graph change notifications. These webhooks fire when the workbook file is modified. Cell-level, range-level, or worksheet-level change detection is not available through the Graph API. For incremental change tracking, Datagrid can use the Delta Query API as a polling-based alternative.
Should I organize my Excel data as Tables before connecting to Datagrid?
Yes. For any workflow that involves row-level reads or writes, your data should be formatted as Excel Tables. The Graph API has no method to append rows to an unstructured worksheet without specifying a target cell range. Tables provide a defined structure that Datagrid's AI agents can reliably read from and write to. Create a Table in Excel by selecting your data range and clicking Insert > Table before configuring the Datagrid connection.
Similar integrations
These integrations commonly appear alongside Microsoft Excel in workflows that move between files, collaboration systems, and downstream databases.
Microsoft SharePoint — Document management and collaboration platform where many Excel workbooks are stored, making it a natural companion integration.
OneDrive — Cloud file storage within Microsoft 365 where Excel workbooks must reside for API-based integration with Datagrid.
Microsoft SQL Server — Enterprise database that frequently serves as a downstream destination for processed Excel data routed through Datagrid's AI agents.
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