Claude for Excel puts Claude in a sidebar inside Excel. Connecting Datarails FinanceOS lets it read your live financial data while you work in the workbook.

Prerequisites

• A paid Claude plan. For data privacy compliance, a Claude for Work plan (Team or Enterprise) is recommended. Review Anthropic's privacy policy for details on how each plan handles your data.
• A Datarails license.
• The FinanceOS plugin enabled and connected in your Datarails environment. If it isn't, contact your CSM.
• Excel on Windows, macOS, or the web.

You do not need Git or Claude Code for this setup. Those are only needed for the packaged finance commands in Claude Code and Cowork - see Getting Started with Datarails on Claude Desktop.

Step 1: Install the Claude Add-in

1. Open Excel
2. Go to Home > Add-ins (in the ribbon)
3. Search for "Claude" in the Microsoft Add-ins store
4. Install the Claude by Anthropic add-in
5. The Claude button appears in the Excel ribbon - click it to open the sidebar
   
6. Sign in with your Claude account
   

Step 2: Add the Datarails plugin

Datarails FinanceOS is listed in the Claude plugins directory, so there is no custom URL to paste. You add the plugin in your browser, then return to Excel.

1. Go to claude.ai and sign in with the same Claude account you used in Step 1.
2. Click Customize at the top right, then Plugins.
3. Search for datarails.
4. Select Datarails FinanceOS, the entry with the verified badge. Ignore any result labelled Custom; those are internal development builds and will not work for you.
5. Click Add.
6. Open the Datarails FinanceOS plugin, click Connectors, then click the Datarails connector, click Connect and complete the login.
7. Return to Excel.

Step 3: Verify it in Excel

1. Back in Excel, click the + button in the Claude panel, then Plugins.
2. Confirm Datarails FinanceOS appears in the list.
3. Optional: set the tool permission to Always allow so Claude does not prompt for approval on every data request.
   
   

You are ready to go.

First things to try

Type these into the Claude sidebar to confirm the connection is working and get a feel for what it can do.

• What Datarails tables do I have access to? - a quick connection test. If this returns a list, you are connected.
• What business metrics are defined in my Datarails account? - shows the KPIs your organization has already modelled, which is usually the best starting point for a numbers question.
• Show me revenue by department for the last full quarter.
• Pull actuals versus budget by month for this fiscal year and write it into a new sheet.

Be specific about dimensions, periods, and scenarios - "by department", "Q1 2026", "Actuals vs Budget" - and say where you want the result to land in the workbook.

Working with the Datarails Excel Add-in

If you also use the Datarails Excel add-in, Claude can operate it for you inside the workbook you have open. This is the Datarails Add-in Agent. It runs alongside the connector, and you do not switch between them:

The connector answers, the agent acts. Claude picks the right one from what you ask. A question about what is in your data goes to the connector. A request to refresh, drill into or write something in the workbook goes to the add-in.

What the agent can do

• Refresh the whole workbook, a range, or a single Datarails table, without leaving the conversation.
• Drill down on a cell and write the transactions behind it into the sheet.
• Break a cell down by one dimension, such as department, entity or account.
• Build Datarails formulas, and tell you what a cell returns from the server, so the figure Claude quotes is the figure the add-in computed.
• Build a dynamic financial report from scratch. Claude finds your Financials table and your real dimension values, then writes the formulas, date headers, number formats and calculated rows into a new sheet, in the design you choose. It refreshes and reads the values back before reporting it done.
• Build the rest of the report around it - dynamic ranges so new rows come in on their own next month, filters and global filters, data tables, fileboxes and reference dates.
• Connect and submit a file to Datarails.

Why this matters

• The numbers are the add-in's numbers. Refresh, drill-down and cell evaluation are executed by the Datarails add-in, not reconstructed by Claude from what it can see on screen. Ask the same question twice and you get the same answer twice.
• What you get is a working Datarails report. Claude writes live DR.GET formulas in your data's own dimension values, not pasted numbers. Open the file next month, refresh, and it is still your report.

Prerequisites

Everything in Steps 1 to 3 above, plus:

1. The Datarails Excel add-in installed and signed in, as the same Datarails user you connected the connector in the FinanceOS plugin with. The agent only works when both are on one account.
2. The latest add-in version. Every release brings improvements and fixes to the agent, so update before you start. This applies to the desktop add-in, which you update yourself. The Office JS add-in updates automatically and needs nothing from you.
3. The Add-in Agent enabled for your organization. If Claude does not act on the workbook when you ask, contact your CSM to confirm it is switched on.

What to expect

• You do not need to say "use the agent." When a workbook with the Datarails add-in is open, Claude detects it and uses it whenever a request needs an add-in action.
• Claude asks before changing your workbook. Inserting functions, connecting, submitting, publishing and drill-downs are confirmed with you first. Read-only questions leave your sheets untouched.
• New reports go on a new sheet. Claude never writes a report into an existing sheet. Once it is built you can cut and paste the block wherever you want it.
• Freshly written formulas show #BUSY! or Loading… until they are refreshed. Claude refreshes them through the add-in and reads the values back before it reports any number. If you see #BUSY!, the refresh has not landed yet.
• Claude refreshes only what it wrote. A whole-workbook refresh moves every Datarails cell in the file, so Claude only runs one if you ask for it.
• Expect a few questions when building a report. Claude may ask how to lay out the columns, which account level to show each P&L row at, and which design to use: the Datarails default, one of the Datarails template designs (Ocean or Genesis), a plain layout, or matching a sheet already in your workbook.

First things to try with the add-in

Open a workbook that contains Datarails formulas, or a blank one signed in to the add-in, and try:

• Refresh this report and tell me which three cost centers have the biggest variance to budget in March.
• Select a cell, then: Drill down on this cell and show me what's behind it.
• Break this cell down by Account Name and tell me which accounts explain the gap.
• Write a two-line variance commentary next to each of the three biggest variances, in the sheet.
• In a blank workbook: Build a departmental operating expense report in this workbook for January to July 2026, by cost center, showing Actual vs Budget with variance and variance %. Use live Datarails data.

Be specific about the scenario names your organization uses. If your budget lives in a Forecast scenario or a particular version, say so, or the Budget column may include more than you intend.

Troubleshooting

Datarails does not appear in the Claude panel after connecting

Problem: You added the plugin, but Datarails is not listed in the plugins list in Claude for Excel.

Solution: Close and reopen the Claude for Excel add-in, then click + > Plugins and check again. If it is still missing, confirm you signed into Excel with the same Claude account you added the plugin with.

Several Datarails entries appear in the plugins directory

Problem: Searching for datarails returns more than one result.

Solution: Choose Datarails FinanceOS, the entry with the verified badge. Ignore any result labelled Custom; those are internal development builds and will not work for you.

Your organization has not enabled the plugin

Problem: The Datarails plugin does not appear, or cannot be added, because your Claude organization restricts which plugins are available.

Solution: Ask your Claude administrator to enable the Datarails FinanceOS plugin for your organization.

Authentication fails, or the login page does not load

Problem: Clicking Connect does not open a login page, or the page fails to load.

Solution:

• Allow pop-ups in your browser.
• Confirm you have an active Datarails license.
• Disconnect and reconnect the connector in the plugin.
• If the problem persists, clear your browser cache and try again.

"Authentication Denied"

Problem: Connecting returns "Authentication Denied: It seems like you are not permitted to use this tool. Please reach out to your CSM for more details."

Solution: Confirm with your CSM that connecting Datarails to AI platforms is enabled for your environment and for your user.

The connector is on, but returns no data

Problem: Datarails plugin is installed and the connector in the plugin is connected, but Claude reports it cannot find tables or values.

Solution:

• Confirm the FinanceOS connection is enabled in your Datarails environment - contact your CSM if you are unsure.
• Remember that all Datarails permissions apply. You will only see data your Datarails user is allowed to access.
• Try What Datarails tables do I have access to? to check the connection independently of your question.

Requests time out on large data

Problem: A request starts, then times out or returns a partial result.

Solution: Narrow the request with filters, such as a single department or a shorter date range. Very large aggregations are truncated rather than returned in full, so a narrower question gives a complete answer.

Claude answers with numbers but does not refresh or write to the workbook

Problem: Claude gives an answer from the connector but does not act on the workbook, or says it cannot reach the Datarails add-in.

Solution:

• Confirm the Datarails add-in is signed in. Check the Datarails tab in the ribbon.
• Confirm the add-in is signed in as the same Datarails user as the connector in the FinanceOS plugin.
• On desktop, update the Datarails add-in to the latest version.
• If all three are in order, ask your CSM to confirm the Add-in Agent is enabled for your organization.

"The Datarails add-in isn't responding"

Problem: Claude reports that nothing is picking up its requests to the add-in.

Solution: In Excel for the web, close and reopen the Datarails task pane. On desktop, make sure the Datarails add-in is enabled and that Excel is not waiting on an open dialog. Then tell Claude to retry.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Claude change my workbook without asking? 
No. Read-only questions leave your sheets untouched. When a request means writing to the workbook, such as inserting a function, drilling down or building a report, Claude tells you what it will do and waits for your confirmation.

Do I need the Datarails Excel add-in as well?
Not for asking questions. The plugin and its connector alone let Claude read your Datarails data. Add the Datarails Excel add-in when you want Claude to act on the workbook: refresh, drill down, build Datarails formulas, or build a whole report. See Working with the Datarails Excel Add-in above.

Is my financial data safe?
Datarails enforces all access controls server-side, so you only ever see data you are permitted to access. Connections use OAuth, and no credentials are stored in Claude. The privacy protections that apply to your Claude conversations depend on your subscription plan - review Anthropic's privacy policy before using Claude with financial data.

Can I use this on Excel for Mac or Excel on the web?
Yes. The Claude add-in, the Datarails connector and the Add-in Agent all work across Excel on Windows, macOS and the web. The agent works with both the desktop and the Office JS Datarails add-in, so whichever one you run, Claude can act on your workbook.

Where do I get the finance commands like /dr-dashboard?
The Datarails FinanceOS plugin is what you installed in Step 2, so it is already here. Type / in the Claude sidebar to see what it offers. The same plugin also installs in Claude Code and Cowork - see Getting Started with Datarails on Claude Desktop.

Updated September 23, 2026 05:48