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 connection enabled in your Datarails environment. If it isn't, contact your CSM.
• Excel on Windows, macOS, or the web.

You do not need Git, Claude Code, or the Datarails FinanceOS plugin 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 connector

1. Datarails FinanceOS is listed in the Claude connector directory, so there is no custom URL to paste.
2. In the Claude sidebar, click the + button at the bottom left.
3. Click Browse connectors. This opens Claude in your browser.
4. Search for datarails.
5. Select Datarails FinanceOS — the entry with the verified badge. Ignore any results labelled Custom; those are internal development connectors and will not work for you.
6. Click + to add it, then click Connect and complete the login.
7. Return to Excel.
    

Step 3: Turn it on in Excel

1. Click the + button in the Claude sidebar again. Datarails FinanceOS now appears in the list.
2. Toggle it on.
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.

Troubleshooting

Datarails does not appear in the sidebar after connecting

Problem: You added the connector in the browser, but it is not listed under + in Excel.

Solution: Close and reopen the Claude sidebar, then check again. If it is still missing, confirm in your browser that the connector shows as Connected, and that you signed into Excel with the same Claude account.

Several Datarails entries appear in the connector directory

Problem: Searching for datarails returns more than one result.

Solution: Choose Datarails FinanceOS, the entry with the verified badge. Entries labelled Custom are internal development servers and will not authenticate for customers.

Your organization has not enabled the connector

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

Solution: Ask your Claude administrator to enable the Datarails FinanceOS connector 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, then toggle it off and on again in Excel.
• 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 is toggled on 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this change my workbook automatically?
No. Claude only writes to the workbook when you ask it to. Read-only questions leave your sheets untouched.

Do I need the Datarails Excel add-in as well?
They are separate products and serve different purposes. The Datarails Excel add-in provides DR.GET formulas, refresh, and submit. The Claude connector lets Claude read your Datarails data conversationally. You can use either or both.

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 and the Datarails connector work the same way across Excel on Windows, macOS, and the web.

Where do I get the finance commands like /dr-dashboard?
Those come from the Datarails FinanceOS plugin, which runs in Claude Code and Claude Cowork rather than Excel. See Getting Started with Datarails on Claude Desktop.

Updated August 23, 2026 09:59