Datarails FinanceOS integrates with ChatGPT through the MCP (Model Context Protocol), allowing you to query, analyze, and generate reports from your Datarails financial data using natural conversation.

Note: Data privacy settings and terms vary depending on your ChatGPT plan (Plus, Team, or Enterprise). Before using this integration with financial data, review OpenAI's Privacy Policy at openai.com/policies/privacy-policy and ensure your plan's settings align with your organization's data and compliance requirements.

Prerequisites

• A ChatGPT account (Plus, Team, or Enterprise)
• An active Datarails account with FinanceOS enabled
• For organizational ChatGPT accounts (Team/Enterprise): Only workspace admins can create new apps. If you are not an admin, ask your ChatGPT workspace administrator to complete Step 1 on your behalf.
• The FinanceOS connection is enabled in your Datarails environment. If it does not, reach out to your CSM.

Step 1: Install the Datarails FinanceOS App

1. Open ChatGPT and sign in to your account.
2. Click on your profile icon and go to Settings.
   
3. Select Apps from the Settings menu, then click Explore apps.
   
4. In the App Directory, search for Datarails FinanceOS.
   
5. Click Connect.
6. In the confirmation dialog, click Sign in with Datarails FinanceOS and authenticate with your Datarails credentials.
7. Authorize
8. Once authenticated, you will be returned to ChatGPT with the Datarails FinanceOS app active and ready to use.
9. Open a new Chat. Within the new chat, click on the "+" icon > more > Datarails FinanceOS
   

Step 3: Start Using Datarails in ChatGPT

Once connected, you can interact with your Datarails data directly in ChatGPT:

1. Start a New chat in ChatGPT.
2. Make sure Datarails FinanceOS appears as a connected app in the chat input area (you should see it below the text input). 
3. Ask questions about your financial data in natural language. For example:
   • "Please list Datarails available tables."
   • "Show me a summary of our expenses for Q4."
   • "What are the revenue trends for the past 6 months?"
   • "Generate a P&L report for January 2025."

ChatGPT will query your Datarails data through the MCP connection and return the results directly in the conversation.

Managing the Connection

Once connected, you can interact with your Datarails data directly in ChatGPT:

1. Start a New chat in ChatGPT.
2. Make sure Datarails FinanceOS appears as a connected app in the chat input area (you should see it below the text input). 
3. Ask questions about your financial data in natural language. For example:
   • "Please list Datarails available tables."
   • "Show me a summary of our expenses for Q4."
   • "What are the revenue trends for the past 6 months?"
   • "Generate a P&L report for January 2025."

ChatGPT will query your Datarails data through the MCP connection and return the results directly in the conversation.

Best Practices

1. Start with table discovery — In your first conversation, ask Please list Datarails available tables. This confirms the connection is working and shows you what data is available before you start analyzing.
2. Activate the app in every new chat — Each new ChatGPT conversation starts without any app connections. Click the + icon below the message input, select More, and choose Datarails FinanceOS before asking your first data question.
3. Be specific with time ranges and dimensions — Always include the period, entity, or department in your prompt. For example, Show me revenue by department for Q1 2025 will return more accurate results than Show me revenue.
4. Use natural financial language — ChatGPT understands standard FP&A terminology. Ask for reports the way you would ask a colleague: Generate a monthly P&L for the current fiscal year, Compare budget vs actuals for Q4, or What are the top 10 expense categories year-to-date?
5. Build on previous answers — ChatGPT remembers context within a conversation. Start broad (Show me a summary of expenses for Q4), then drill down (Break that down by department), then go deeper (Which vendors drove the increase in R&D?).
6. Request Excel exports for sharing — When you need to share results or use them in presentations, ask ChatGPT to generate a downloadable Excel file: Export this P&L to Excel.
7. Narrow large queries — If a response is slow or gets cut off, reduce the scope. Instead of requesting all transactions for a full year, ask for a single quarter or a specific department first, then expand.

Troubleshooting

App Does Not Connect

Problem: Clicking Connect on the Datarails FinanceOS app does not complete the connection flow.

Solution:

• Verify the MCP Server URL is exactly https://mcp.datarails.com/mcp — no trailing slash, no extra characters.
• Confirm the Authentication dropdown is set to OAuth (not “None” or “API Key”).
• Confirm that the OAuth Client ID and the OAuth Client Secret are both left empty.
• If you are on a corporate network, check that your firewall or proxy does not block requests to mcp.datarails.com.

Login Prompt Appears Inside an IFrame Instead of a Pop-Up

Problem: ChatGPT shows the Datarails login form embedded inside the page (in an iframe) instead of opening it in a separate pop-up window. Logging in through this iframe does not work - the authentication fails or loops.

Solution:

• The Datarails OAuth flow must open in a pop-up window. Authentication inside an iframe is not supported.
• Make sure your browser allows pop-ups for chatgpt.com. Check the address bar for a blocked pop-up icon and click it to allow.
• Disable browser extensions that may suppress pop-ups (ad blockers, privacy shields, or pop-up blockers).
• If you are using the ChatGPT desktop app, try using ChatGPT in your web browser instead — the desktop app may handle pop-ups differently.
• Try a different browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) if the issue persists.

Authentication Fails or Loops

Problem: The login pop-up appears, but authentication fails, shows an error, or redirects in a loop without completing.

Solution:

• Confirm you are signing in with the same email address associated with your Datarails account.
• Ensure your Datarails account has FinanceOS enabled. Contact your Datarails admin if you are unsure.
• If your organization uses SSO, make sure your identity provider session is active — try logging into Datarails directly first, then retry the ChatGPT connection.
• Clear cookies for both datarails.com and chatgpt.comthen try again.

Cannot Create the App (Team or Enterprise Plans)

Problem: The option to create a new app is not available, or you receive a permissions error when trying to complete Step 1.

Solution:

• On ChatGPT Team and Enterprise plans, only workspace admins can create custom MCP apps.
• Ask your ChatGPT workspace administrator to complete Step 1 (creating the Datarails FinanceOS app) on your behalf.
• Once the admin creates the app, all workspace members can connect to it individually using their own Datarails credentials.

Developer Mode Toggle Not Visible

Problem: You do not see the Developer mode toggle under Advanced settings.

Solution:

• Developer mode requires a ChatGPT Plus, Team, or Enterprise plan. It is not available on the Free plan.
• If you are using the ChatGPT desktop client, make sure it is up to date.
• On Team or Enterprise plans, the feature may be restricted by workspace policies. Contact your ChatGPT workspace admin.

No Data Returned

Problem: ChatGPT responds but says it cannot find data or returns empty results.

Solution:

• First, verify the connection: ask Please list Datarails available tables. If tables appear, the connection is working, and the issue is with your query.
• If no tables appear, the connection may have expired. Go to Apps in the sidebar, find Datarails FinanceOS, disconnect, and reconnect.
• Make sure you have activated the Datarails FinanceOS app in the current chat (click + > More > Datarails FinanceOS). Each new chat starts without app connections.
• If the connection works but a specific query returns no data, check that the time period, entity, or dimension you requested actually contains records in Datarails.

Connection Expires Mid-Conversation

Problem: ChatGPT was working with your data, but stopped returning results or showed an authorization error partway through.

Solution:

• OAuth tokens expire after a period of inactivity. Start a new chat and reactivate the Datarails FinanceOS app — ChatGPT will re-authenticate automatically.
• If re-authentication does not happen automatically, go to Apps in the sidebar, disconnect Datarails FinanceOS, and reconnect.

Slow or Incomplete Responses

Problem: ChatGPT takes a long time to respond, or the response is cut off before finishing.

Solution:

• Large queries (e.g., all transactions for an entire year across all entities) can hit response limits. Narrow your request to a specific quarter, department, or account.
• Break complex requests into smaller steps: first list tables, then query one table, then drill into details.
• If a response is cut off, type continue and ChatGPT will resume where it left off.

Data Looks Incorrect

Problem: The numbers returned by ChatGPT do not match what you see in Datarails.

Solution:

• Verify the time period — ChatGPT may be querying a different date range than you intended. Always specify dates explicitly in your prompt.
• Check entity and currency filters — if your Datarails account has multiple entities or currencies, results may include all of them unless you specify otherwise.
• Ask ChatGPT: What filters and date range did you use for that query? to confirm the exact scope of the data returned.
• Cross-check a single known value in Datarails to validate that the connection is reading the correct table.

Authentication Denied

Problem: When trying to connect to Datarails, you get this result: 
"Authentication Denied: It seems like you are not permitted to use this tool. Please reach out to your CSM for more details."    

Solution: 
Verify with your CSM that the option to connect Datarails to AI platforms is enabled for you. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What ChatGPT plan do I need?
You need a ChatGPT Plus, Team, or Enterprise plan. The Free plan does not support custom MCP apps or Developer mode.

Is my financial data safe?
The connection uses OAuth for authentication, and Datarails manages all user credentials and permissions server-side. Each user only sees data they are authorized to access in their Datarails environment. However, any data that flows through a ChatGPT conversation — including results returned from Datarails queries — is subject to OpenAI's Privacy Policy. Please review OpenAI's current privacy policy at openai.com/policies/privacy-policy before using this integration with sensitive financial data, and consult your organization's compliance team if required.

Can other people in my ChatGPT workspace see my data?
No. Each user authenticates individually with their own Datarails credentials. Datarails enforces the same permission model as in the main application — each user sees only the data they are authorized to access, regardless of shared workspace membership.

Do I need to reconnect every time I open a new chat?
You need to activate the Datarails FinanceOS app in each new chat by clicking the + icon and selecting it. However, you do not need to re-enter your credentials unless your OAuth session has expired.

What types of questions can I ask?
Anything about the financial data in your Datarails FinanceOS tables. Common examples include P&L statements, revenue trends, expense breakdowns, budget vs actuals, KPI dashboards, department-level analysis, variance analysis, and data anomaly detection. Ask in natural language, the same way you would ask a financial analyst.

Can ChatGPT modify my data in Datarails?
No. The MCP connection is read-only. ChatGPT can query and analyze your data but cannot create, update, or delete any records in Datarails.

Can I export the results to Excel?
Yes. Ask ChatGPT to generate a downloadable Excel file with your results. For example: Export this P&L to Excel. ChatGPT will create a file you can download directly from the conversation.

Can multiple users in my organization use this?
Yes. On Team and Enterprise plans, the workspace admin creates the Datarails FinanceOS app once (Step 1), and all workspace members can then connect individually using their own Datarails credentials.

Why does the login form appear inside the page instead of in a pop-up?
This is a known browser behavior. The Datarails authentication must happen in a pop-up window — it will not work inside an iframe. Make sure your browser allows pop-ups for chatgpt.com and disable any extensions that block pop-ups. See the Troubleshooting section above for detailed steps.

How do I disconnect or remove the app?
To disconnect your account, go to Apps in the ChatGPT sidebar, find Datarails FinanceOS, and click Disconnect. To remove the app entirely (admin only), delete it from Settings > Advanced settings > Apps.

Updated May 31, 2026 08:18